The event is honored in the splendor of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati's union. Both married and single ladies actively participate in the celebration. While unmarried women worship Gauri to find a devoted spouse, married ladies worship her for their own happiness and the happiness of their husbands. The goddess Parvati is revered as the embodiment of perfection, elegance, and marital love. So, for women, Gangaur is really important.
When is Gangaur 2022 Celebrated?
The Gangaur festival celebrations start on the first day of Chaitra, a day following the Holika Dahan festival, and the day before the Holi holiday. The Gangaur festival, which is held on the day after the full moon in March, which also happens to be Chaitra month in the Hindu calendar marks the start of the spring season. In 2022. From March 18 until April 4 is the celebration of Gangaur.What is the history of the Gangaur festival?
The celebration of Gangaur is tied to a fascinating mythical tale. It all started with a stroll that Lord Shiva, Goddess Parvathi, and Vedic teacher Narad Muni took. On the third day of the Chaitra month, they happened to arrive at a hamlet. When ladies of higher pedigree learn of the trio's coming, they begin making delicacies to greet them.The ladies from the higher castes then fell behind, and in the meantime, women from the lower classes of society arrived at the visitors to offer the Gods Akshat (a type of unbroken rice) and tamarind powder. They received loyalty and marital pleasure from Goddess Parvathi, who was pleased with their devotion.
Lord Shiva is said to have questioned Parvathi (Gauri) when the ladies from the upper castes eventually arrived with their delicacies: "You gave all the blessings to the women from a lower caste, what would you offer to them now?" In response, Goddess Parvathi vowed to offer these ladies the same type of marital and spiritual joy that she has known. Goddess Parvathi blessed the upper-caste women when they completed their rites honoring the Gods.
Even today, women continue the tradition of honoring and worshiping Goddess Parvathi in the hopes of granting their husbands a happy marriage and a long life. Goddess Parvathi begged Lord Shiva for permission to take a bath in a river bed following the memorial service. She made a Lord Shiva sand statue after having a bath and began to worship it. She became so absorbed in her adoration that she forgot the time and became late.
She lied when Shiva questioned her about the delay, stating she had seen her brothers and other family members. Then Shiva said, "What gifts did you get, and what Prasad did you consume?" She said that she had been fed rice and milk for dinner by her family. Lord Shiva, who had been listening to Parvathi, had also expressed a desire to eat the Prasad and had begun to go toward the river's edge. Parvathi had followed him.
As soon as Parvathi realized she had lied before Lord Shiva, she became concerned and began to worship Shiva in an effort to beg for forgiveness and avoid shame. Surprisingly, the place where she worshiped Shiva's statue was now a massive palace when they arrived. The two greeted Parvathi's brothers and other family members as soon as they entered the palace. After spending two days there, Narad Muni and Goddess Parvathi, and Lord Shiva went to their next destination. That he had left his garland in the castle, Lord Shiva.
In order to retrieve the garlands from the palace, Lord Shiva sent Narad Muni. When Narad arrived, he saw trees in the location of the palace, which had suddenly vanished. This occurred as a result of Parvathi's ethereal abilities, Lord Shiva informed Narad. On the river's banks, she mystically conjured up everything to conceal the idolatry. She lied and made up her mystery ancestral house and relatives as a result.
Narad regarded Parvathi to be the purest and greatest of all the married ladies in the world after being moved by her devotion to Lord Shiva and her marital fervor. He further said that any lady who worships Parvathi and Shiva in secret would be granted eternal love and long life. In order to get Goddess Parvathi's blessings, modern-day ladies still practice the tradition of worshiping deities in secret during the Gangaur festival.
What is the religious and cultural significance of Gangaur festival?
Religiously and culturally, the Gangaur festival is very important. The event is mostly celebrated in honor of Goddess Gauri, i.e. Lord Shiva's wife, Parvathi. She exemplifies strength, bravery, dedication, and conjugal loyalty and is regarded as a model for marriage. Both married women who wish for the prolonged life and well-being of their spouses as well as single women who want to find a decent and compatible husband value this holiday. To win Lord Shiva's affection, Goddess Parvathi underwent a great deal of suffering and sacrifice.Because of her love for her spouse, she has set a good example for other ladies to follow Lord Shiva. The women yearn for the same love and marital bliss that Parvathi and Lord Shiva have. The event also showcases Rajasthani culture or the family that hosts it. In a manner, it shows how devoted the ladies are to their own husbands and also shows that the earlier are ready to suffer any kind of agony in order to win the latter's respect and affection.
Why is the Gangaur festival celebrated?
The ladies of Gangaur celebrate the event with fervor and dedication, asking Goddess Parvati/Gauri for a prosperous spring full of crop and marital peace. Also requested is that the goddess provides their spouses long lives and excellent health. Although this celebration is particularly meaningful for married ladies, unmarried females are frequently seen participating in the hopes of finding a decent spouse.In the course of the tale of Gangaur, Parvati is led away from her parents' house by Lord Shiva after a triumphant farewell. In order to convince Lord Shiva to take her as his wife, Parvati is said to have endured days of arduous penance. He was very moved by her tenacity and dedication.
How to celebrate Gangaur festival?
The Gangaur festival of Rajasthan is widely celebrated by women. Their everyday activities are mostly focused on honoring Gauri (Parvathi). A common practice is to eat only once every day for the duration of the 18-day celebration while fasting. You can create and dress up clay or wood idols of "Ghana" (Shiva) and "Gauri" (Parvathi). As well as keeping the idols, some ladies also repair them so they may be utilized during the upcoming festival season. The "Gangaur" idols are worshiped and ritualized during the event.Women who are married and single celebrate the occasion in the same way. On the seventh day, unmarried ladies dress in traditional clothes, hold an earthen lantern, and sing while they stroll through the streets. On the final day of Gangaur, the light is broken and dumped into a well after 10 days of this customary practice. By performing the ritual, it is said that Gauri, who bestows ideal husbands on women in the mold of Lord Shiva, will provide them her favor.
For married women, the festival's final three days are crucial. They dress up their deities and organize a parade carrying the statues on their heads. The procession forms over the following two days, and the idols are brought back to the respective temples. On the final day, a large ceremony of the idols is once more carried out by ladies wearing vibrant traditional clothing and carrying the idols on one‘s heads. The idols are subsequently submerged in water as a representation of Parvathi departing from her parents' house and returning to Lord Shiva.
Rituals of the Gangaur festival
Several ceremonial customs are observed at the festival:
- Be sure to get up early.
- Preparing and setting up Dubh, a kind of grass, for the Gangaur Puja.
- Idols are created on paper, and the females are instructed to add 16 little dots, each containing a Kum Kum, a Kajal, and a Mehendi, to represent the fortunate status of wifehood.
- In the absence of dubh, one might fervently sprinkle silver rings over the seedlings.
The idols that have been put in the basket begin to be worshiped on the eighth day. The basket is not kept in certain villages, though. As they observe a fast until the afternoon, the women give the Goddess water. Afterward, they perform rituals while singing old folk songs.
Specific rites are included in several devotional songs that tell the history of the festival's inception. They sacrifice sweets to the Goddess Gangaur in the evening. During the celebration, the newlyweds are required to observe fasting with the exception of one meal every day. For at least one day during the holiday, single ladies observe a fast. It is necessary for those who are fasting to memorize and recite the history of the Gangaur festival.
FAQs (FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS)
How to break Gangaur fast?On the final day of Gangaur, women break their fast with traditional dishes like Kheer, Choorma, Halwa, Puri, Ghewar, etc. At Lake Pichola's Gangaur Ghat, which is in the Rajasthani city of Udaipur, there are frequently large celebrations.
How is the Gangaur pooja performed?
Even single girls observe a 16-day fast that includes just one meal every day. On the third day of the Shukla paksha of Chaitra Month, the celebration comes to an end. The entire 18-day period is filled with fairs (Gangaur Melas).
What foods are available in Gangaur vrat?
During Gangaur, women observe an 18-day fast that includes just one meal each day. Milk, fruits, desserts, and a variety of homemade snacks make up the lunch.
Conclusion
Starting at the Zanani-Deodhi in the City Palace, the customary procession is conducted in Jaipur with tremendous pomp and fanfare. The grandiosity of the Gangaur fair in Rajasthan's breathtaking regions reaches its peak on the festival's last day, when no matter whatever city you attend, you won't escape unaffected. People may purchase festive home decor Items from eCraftIndia. Give someone you love a purchased wall hangings online from us.