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Ekadesi
The fast comes twice every month and falls on the 11 the day of the moon.
Both men and women observe it. It is in honour of Vishnu. People bathe in the
morning, worship in the Vishnu temple and fast the whole day. There are some
people who do not take anything but a few drops of water poured over a Tulasi
plant, sacred to Vishnu, and dripping from its leaves. Others content themselves
with one meal and that too, not of rice. Early next morning, i.e. on Dwadesi, the 12th lunar day, they bathe and worship in the temple, obtain Prasadam or
leavings of offerings, put sandal paste to their forehead, breast and arms
and then break the fast. The more devout feed a few Brahmans and give them money. The Ekadesi is a day specially set apart for the worship of Vishnu.
People offer Puja to Vishnu on this holy day, to ensure
the forgiveness of sins and the gratification of all one's wishes.
Pradosham
This is an optional fast to propitiate the god Siva. It falls on the evening
of the 12th or 13th lunar day, when special Pujas are offered to Siva in his
temple which will be illuminated for the occasion. The devotees who observe the
fast bathe and worship the god early in the morning and keep fasting till the
evening when they take a second bath and attend the temple smearing their body
with hold ashes. They also wear rosaries of Rudraksha. They circumambulate the
temple reciting prayers to Siva till the Puja is over which will be behalf-past
7or 8 p.m. They give tender coconuts as offerings
to the image. The priest will return these, to their owners who break their fast
by opening them and drinking the water in them. They leave the temple taking
along with them rice offered to the image. They parttake of this and nothing
else that day. The Vilva or Koovala flowers sacred to Siva is the chief article of Puja
to Siva.
Shasti
An optional fast in honour of Subramanya, the son of Siva. The fast is broken in
the evening after doing Puja to the god. This fast is generally observed by
those who are subject to diseases such as leprosy. There are elaborate rules for
the observances of the Shasthi fast.
Amavasi and Pournami
The white moon and the black
moon or the full moon and the new moon - These days are observed by Hindus
as fasting days. But the fast is in the evening. In the morning, after
bath, an ordinary meal is taken but in the evening there will no supper
but only some gruel or Kanji is taken. In all fasts, abstention from flesh,
fish, eggs are strictly followed.
In Pournami, in the month of
March, the festival of the goddess Bhagavati is the most celebrated
of all. The Principal part of the solemnity is that the Brahmans in honour
of the moon, present a large offering, which they call Somayaga. On this
occasion they bruise certain aromatic herbs and prepare from their juice
a particular kind of beverage, which they partake, and at the same time
they chantt a great number of forms of prayer called Mantra. The Somayaga
is a Vedic sacrifice of some importance which very few Brahmans undertake
to perform. It is performed only once in the course of one's life. The
sacrifice is not made to Bhagavati. There is no animal sacrifice at Soma
Yaga.
Ashtami Rohini
It is also known as Gokulashtami and Krishna Jayanti
or Jenmashtami. It is celebrated as the birth day of Krishna and falls
on the fourth lunar asterism, Rohini and the 8th quart of the
moon Ashtami. Ashtami Rohini is observed as fast. On this day, women specially
refrain from food and keep vigil in Krishna's temple till night and when,
after the Pujas are over, they partake of things that have been already
offered to the god. The temple is illuminated with myriads of oil fed
lamps and worship goes on almost till the early hours of the morning.
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