Ganesha Chaturthi is celebrated on the birthday (rebirth) of the Lord Ganesha, the son of Shiva and Parvati. The festival is observed in the month of Bhadrapada, starting on the Shukla Chaturthi (fourth day of the waxing moon). The date usually falls between 20th August and 20th September. The festival lasts for 10 or 12 days, ending on Ananth Chathurdashi. Ganesha is widely worshiped as the god of wisdom, prosperity and good fortune and traditionally invoked at the beginning of any new venture or at the start of travel. According to the Linga Purana, Ganesha was created by Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati at the request of the Devas for being a Vighnakartaa (obstacle-creator) in the path of Rakshasas, and a Vighnahartaa (obstacle-averter) to help the Devas achieve fruits of their hard work.
At Aurora, this festival is celebrated for five days. The students and the staffs participate with great devotion. On the fifth day the Ganesh idol will be taken for nimajjan / immersion. On this day, the students take out a big procession and the students of all religions participate with great zeal and enthusiasm. This brings a great religious harmony among the students and they develop respect for the other religions.
Though there are several opinions regarding the immersion of the idol. It is worthy to mention the most significant reason. The nimajjan ceremony represents the concept of the cycle of birth, death and rebirth. Similarly, once the presiding deity departs from the idol, its physical manifestation is then returned to nature, only to be re-animated the following year. The imbibed spirit however remains in the hearts of the devotees and enriches their lives.This process teaches us detachment and realization that our own body, which we cherish and pamper will one day be reduced to base elements.
Christmas, the birth day of Jesus Christ, is celebrated on the 25th of December and is a religious holiday. Christmas also symbolizes a very deep significant truth of spiritual life. Jesus Christ is the personification of Divinity and is recognized as the Son of God and the Savior of the world. Christmas is a time for family and friends to get together and exchange gifts to inculcate brotherhood, love and sacrifice. Christmas Eve is celebrated at our campus
Pongal is the only festival of Hindu that follows a solar calendar and is celebrated on the fourteenth of January every year. Pongal has astronomical significance: it marks the beginning of Uttarayana, the Sun's movement northward for a six month period. In Hinduism, Uttarayana is considered auspicious, as opposed to Dakshinaayana, or the southern movement of the sun. All important events are scheduled during this period. Makara Sankranthi refers to the event of the Sun entering the zodiac sign of Makara or Capricorn. The college conducts many cultural programs on this occasion like, rangoli, ethnic wear, mehendi etc. The best talents are duly recognized and honored.
Deepawali or Diwali is the brightest festival, which is celebrated in the month of October/November of solar calendar. Deepavali means a series of lights, which literally illumines the country with its brilliance. It is believed that the flame of the earthen lamps has the power that destroys the negative vibrations in the atmosphere. Every day of Diwali represents the conquest of good over evil and virtue over vice. Aurora celebrates this festival by greeting one another and distributing sweets.
Diwali is marked by four days of celebration. Each day of Diwali has its own tale, legend and myth to tell. The first day of the festival Naraka Chaturdasi marks the vanquishing of the demon Naraka by Lord Krishna and his wife Satyabhama. Amavasya, the second day of Deepawali, marks the worship of Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth in her most benevolent mood, fulfilling the wishes of her devotees. Amavasya also tells the story of Lord Vishnu, who in his Vamana incarnation vanquished Bali. Bali returns to earth once a year, to light millions of lamps to dispel the darkness and ignorance, and spread the radiance of love and wisdom. It is on the third day of Deepawali — Kartika ShuddaPadyami that Bali rules the earth according to the boon given by Lord Vishnu. The fourth day is referred to as Yama.
Diwali also commemorates the return of Lord Rama along with Sita and Lakshmana from his fourteen-year long exile. The people of Ayodhya have celebrated the return of their king, Rama, by illuminating the kingdom with earthen diyas. In Jainism, Deepawali is associated with the great event of Lord Mahavira attaining the eternal bliss of nirvana.
According to some belief, the sounds of fire-crackers are an indication of the joy of the people living on earth, making the gods aware of their plentiful state. The scientific reason is the fumes produced by the crackers kill a lot of insects and mosquitoes, which are plenty in number after the rains.
This festival is celebrated for ten consecutive days (i.e. the first ten days of the bright fort night of Ashviyuja Masam of the Lunar month). The first nine days are called ‘Sharad Navaratri’ and the tenth day is Dusshera. In fact the last four days of this ten days festival, Saptami, Durgastami, Maharnavami and VijayaDasami are celebrated with much gaiety and grandeur. Apart from religious festival, it is also an occasion for reunion and rejuvenation and a celebration of tradition, culture and customs.
At Aurora, during these Navarathri celebrations we conduct various cultural events especially ‘Dandia’ for students. Students wear the traditional attire and participate in Dandia with great fervor. Goddess Durga is worshipped with great fervor during Navaratri time. The festival is devoted to Goddess Durga symbolizing purity and power.
The festival of Dussehra falls in the month of September or October of the English calendar. Dussehra or Vijayadashami is celebrated as victory of Goddess Durga over the demon Mahishasura. It conveys the message of victory of good over the evil.
The festival of Dussehra is also known as Durga Pooja or Navarathri, Goddess Durga is worshipped in nine different forms on nine days and ends with the celebration of Dussehra on the tenth day.
Lord Rama killed Ravana on the tenth day, that is, Dussehra. Throughout Navratri, Ramleela is organised and people enjoy the enactment of the play based on Ramayana.
The Telugu New Year, 'Ugadi' is celebrated to commemorate the beginning of spring in South India. It is a popular festival across the states of South India. The word Ugadi is said to denote Yuga which means era or epoch. A significant ritual of the New Year celebrtation is oil bath. Consuming UgadiPachhadi, or a mixture of six tastes, is an important part of the celebration. The six items of UgadiPachhadi are said to signify sadness, happiness, anger, fear, disgust, and surprise. People then gather for 'PanchangaSravanam' to hear the general predictions for the year. We at aurora celebrate this Telugu new year day with Ugadipachadi and PanchangaSravanam.
The famous Muslim festival that is celebrated in India is Ramzan or Ramadan. The last day of Ramadan (a month of fasting and prayers) is celebrated as ‘Eid-ul-fitr’. This festival is celebrated with tremendous enthusiasm and affection. During the month of Ramadan in our college we give special permission to muslim students to offer prayers in our college premises or in near by Mosque.
The observation of Ramadan marks the anniversary of the Quran being revealed to Prophet Mohammed. The fasting process starts from sunrise and lasts until sunset. It is assumed that devotees are closer to God during Ramadan. Eid is a day of celebration, worship, meeting loved ones, giving Edi to children, and having delicious food. Some of the basic but most important rituals on Eid are: Giving zakat (charity), attending Eid prayers, and helping the poor and needy. It involves faith, worship, donation and pilgrimage to Mecca.
