Category: Festivals
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Shankar Mahadevan sings problematic Sufi song at Ganpati festival
A video has emerged from Ganpati celebrations this September where Indian Composer and Singer, Shankar Mahadevan, sang Chhap Tilak Sab Chheeni, a 14th-century composition by the Islamic poet Amir Khusrau. Belonging to an order of Sufis (mystical Islam), Khusrau is one of the most influential figures in the development of Indo-persian poetry, Chhap Tilak being…
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Leicester’s Diwali in the Park Returns
Leicester City Council has confirmed that Diwali Day 2026 will return to Cossington Recreation Ground on Sunday 8th November, after last year’s celebrations were significantly scaled back over crowd safety concerns on Belgrave Road. This year’s event, backed “in principle” by the city’s Safety Advisory Group, will bring back a stage with music and dance,…
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Ganesh Chaturthi celebrated across the UK
On Sunday 14th September, Ganesh Chaturthi began across Britain, marking ten days of festivities in honour of Ganesh, which conclude with Anant Chaturdashi and the visarjan (immersion) of murtis on 23rd September.For British Hindus, the festival carries a modern challenge: UK law protects rivers such as the Thames from having solid materials deposited into them,…
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Javanese Hindus revive Mahashivaratri at Prambanan Temple
Mahashivaratri (15th February 2026), marked the month-long Prambanan Shiva Festival at the UNESCO heritage site in Yogyakarta, Java (Indonesia). The Prambanan complex is the second largest Hindu temple in South East Asia. Consisting of 240 free-standing temples, the complex is dominated by a central temple of Shiva, with temples of Vishnu and Brahma on either…
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Maha shivaratri 2025: reflecting on the five faces of Shiva
Maha Shivaratri is the most powerful day in the year to connect with Shiva, one of the principal deities of Hindu Dharma. Shiva is the form of the Absolute associated with the dissolution of the Universe. In Hinduism, cosmic time and creation is cyclical and hence destruction is a necessary step for new growth, Shiva…
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Vasanta Panchami and Saraswati Puja
Vasant Panchami is the sacred day of Saraswati, the Devi of creative energy, knowledge, language and speech. Saraswati is associated with education and all forms of artistic expression, hence Vasant Panchami is an important time for students, academics and artists. In Bharat, this festival signifies the arrival of Vasant Ritu (spring), the season of new…
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Hindus observe Pongal, Lohri, Bihu and other variants of Makara Sankranti
Hindus mark Makar Sankranti today. Lohri, Pongal, Magh Bihu and Uttrayan are some of the regional variations of this festival that are observed either on the eve or actual day of the Sankranti. Marked as per the Hindu Solar calendar, Makar Sankranti occurs just after the winter solstice and marks the arrival of warmer and…
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Festival of Shiva, the Cosmic Dancer
Arudra Darshanam (Thiruvathirai) occurs during the Hindu solar month of Dhanu (Margazhi) when the Ardra constellation appears with the full moon. This festival marks the occasion when Shiva took the form of ‘Nataraja’ (the king of dance), to perform the cosmic dance; ‘tandava’. The festival is largely observed by Shaiva Hindus from parts of Southern…
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Gita Jayanti: Narayana imparts teachings of Yoga to Nara
Gita Jayanti is observed on the Ekadashi before the full moon during the Hindu Lunisolar month of Margashirsha. The 700 verses of this text (teachings of Krishna to Arjuna) summarise the Upanishads, the philosophical section of the Vedas. Contained in the 6th book of the Mahabharata; the Bhagavat Gita carries the essence of Samkhya, Bhakti,…
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Diwali 2024 celebrated by NHS staff
Monday 30th October 2024: Over 100 Hindu medics at Manchester Royal Infirmary came together to mark Diwali. In addition to switching on lights across the Oxford Road Campus, Lakshmi Puja was performed inside the Board Room of the Manchester Foundation Trust (MFT). Covering 11 hospitals, the MFT is the largest NHS trust in the UK.…
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Ayodhya Diwali 2024: 2.5 million Divas illuminate banks of Sarayu
On the eve of Diwali (30th November 2024), Ayodhya set a new world record by lighting 2.5 million divas (oil/ghee lamps) along the Sarayu River. This was the first Deepotsav celebration following the consecration of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir in Ayodhya with a total of 80,000 divas being arranged, in the shape of a…
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Chhath across the diaspora 2024
The festival of Chhath Parva was marked during the first week of November. Originating from Bihar and parts of neighbouring states this festival is dedicated to Shashti Devi (Chhathi Maiya) and Surya Deva. Chhath involves a set of very rigorous personal disciplines spanning 4 days. In addition to a 36-hour waterless fast, those observing must…