Rituals

Every year a number of festivals are celebrated in India. These festivals are celebrated with a lot of enthusiasim and are looked forward for with a lot of egarness. Although these festivals also share different kind of rituals. These rituals are very imporatnt in terms of the importance that is given to these festivals and the proper process that is followed for these festivals.

Rituals that are performed with utmost care to provide a very astheric and spiritual experience for the festival. These rituals for Indina festivals have been followed for past several centuries with the same respect that was used several hundred years ago.

Every Indian festival have different rituals and prayers that are followed. Every day of weekday have a differnt stories (see hindu fasts) and different reason behind having these seven days.

Apart from just Hindu festivals there are also several muslim festivals that follow rituals of their own and is known as Azzan and is performed when a child is born or after the new born baby is given its first bath. This ritual is followed and prayers are offered to god. This process is followed so that the first name that the child hears is that of the god.

Rituals make an integral part of the Indian history and will be followed with the same zeal and enthusisasim for centuries to come.

Aartis
The word “aarti” has been derived from the Rig Veda, one of the earliest Hindu scriptures, which signifies “the highest form of love for God”. It comprises of the closing ritual of a prayer. The concept of singing an aarti has evolved from the worship of one of the five elements that the earth is made up of that is fire. The offering of aarti is symbolic to the prevalent Hindu religious belief that God is the centre of all forms of existence. It is seen as an act of submission of an individual to the material form of God in order to experience the highest state of joy.

Azaan
Azaan is the first call to prayer for Muslims recited by the muezzin (religious Muslim scholar or cleric). The Muslim priest stands in the mosque (at times, from a minaret) facing the Kaaba (cubed-shaped building in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, considered to be the most sacred site in Islam) and calls out the azaan inviting Muslims to assemble for the prayers in the mosque. It is mandatory for the Muslims to offer prayers five times a day.

Hindu Fasts
India is a vast country boasting of a rich cultural diversity. People from different religions and castes reside in this exceptionally vast multiethnic country. Apart from the various religions followed in India, Hinduism is one such major religion practiced here. This vast faith is synonymous with several rituals and customs followed by the Hindus. The Hindu culture is recognized by festivals, fasts and feasts. Fasting, in particular, is an integral part of the Hindu religion.

Naamkaran
Namakaran, or naming of the child, is the first real ceremony held for the newborn child. It is usually held on the twelfth day of the child's birth, though, according to one convention, it can be held on any day after the tenth day, and before the first birthday.

Hindu Gods
It is believed that there are 330 million gods in the Hindu Dharma. There are as many Hindu gods as there are devotees to suit the feelings, moods and social background of the devotee. However, it is not really the sign of ignorance. The ultimate reality is one, the almighty. The omnipresent God is a universal fact and having different names show the branches of the same tree.

Hindu Goddesses
As per the Hindu religion, the Supreme Being contains both masculine and feminine traits. The female part is as important as the male part. One has to consider the feminine aspect of the divine, in order to know the ultimate truth. It is believed that all goddesses of the Hindu pantheon are special forms of the divine mother- Shakti. To recognize the feminine aspect, it is necessary to restore wholeness, completeness and universality.