Showing posts with label festival. Show all posts
Showing posts with label festival. Show all posts

Sunday, May 18, 2008

Happy Wesak Day

Happy Wesak to one and all!

Tomorrow is Wesak Day. This blog wishes all my Buddhist readers a very Happy Wesak Day.


Wesak is the celebration of Buddha's birth & enlightenment, & in some traditions also his death. As the most important figure in Buddhism his life is celebrated and revered. Gathering to chant and pray are an important part of a traditional Wesak celebration.

It is said that Wesak is that time at the Full Moon of May in which the Christ gathers the entire Spiritual Hierarchy together in meditation to invoke the forces of Shambhalla. The Buddha, representing those forces, appears and blesses humanity.

The ceremony of Wesak is held in the actual Wesak Valley in the Himalayas at the time of the full moon of May (which is actually the full moon of Scorpio). A vast crowd assembles in the valley, in front of the great rock table at the end of the valley. Alice A. Bailey describes this event in The Unfinished Autobiography. It is said that the Christ and the Buddha conduct the ceremony of Wesak from a rock table at the end of the valley described by Bailey as "...an immense rock, rising out of the floor of the valley like a great table."

The second of the three major spiritual planetary festivals is The Wesak Festival, The Buddha's Blessing, and is celebrated in the eastern hemisphere at the Taurus full moon. (The first, in April, is the Festival of the Christ and the third, in June, is the Festival of Humanity.) Wesak is the festival of The Buddha, divine intermediary between the highest spiritual center, Shamballa, and the Hierarchy.

The Buddha is the expression of the Wisdom of God, the embodiment of light and the indicator of divine purpose.

Wesak - the Sun in Taurus Full Moon, is the most powerful Full Moon of the year. The Sun's transit through Taurus exalts the Moon and Taurus is ruled by Venus, the spiritual ruler of Earth. Venus is identified with Mary, the World Mother. May, the month of Taurus, is the month of Mary. Venus appears in the west as the feathered serpent god Quetzalcoatl who brought enlightenment to the Mayans; in the east she is Maya, mother of the Buddha.

The lunar cycle is a wave of creation that comes to fruition when the Moon is full. Each Full Moon brings revelation and possibility for healing body, mind, and soul. The Moon is the Mother whence comes reflected Light of the spiritual Sun to nurture, support, protect, and bring to flower the seeds of creation.

The Full Moon is like a pitcher pouring out a healing elixir. The celestial dispensation continues for three days following the day of the Full Moon. Calm and balance, deep breathing, meditation, yoga, rhythmic music and dancing help for receiving the blessings of heaven.

Locally the Full Moon has strong effect in the hour following Sunset when the Moon is rising and at local Midnight when the Moon is directly overhead. This Sun in Taurus Full Moon is called Wesak (WE-sock). Mystics say that the Buddha returns now to help regenerate the Earth.

According to metaphysical tradition, the Buddha was born, attained enlightenment, and left Earthly incarnation under the Full Moon of Taurus. And the Buddha returns at this time each year to bring new light to the world. Spiritual leaders gather in Wesak Valley, a mythic place high in the Himalayas. Here initiates led by the Christ arrange themselves into a great pentagram (the Venusian emblem of world soul) while the Buddha hovers over those gathered radiating light. This cosmic alignment occurs during the eight minutes centered on the moment of the Wesak full moon.

May Peace be upon Earth, no more fighting , killings and natural disasters.

Monday, January 14, 2008

PONGGAL VALTHUKAL





Violet is wishing all d INDIANS HAPPY PONGGAL........
Why Ponggal is celebrated?
Ponggal,or harvest festival,will be celebrated with grandeur by Indian community tommorow in their homes and temples.


The festival is generally celebrated over four days.On the eve of ponggal,the Indian community observes Bhogi ponggal,where they will burn all the unwanted clothes n things.

The first day is known as surya pongal and is dedicated to the sun god. It is a day of family feasting and enjoyment.Since the festival celebrates the harvest of the padi crop,newly harvested rice is cooked on this day.The rive grains,along with sesame

seeds,jaggery,chickpeas,groundnuts and dried coconut,are put into an earthen pot filled with milk.The pot of milk is boiled at an auspicious hour until the milk overflows.The cooking is called ponggal,which means "overflowing",hence the festival.



The second day,known as maattu ponggal or gopuja,is marked by worshipping cattle.In earlier times,cattle were the main asset of a farmer and the animal's services were recognised and celebrated on this day.



The cattle are given a ceremonial bath in the morning,their horns cleaned,polished,painted and then decorated with flowers.They are also given a sumptuous feast.On this day,farmers will hold a bull-catching contest.Their bulls are decorated and a gift-pack consisting of money and other valuables are tied around the neck of the animals,which are released into an arena.Young men will test their courage by tryin to catch the bulls and claim the rewards.Well,i dun think they do play this game in Malaysia.
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The third day is known as kanni ponggal,also known as kaanum ponggal,where girls conduct special prayers to get a good husbands...opppz..husband.Well girls out der,y dun u give a try???U mite get ur mr.right...
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Well,thatz all from me about ponggal....So people.....im wishing all of u a HAPPY PONGGAL!!!
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