The month of Shravana is considered very auspicious for the Hindus. Shravana usually occurs during the months of Aug – Sep every year.
This Shravana month began on Aug 3rd and will continue till Sep 1st. Every day of the month has a particular pooja associated with it.
Legend Behind Shravana month :
As per ancient legends, the churning of sea ( Samudra Manthan ) was done during this month of Shravana. It was a combined effort done by both, the Devatas ( Gods ) & the Danvas ( Demons ). The Sumeru Parvat(Mountain) was used for churning and the Snake Vasuki which circles around the neck of Lord Shiva was used as a rope. Large number of invaluable Gems came out of sea as a result of this churning. However, at the end, Halahal( Poison) came out which had the capacity to destroy everything. None of the Gods or Demons were able to deal with this poison and ultimately, Lord Shiva came to the rescue. Lord Shiva drank the entire poison and stored it in his throat which turned blue due to poison. Hence, Lord Shiva got the name NeelKanth ( Blue Throat ). This way, Lord Shiva gave a new life to everyone during this month and therefore, this month is supposed to be very auspicious.
Pic : Churning of the Ocean @Suvarnabhumi Airport, Bangkok
In our house Mondays, Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays have utmost importance and are celebrated with pomp and ceremony.
Every Hindu house has a special god associated to their house. Since ours is Lord Shiva (The Auspicious God), Mondays are dedicated to Lord Shiva’s pooja. All Mondays which fall during Shravana month are considered highly auspicious for fasting. My Mom-in-law prepares multifold varieties of delicacies and offer it to the Lord as the Prasada (The religious offering to God) and break the fast.
Tuesdays are significant for the newly married couples who performs the Goddess Gouri Devi (The Prosperity Goddess) pooja for the well being , to seek conjugal bliss and prosperity of the family.It is usually conducted for the first 5 years of the marriage.
Fridays are considered the most holy days of the month. It is the day dedicated to Goddess Lakshmi Devi (The Wealth Goddess) . Some women perform VaraLakshmi pooja on the second Friday of the month and it is a reason for the community bonding to happen. The women gather together and exchange holy “kumkum & turmeric” and sing songs to praise the goddess of wealth for their wealth & prosperity. In our house, Lakshmi Pooja is done throughout the Sraavana Month and not just specifically on the Second Friday’s..
In some houses Saturdays are dedicated to Lord Venkateshwara (The Protector God) or Goddess Lakshmi and perform the poojas according to their stipulated norms.
The full moon day in Shravana is called Rakhsha Bandhan (Protection Bond) , the significance of this day is to celebrate the bonding of brothers and sisters. The sister ties a holy red thread to their brother’s wrist and brother in return gifts the sister. And it depicts that the brother will always protect his sister at all times. 🙂
Nag Panchami is another traditional day to worship the serpent Gods observed by Hindus throughout India. In Hindu calendar, some days are considered significant to worship serpent Gods and Panchami Tithi (5th day after New Moon) especially during Shravana month is considered highly auspicious to worship serpent Gods.
On every such auspicious days, lot of importance is given to the food preparations.The women usually dish up delicious food items using all the diverse items like rice, vegetables, dairy products and various kinds of flours like Jowar, Wheat etc. And special Sweets are cooked using dairy products , jaggery or sugar to enjoy during the festive days and are enjoyed with all the family members. 🙂
These are some of the festivals and poojas done during the holy month of Shravana. Throughout India it is celebrated joyously and the procedure to perform the poojas might differ in accordance with the region but the reason to celebrate all Festivals / Poojas implies family bonding and sharing happiness. 🙂
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