[sri ramanuja] Deepavali and the Kartika Month within SriVaishnavam

[Guest guest]

Srimathe Ramanujaya Namaha!!

 

Jai Sri Krishna, dear devotees.

 

We have just celebrated Vijaya Dashmi, and are looking ahead to the

Deepavali festival. These few weeks are packed full of festivities

througout bharat and in my opinion october/november to Hindus is

like waht december and the cristmas celebrations is to the

westerners.

 

Within these few weeks many festivals will take place across India

with different regions having different celebrations. From my qon

experience, in Gujarti communities we have a busy calender. On the

purnima (full moon) after Vijaya Dashmi, we celebrate Sharad Poonam,

where we remember the Raas Lila of Krishna and Gopis. The Deepavali

festivities start soon after the Ekadashi. The Dwadashi, is called

Vafg Baras where we start to make rangolis and light deepams. The

treyodhashi is called 'Dhan teras' and we do Dhana Lakshmi pooja and

some do Dhanvantri pooja. Naraka Chathurdhashi the following day is

generaly called Kali chaudash, which is a day for Kali pooja,

however in Gujarat it is popular to do Hanuman pooja. The Amavasya

is of course Deepavali, when we remember SitaRama returning home.

Also Lakshmi pooja is done, particularly by the traders who close

and worship the account books (Chopda poojan). The Following day is

our new day and day of Annakuta and pooja of Govardhan Krishna. The

dwitiya is Bhai Bheej, a day for Brothers and sisters (like Raksha

Bandhan). The following Ekadashi marks the end of chaturmasya and

we start the Kalyana Utsava of Tulasi and Salagram which culminates

on kartik Purnima.

 

Other parts of India will have there own unique list of events. I

want to know if all these festivities have relevance in SriVaishnava

sampradaya????? Also like the Gaudiyas do Srivaishnavas hols the

Kartik month as sacred??