In
Hinduism, the month of Shravana is dedicated to god
Shiva, with the devotees practicing various rituals to seek his blessings and spiritual growth. People usually observe
fasting on Mondays of the month.
Haryali Teej Haryali Teej is celebrated on the
Tritiya (third day) thithi after
Amavasya (
new moon). It commemorates reunion of Shiva and
Parvati, after Parvati fasted for years before being accepted by Shiva in her 108th birth.
Janmashtami Krishna Janmashtami marks the birth of Hindu god
Krishna and is celebrated on the
Ashtami (eighth day) thithi of
Krishna Paksha (waxing moon). It is one of the major Hindu festivals, especially those following
Vaishnava traditions.
Naga Panchami Naga Panchami is celebrated on the
Panchami (fifth day)
thithi of
Shukla Paksha (
waning moon) of the Shravana month. The day is dedicated to the worship of the snake god
Nāga. In
Karnataka, Basava Panchami is celebrated on the fifth day after Amavasya, and commemorates the day when
Lingayat saint
Basava attained
moksha in 1196 CE.
Purnima Various Hindu religious festivals are celebrated on the
Purnima (
full moon) day of the month.
Raksha Bandhan celebrates the bond between brothers and sisters, wherein sister(s) tie a thread on the brother's wrist. In
Haryana and
Punjab, people observe the festival of Salono. During the day, priests tie amulets on people's wrists for protection against evil. The festival of also involves a sister tying a thread called
ponchi on a brother's hand. On the Purnima day, certain communities such as
Brahmins perform rituals associated with
Upakarma. Men change their sacred thread and begin to don a new one on the day annually.
Narali Poornima is celebrated in parts of
Western India, where in
coconuts are offered to Hindu god
Varuna. It marks the beginning of the fishing season, and the fishermen make an offering to the god for bountiful harvest. The Purnima day is also celebrated as
Balarama's birthday. In
Odisha, Gamha Purnima is celebrated during which domesticated
cows and
bullocks are decorated and worshipped. Country-made sweet such as
pitha and mitha are made and distributed within families, relatives and friends. In
Jagannath culture, Krishna and
Radha are believed to have enjoyed the rainy season of the month while playing on a
swing. The celebration commemorating the event usually starts on Ekadashi (four days before Purnima) and ends with Jhulan yatra on Gamha Purnima. The
murtis of
Radha-Krishna are decorated and placed on a swing (jhulan) on the day. In parts of
Central India such as
Madhya Pradesh,
Chhattisgarh and
Jharkhand, the Purnima day is celebrated as Kajari Purnima. The festivities start on
Navami (ninth day) after Amavasya, and ends on the full moon day. Women, who have sons, perform various rituals on the day. In parts of Gujarat, the Purnima day marks the event of Pavitropana. On this day, people perform puja to worship Shiva.
Cotton threads or strands of grass are soaked in
panchagavya, and tied around a
lingam.
Pola Pola is a festival celebrated in parts of
Maharashtra. It is a thanksgiving festival celebrated to honor the oxen, which had helped with the farming activities.
Others On the
Ekadashi (11th day) thithi, Vaishnavas in parts of
Gujarat and
Rajasthan celebrate the birth of
Pushti marga, the path of grace.
Vallabhacharya offered a sacred thread (
pavitra soothan) to god Krishna on this day. To commemorate this, divine threads are offered to devotees on the day. On the
Dwitiya thithi, Raghavendra Swami Punyathithi is observed, which commemorates the day when Hindu saint
Raghavendra Tirtha, who advocated
Madhvacharya's
Dvaita philosophy, achieved moksha in 1671 CE. == Yatras ==