Biggest Religious Events in the World

People tend to be religious in many things, inheriting the culture that they have adopted from their parents, and other ancestors. These religious events are a part of our character, as a person and an individual that appreciates the value of the mundane, and exalts the divine. Even though the celebrations are focusing on different aspects of religion from one culture or nation to another, their respect and reverence to deity binds them as one. Let us see the biggest religious events being celebrated in the world by many nations.

Navratri

This is a major Hindu festival that literally means “nine nights”. This is a few of the festivals in the world that is celebrated four times a year. Worshipping the Divine Mother is the main theme of this event, which is usually done at the beginning of spring and autumn. The celebration is divided into three days, adoring the various aspects of the gods and goddesses.

 Krishna Janmashtami

This religious event is being celebrated by many of the Hindu people in respect to the avatar god of Vishnu, Krishna and his birth. This is when Rasa lila is being played to portray the life of Krishna, and showing his fun filled youthful days. Dahi Handi is another story, but brings out the mischievous side of him, which is being portrayed by groups of young men, forming a pyramid to break a high-hanging pot of butter.

 Setsubun

Blooming cherry blossoms all over, with people sharing meals together on a picnic setting, looking at the majestic view of Mt. Fuji on some places. This is how Setsubun has been pictured in the minds of many people all over the world. This celebration marks the welcoming of spring, apart from the cold and chilly season of winter. They offer their prayers in a Shinto temple for good luck and fortune. Throwing beans all over the place is their way of warding evil spirits away.

Pentecost

Literally interpreted as the “fiftieth day”, the celebration of Pentecost is a reminder of the giving of the Ten Commandments, fifty days after the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt. It is also celebrated at the time when the Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ had received the endowment of the Gift of the Holy Ghost through the tongue of fire that symbolized its presence. It also denotes of the “Birthday of the Church” after the Savior’s Ascension into heaven.

 

Ramadan

This is the month of fasting where Muslims are abstained from eating, drinking, smoking, love making, and even engaging in worldly pursuits, during the hours of the day. This is done for Allah, and for showing their sincerity and submissiveness to his will. It teaches patience, humility, and spirituality to the Muslim people. This is the best time where their relationship with Allah is even closer.

 Diwali

Known to be as the “festival of lights”, Diwali unifies Hinduism, Jainism, and Sikhism, in celebrating one event, even though they have different reasons on why and how it is celebrated. At this time, lamps are lit to show that good reigns over evil. All the celebrants wear new clothes and share treats with family members and friends.

Chinese New Year

Celebrated by the world’s most populous people, the new moon experienced on the new lunar calendar is the mark of this very colorful, lively, and religious celebration. Fireworks in the sky symbolize of the flourishing of the heavens, and firecrackers are used to ward of devils so that people will not have bad luck. They also buy certain food, such as mooncake to emphasize stickiness or bonding in the family, or round fruits signifying good fortune.

 Easter

Known as the day when Jesus Christ has risen from the dead, after the third day he was crucified on the cross, Easter is about the standing witness that Jesus is the resurrection and the life. There were also other adaptations of its celebration, where children find painted eggs or thinking of the Easter bunny.

Hajj

This is the only religious event in the world that has the most number of visitors, pilgrims, and passage seekers from all the corners of the earth. Whether it may be a Muslim member in Indonesia, or somewhere in the United States, they will find a way to earn money for a ticket to get to Mecca at least once in their lifetime, or every time if they have the financial means to do so. It is celebrated on the 8th to 12th day of Dhu al-Hijjah.

Christmas

This special holiday is celebrated on the 25^th of December in many countries all over the world. This day is so revered that many nations have taken this holiday, even crossing the boundaries of other cultures. It has been a worldwide celebration of the birth of the Savior, even Jesus Christ, in the city of Bethlehem. This is celebrated with the exchanging of gifts, the sharing of family dinner, and other cultural adaptations, such as Santa Claus and Frosty the snowman. This is every kid’s favorite religious event.

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Oh! Krishna! Why did You steal butter?

The little blue boy Krishna has been a heartthrob of millions, since ages, mesmerizing them with His mischievous and prankish pastimes. Of all pranks, what has won Him the greatest fame is, the adventure of stealing butter. For which His devotees very fondly call Him ‘butter thief’ or ‘maakhan chor’, and even mollycoddle Him for this mischief. Yet there is another horde of His well wishers who are not much amused with this adventure. For their own obvious reasons they maintain that Krishna shouldn’t have done so…whatever was the matter.

Some supporters of Mother Yashoda sympathize with her, “She fed her special cows with flavorful grasses so that their milk was delicious. She personally collected the milk, made it into yoghurt and then churned it into butter with great attention. Mother Yashoda thought that her child didn’t like milk and yoghurt ordinarily prepared so, she personally involved into all these activities hoping that He won’t go to the neighborhood houses to steal butter. Despite all such wonderful arrangements by His affectionate mother, why did Krishna steal butter?”

Some logicians argue, “Krishna is the Supreme Lord and the source of all the spiritual and material worlds. He creates millions of universes, maintains them and annihilates them by His mere desire. He is the bestower of all magnificent benedictions. Then, just by His wish alone couldn’t He have created mountains and mountains of butter for Himself, and then eaten and distributed as much He liked? Then what occurred to Krishna that He had to take the pain of stealing butter?”

The experts counter this argument with a still better one, “Because Krishna was playing the part of an ordinary human child.” But then they get trapped in another loop, “Even if Krishna was playing the role of a human child, He was born as son of Vasudeva, a mighty Kshatriya ruler, and brought up by Nanda Maharaja, the lord of millions of cows. Either by His birth or by His upbringing He was always opulent… fabulously opulent. Then why did Krishna steal butter?”

Many worldly-wise, question, “Of all the available things around, couldn’t Krishna find something better to steal? Leaving aside gold and diamonds, He took the risk of stealing for paltry butter? What was the dearth of milk and butter in His land? It was so abundantly available that the residents of Vraja played with it during festivals. They threw it at one another in a sportive mood and smeared on other’s faces, without restriction. Then where was the need for Him to steal it at all?”

Yet there are the moralists who question, “Krishna claims that He appears in this world to re-establish the religion. Being a protector of religion is this what He is expected to do? Where have all the religious principles and morality gone? Whatever actions great men perform, common men follow. What kind of example is He setting for others to follow? Being a leader of the entire world, why did He steal butter?

Unable to find the real answer to this transcendental mystery some give up in frustration, while others speculate the answer based on their limited mundane knowledge believing it to be true. But in fact they remain millions of miles away from the truth, which is a prerogative reserved by Krishna for His pure devotees.

Srila Prabhupada explains:

‘In His village of Vrindavana He enjoyed Himself with His mother, brother and friends, and when He played the role of a naughty butter thief, all His associates enjoyed celestial bliss by His stealing. The Lord’s fame as a butter thief is not reproachable, for by stealing butter the Lord gave pleasure to His pure devotees. Everything the Lord did in Vrindavana was for the pleasure of His associates there. The Lord created these pastimes to attract the dry speculators and the acrobats of the so-called hatha-yoga system who wish to find the Absolute Truth.’ The pastimes performed by Lord Krishna in the material world are prototypes of His activities in the spiritual world which are simply full of never-ending spiritual bliss. These are meant to attract the conditioned living entities to the spiritual world where they can also get a chance to associate with Krishna and eternally enjoy with Him.

Stealing in this material world is abominable. But in the spiritual world, that stealing by Krishna is worshippable. The name, fame, pastimes, entourage, paraphernalia, etc., of Krishna is non-different from Him. Just as Lord Krishna is worshipable, in the same way His activities are also worshippable. In Bhagavad-gita Lord Krishna says, “janma karma ca me divyam.” The activities of the Lord are not mundane but are purely transcendental in nature, performed by the Lord for His and His devotees’ pleasure. When devotees hear about and glorify these divine pastimes they become purified and their love for Krishna intensifies. Devotees’ mind constantly dwell on these nectarean pastimes and this very meditation is the perfectional stage of Yoga. Lord Krishna mercifully enacts such relishable pastimes so that His devotees can merrily and lovingly meditate upon those and come back to Him very soon.

Krishna being the Supreme Lord is supremely independent. He is beyond all rules and regulations. There are no laws binding Him. That is why He is the Supreme Lord. He is free to do whatever He likes. His actions are beyond judgment and justification. Those envious of the Supreme Lord Krishna can never understand the mysticism behind His transcendental activities. This truth can be understood only by those upon whom He bestows His mercy.  And thus will ever remain mystified as to “Why did Krishna steal butter?”

- Courtesy  ISKCON

Recipes for Janmashtami

On the auspicious occasion of Krishna Janmashtami (Gokulashtami), it is customary to prepare a few traditional sweets and savories. As Lord Krishna was very fond of milk and milk products, devotees make various dishes of milk to please the Lord.

Try these mouthwatering recipes to get the festival feel and offer them to Lord Krishna, before partaking of the same.

Chaklis 

Ingredients: Rice flour 4 cups (washed and dried), urad dal 1 cup, hot oil or ghee for dough 75 ml, salt to taste, white sesame seeds 2 tsp.

Method: Pressure cook dal in just enough water for 10 minutes. Drain excess water and grind dal to a smooth paste.

Mix it with rice flour, salt and sesame seeds. Pour hot oil on top and mix well. If necessary, add a little water to make the dough thicker. Pass through a well oiled chakli making device with a single or three-holed plain disc to prepare small chaklis on top of a polythene sheet.

Deep fry a few at a time. Store in an air-tight container.

Bread murukku

Ingredients: Bengal gram flour 1 cup, rice flour half cup, bread 8 to 10 slices, powered salt 1 tsp, red chili powder 3/4 tsp, asafetida powder 1/4 tsp, hot oil for the dough 1 1/2 tbsp, oil for frying.

Method: Remove the brown crust from bread slices. Dip one slice at a time in water, remove immediately and squeeze out water. Add rice flour, gram flour, salt, chili powder to the squeezed bread and mix well. Pour hot oil, asafetida powder and then sprinkle water to prepare thick dough. Using a star disc or ribbon disk, fill dough in a well oiled chakli making device and squeeze directly in hot oil to prepare murukkus. Fry till light brown under medium flame.

Coconut laddus

Ingredients: Condensed milk one tin, desiccated coconut powder 2 cups, cherries half cup.

Method: Mix the condensed milk and one and a half cup of desiccated coconut powder in a bowl and stir on a low flame for about ten minutes. Set aside until the mixture has slightly cooled down and shape in laddus. Roll each laddu in the desiccated coconut powder and decorate with cherries.
Cheedai (Rice marbles)

Ingredients: Chakli flour 2 cups (ready-made); butter 2 tbsp; sesame seeds 1 tbsp; ghee 2 tsp; oil for frying.

Method: Add butter to the flour and rub well to get crumbs. Add sesame and ghee and make into stiff dough with water. Knead well and make tiny marble sized balls and deep fry in hot oil and drain. Makes about 50 numbers. A crunchy snack, the kids are sure to love it.

Note: Chakli flour can also be prepared at home by mixing roasted rice flour and urad dal flour in the ratio of 1:1/4 and adding a little of salt, jeera and asafetida.

Shankarpali

Ingredients: 1 cup sugar, half cup oil for deep frying, 1-2 cups maida, a pinch of salt.

Method:  Mix sugar, oil and one cup water in a vessel and bring to a boil. Set aside to cool.  When cooled, add a little salt.  Add maida little by little and knead to soft dough.  Mould into big balls.  Flatten each ball into round shapes with a rolling pin.  Using a knife, make diamond shaped pieces.   Carefully lift and deep fry in oil till golden brown in colour.

Chithundai (Sweet balls)

Ingredients: For the filling, coconut gratings 2 cups, jaggery powder 1 cup, cardamom powder 1/4 tsp, a few cashew bits and raisins, oil for deep-frying. For the covering: Urad dal half cup, rice flour half cup, butter 1 tbsp, salt a pinch.

Method: Soak urad dal for 2-3 hours, drain and grind to a smooth paste until fluffy. Mix salt to butter and rub till fluffy, add rice flour and mix well. Add this to the ground paste and mix thoroughly to make a batter of very thick coating consistency.

Cook coconut gratings with jaggery till well blended and dry. Add the rest of the filling ingredients and mix well. Make into lemon sized balls.

Heat oil, dip each ball in to the batter and deep fry till brown and crisp. Drain and store when cool.

Pedhas

Ingredients: 500 gms crushed khova, 300 gms powdered sugar, 8 to 10 pistachios sliced, 2-3 drops food colour, 1/2 tsp. cardamom powder.

Method: Mix khova with sugar in a pan. Heat on low flame, stirring continuously. Cook till mixture thickens. Allow it to cool. Add cardamom powder. Mix well. Take a small handful of mixture and press into flat round shape. Turn out carefully. Press 2-3 slices of pistachio in the center. Delicious Pedhas are ready to eat.