January 12 - Youth Day in India

Posted on January 12, 2020

Today is the birthday of Swami Vivekananda, and because his philosophy and ideals are considered to be a great source of inspiration for young people (and all people), since 1984 his birthday has been celebrated as Indian Youth Day.

Swami Vivekananda was born on this date in 1863, and he is considered a force for the revival of Hinduism in India, its stature as a major world religion, and the introduction of Hindu ideas, including the practice of Yoga, to the Western world. 

He represented Hinduism at the Parliament of World's Religions (held in Chicago, in the U.S.), and he held hundreds of public and private lectures and classes on Hinduism all over the U.S. and Europe, including Britain.

Even though Vivekananda died in 1902, almost half a century before India gained independence from Britain, he contributed to the idea that India should and would be an independent nation. 

National Youth Day is observed with parades, essay competitions, recitations, sports contests, speeches, musical concerts, presentations and seminars, and youth conventions. 

Also on this date:

Anniversary of the premiere of Cavedigger

Fairy Tale innovator Charles Perrault's birthday 

Educator Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi's birthday 

Author Jack London's birthday

Celebrating platinum and lithium

Anniversary of first woman elected to U.S. Senate

Anniversary of establishment of first public museum in U.S.

Memorial Day in Turkmenistan

Lee-Jackson Day

National Pharmacist Day

Plan ahead:

Check out my Pinterest pages on:

• January holidays
• January birthdays
• Historical anniversaries in January

And here are my Pinterest boards for:

• February holidays
• February birthdays
• Historical anniversaries in February

September 9 – Ganesh Chaturthi

Posted on September 9, 2013

Today is the beginning of a Hindu festival that celebrates the rebirth of the Lord Ganesha, who is considered the god of wisdom, prosperity (riches), and good fortune. One of the most important traditions is the making or purchasing of models of Ganesha, the elephant-headed god. These statues may be as tiny as less than an inch (2 cm) or enormous—70 feet (21 m) or more! The tallest of these models of Lord Ganesha was about 117 feet tall (35 m).

Unfortunately, at the end of the festival (10 or 12 days for now), the tradition is to immerse the Ganesh models in lakes or rivers. In the olden days, people created the statues out of the mud near their homes, and they returned the mud to the Earth with this immersion—but nowadays, many people buy or make Plaster of Paris models adorned with beautiful paints that include heavy metals such as mercury and cadmium. Plaster is non-biodegradable and doesn't dissolve in water, and of course the heavy metals in the paint cause water pollution. Many intricate Ganesh models have non-biodegradable accessories that accumulate on the shores of the lakes and rivers.

The government of Trinidad and Tobago, where many Hindu people celebrate this holiday, has launched efforts to educate the people about the pollution problems caused by some Ganesh statues. There are many possible solutions being urged and tried. Of course, some people are going back to using natural clay; in contrast, some people buy permanent statues made of stone or brass, which can be immersed for symbolic purposes but which don't dissolve (and can be used year after year). And some people love their painted plaster models but immerse them in tanks of water rather than public waterways.

Check out this video of hundreds of people gathering to enjoy each other's Ganesh models—and to immerse them lakes and rivers. 

Check out these amazing pictures of the Lord Ganesha.

Also on this date:

Independence Day in Tajikistan 

Celebrate New Words Day

Anniversary of the patenting of an ice cream maker

Plan Ahead!

Check out my Pinterest pages on September holidays, September birthdays, and historical anniversaries in September.

And here are my Pinterest pages on October holidays, October birthdays, and historical anniversaries in October.

July 10 – Ratha Yatra Begins in Puri

Posted on July 10, 2013

During the Hindu Chariot Festival, people carry icons of the gods in huge chariots, through the streets, from one temple to another. This allows the people to have a “holy view” of the gods. 

The chariots, or ratha, are enormous wooden structures built each year by Hindu devotees. It takes two months to build and decorate the chariots, wooden charioteeers and horses, gods and thrones. The chariots are painted, often in bright colors, and decorated with flowers and designs.

Did I mention that the ratha are large? Some of the chariots rise up 45 feet tall, weigh 65 tons, and have 16 wheels. Up to 50 people have to work together to pull the ratha—plus more people supporting the arms of the thrones, and 20 more pushing from the back!

Thousands of pilgrims come to Puri to see the Ratha Yatra. But these days there are Chariot Festivals in other parts of the world as well. Some of the cities where you can see some of the huge, elaborately decorated chariots include New York City; Venice, CA (near me!); Toronto, Canada; Paris; Budapest, Hungary; Dublin, Ireland; and London.

By the way, some people refer to the ratha as Chariots of the Gods. This Hindu holiday has nothing to do with the ridiculous book by Erich von Daniken, Chariots of the Gods, which tries to make the point that the technologies and religions of ancient civilizations were given to humans by alien intelligences, who were considered gods. It's an interesting idea, but von Daniken gathered together a lot of fraudulent misinformation, blatant lies, and illogical arguments in order to try to convince readers.

By the way...

Jagannath is the “Lord of the Universe” for some Hindus. In some ways, the Ratha Yatra is all about Jagannath. Because there have been times when the huge chariots have not been able to stop and have accidentally crushed people during the Chariot Festival, the word juggernaut, meaning an unstoppable force, evolved from the god's name Jagannath.

Also on this date:

Independence Day and Junkanoo Parade in the Bahamas 

Philanthropist Ima Hogg's birthday

Inventor Nikola Tesla's birthday

Plan ahead:

Check out my Pinterest pages on July holidays, historical anniversaries in July, and July birthdays.

And here are my Pinterest pages on August holidays, historical anniversaries in August, and August birthdays.

April 20, 2013 - Ram Navami

Once upon a time, there was a good prince named Lord Rama, and there was a bad king named Ravana. Ravana had kidnapped Rama's wife, but Rama discovered where she was and made a plan to rescue her.

Rama's army of monkeys and bears set out to build a bridge so that Lord Rama could reach the land where his wife was held captive. Small creatures such as birds and even a lowly squirrel helped, too. The monkeys and bears were moving huge boulders to create the bridge, and birds tossed down small pebbles to fill the gaps between the giant rocks. All that the squirrel could do to contribute was to move some sand. Some of the larger animals thought that the squirrel's contribution was meaningless—and that it was just getting in their way as they did much more important work.

What do you think that Lord Rama said about that? Find the entire story here. 

Get your festive on!

Lord Rama is sometimes called the “Prince of the Golden Age.” The people of India celebrate his birthday today (actually, started the celebration yesterday evening). Here are some of the things people do to celebrate:

• Some people fast (which means do not eat for a period of time).
  
  
• Thousands of people gather on the banks of the sacred river Sarayu for a dip.
  
  
• People pray and sing songs at midday, when Lord Rama is said to have been born.
  
  
• There is a procession with a decorated chariot and people dressed up in costumes—and with happy shouts praising Rama's reign.

Also on this date:

Anniversary of the demonstration of the first American electron microscope

Anniversary of the start of Jacques Cartier's Voyage of Discovery

Detective Story Day

October 26, 2011 - Diwali

This Hindu festival is popularly known as the “festival of lights.” Small clay lamps filled with oil are lit to represent the triumph of good over evil. Also, people celebrating Diwali wear new clothes and share sweets and snacks with friends and family.

Some people have fireworks shows and burst firecrackers. Others make beautiful electrical light displays on their houses or hang colorful paper lanterns. A decoration that doesn't involve light is rangoli, designs made on floors or courtyards from colored powder (colored rice, flour, or sand can be used).

Did you know....?

One of the nations that sets aside Diwali as an official holiday is India. Did you know that there is one city, Sivakasi, located in the state of Tamil Nadu, that produces 90% of the fireworks in the entire country? There are more than 8,000 fireworks factories in this one city, including the world's largest firework-manufacturing unit!

(Sivakasi is also the home of the safety match industry—factories in this city manufacture 80% of the nation's safety matches. Finally, the city is big in the printing industry, with calendar art and colorful posters being printed on many offset printing presses.)

How do fireworks work?

Here is a video that shows the components and hand-built creation of a large-scale firework. 

PyroUniverse offers diagrams to help you understand how fireworks work. 

NOTE: the components of fireworks are very dangerous to use, and it is incredibly dangerous to try to make fireworks yourself!!!