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Deepavali or Diwali
 Deepavali
is the festival of lights. The chief feature in the celebration of this
festival, is that all bathe early in the morning rubbing their head and
body with oil, though an oil bath is prohibited on the new-moon day on
which the festival generally, falls. After bath they take sweets and enjoy
themselves. The children fire off crackers. All this is done as a thanks
offering for ridding the world of the oppression of the Naraka by
the god Krishna.
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Trikarthika
It is celebrated
in honour of Bhagvati. It falls on the day of 3rd lunar asterism.
It is the birthday of Bhagvati. The houses are all well lighted and lights are
also left burning in the Verandah, front yard and at the gates. There is general
illumination through out. Offering are made at the temple of the goddess and
women turn out in the evening for worshipping the goddess.
Maha Siva Ratri
'Maha Siva Ratri'
means the great night of Siva. It is celebrated in the month of March. On this
day, people fast. Some abstain from any kind of food, while others content themselves
with one meal. Strict vigil is kept in the night. The people cluster round the
Siva temple, and after bath they smear their bodies with holy ashes, and keep
on reciting prayers to Siva. Enthusiasts, more devout than the rest perform
rolling circumambulations round the temple, while the ordinary worshippers go
round it on foot a number of times. Puja to the image of Siva is kept up all
the night. Early next morning, people bathe once more, worship Siva and return
to their ordinary avocations.
The celebration
of this festival at Siva temple at Alwaye on the banks of the Periyar river
is attended with great éclat. The Lingam of Siva rises out of the sand on the
sand at the bank of the river. There is only a temporary shed to serve as a
temple, as the whole place will be flooded during the rainy season. All classes,
castes and creeds come for this festival. A fair is heed on a very large scale.
There are shows, dances, dramas, for the pilgrims, to keep them awake. There
are a number of small sheds spread about the sand banks where the devout Siva
worshipper sets up his own Siva lingam for worship.
On Sivaratri, all the devotees throng in great numbers to the
temples of Siva or Mahadeva. They remain there the whole night, sing all
sorts of incident songs in honour of the Lingam. Lingam represents the
creative power of luminary.
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