Hindu Festivals: Origins, Sentiments & Rituals

The loud, rhythmic notes. Festive crowds. Delicacies stacked in eye-appealing ways. Beautiful costumes, colorful kites, and illuminating candles. Rituals performed with truly intricate sophistication. Grand processions. Lively recitations of the divine exploits of God. Indeed, this is Hinduism in its most exuberant form. Much of Hinduism today lives and breathes through its immersive festivals.

While it's easy to appreciate a Hindu festival for its outward charm, its origins, significance, and sentiments seem an enigma, even for many of those celebrating them. Why do Hindus light divos (wicks) on Diwali? What is so special about celebrating the birth of Krishna exactly at midnight? Are garbas during Navaratri strictly cultural, or is there a religious story behind them? Why do some Hindus fly kites on Makar Sankranti? In Hindu Festivals, Sadhu Mukundcharandas answers these and many more questions as he examines 41 popular Hindu festivals and explains not only their historical significance, but also their present form and the meaning of the rituals surrounding them.

He does all this while cognizant of his readers: he explains the Hindu calendar, which strongly shapes Hindu festivals; he carefully translates theologically complex terms into easy English equivalents; he leaves no assumption unstated. With more than 600 stunning color photos and illustrations the author has done a masterful job of capturing both the vitality and visual detail of the Hindu festival. Moreover, the book is exhaustively researched and documented, with references from 76 scholarly books and journals and 52 different Hindu scriptures.

So, if you re looking for a systematic explanation of Hindu festivals that captures both the textual and the practical, then Hindu Festivals: Origin, Sentiments and Rituals by Sadhu Mukundcharandas is an absolute must read.