Saumyaa Vardhan

Onam 2018: The celebration continues for 10 days, beginning with Attham and ending up with Thiruvonam. The public holidays are declared four days before the festival, which is on the day of Uthradom. Know the significance, history and timings of Subh Puja here.

Guru Purnima marks the appearance day of Srila Vyasadeva. It falls every year on the day of Ashadha Shukla Purnima. This year, the festival dedicated to teachers will be observed on July 27.

In Bhagwad Gita (9.34 and 18.65), Lord Krishna mentions that chanting mantras means to offer prayers. Mrityunjaya mantra is found in the oldest Vedic literature, the Rig Veda (7.59.12).

The burning lamp represents the element of fire. Fire is one of the five principal elements of this material creation (earth, water, fire, sky and air) and it represents purity. Whatever comes in contact with fire is immediately purified, the way impure gold is converted into pure gold.

The immensely pious and auspicious month of Purushottam, also known as Adhika Maas or Mal Mass, is considered dear to the supreme Lord Sri Krishna. Here's the scientific explanation behind it.

The followers of Vedic religion are advised by the Supreme Lord to perform yagya or sacrifices in order to be happy and merry. There are various meanings associated with the word yagya.

The Gayatri mantra is one of the well-known mantras. As per the Smarta Brahmanas, the Gayatri mantra is a representative of Suryadev. According to Hari Bhakti Vilasa, the Brahma Gayatri mantra is a prayer to Gayatri Devi, the eternal consort of Sri Vishnu.

The glories of Purushottam month are innumerable and are beyond conception. A single month of devotion can award the person with all the necessities of his life and after quitting this body, he will surely ascend to the abode of the Supreme Lord Krishna.

On the day of Buddha Purnima, people from various countries visit the holy shrines of Buddha and there are a lot of pilgrims who come to visit his Birth Place and the Mahabodhi Tree.

This year, the festival of Buddha Purnima falls on April 30, 2018. The timings for prevailing of Purnima Tithi are from 06:37 am on April 29 to 06:27 am on April 30, 2018. This is the time to offer worship to the Buddha.

Mantras are very powerful in themselves and hence, need to be chanted as prescribed. Then only, one can derive real happiness from them. Therefore, any person who seriously desires real happiness must seek a bonafide spiritual master and take shelter under him by initiation.

One might see a variety of effects of the mantra chanting on an individual. Peace, satisfaction and happiness, being relative and absolute at the same time, are the general final outcomes. Some even make one determined and humble.

The day of Sita Navami holds great significance in Ayodhya, especially in Mithila, where people consider Sita, their own daughter. They say that they belong to her maternal house and hence, are blessed to live in the lands where she appeared.

The festival of Chandan Yatra starts on Akshaya Tritiya, April 18, 2018. It is celebrated in Vrindavan and Jagannath Puri, whereby the deities of Lord Krishna and his forms are decorated with huge amounts of sandalwood paste, completely covering his entire body in chandan.

Akshaya Tritiya, 2018: Akshay Tritiya generally falls in late April or early May. Mostly it is celebrated on the 108th day of the year. This festival of immortality is equally revered by the Hindu and Jain community and is associated with various traditions and rituals.

Baisakhi 2018: This day is celebrated as the founding day for the Khalsa community, the day on which Guru Gobind Singh invited the people to come forward and get baptized into Sikhism and raise their voice against the cruel Mughal Empire.

Hanuman Jayanti is the pious day on which Sri Hanuman descended on earth in order to serve the purpose of his eternal master, Lord Ram. He, being an unalloyed devotee of Sri Ram is revered by all Ram bhakts.

Devi Durga has been glorified in various shastras like Devi Bhagwat Purana. She is considered as a divine potency responsible for keeping this material world in order and decorum.

Ram Navami holds great significance for people who are devout followers of Lord Ramchandra. It is believed that on the auspicious day of Shukla Paksha Navami, at 12 noon, Lord Ramchandra made his divine appearance along with his three brothers, Lakshmana, Bharat and Shatrughna in Ayodhya.

Holika or Holi is celebrated as a festival representing the victory of good over evil. This festival commemorates the combined celebration of two different festivals- Choti Holi (Holika Dahan) and  Badi Holi (Rangwali Holi/ Dulandi). This year, Choti Holi or Holika Dahan will be celebrated on March 1.

The Maha Shivratri prayer cycle is divided into four prahars of three hours each, during which devotees take turns to worship the Shiva Linga using auspicious ingredients (samagri), Rudrabhisheka and chanting mantras.

Maha Shivratri 2018: Maha Shivratri is celebrated in various forms depending on the perspective. The worldly person celebrates Maha Shivratri as the anniversary of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati, while the spiritual person looks at this day as one when Shiva attained victory over all of his enemies.

Maha Shivratri 2018: Shiva is described as Mahadeva as he is propitiated by everyone from the devtas (gods) to the asuras (demons). With Maha Shivratri here, we try and understand Shiva, the god, according to the various Upanishads and Puranas.

Vasant Panchami 2018: For years and as per the traditions and customs prevalent, people have been celebrating this day by observing a fast, decorating the deity of Saraswati with garlands and white clothes and offering her yellow items.