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| :: About Sindhi :: Links :: Sindhi Font::Sindhi Festivals:: |
The Sindhis celebrate nearly all north-Indian Hindu festivals like Holi, Deepavali and Dussehra. But their most important festival is Chetichand. Besides this, they celebrate Akhandi (Baisakhi) and Teejari (Teej). Chet, March -April April Akhandi, Chetichand August Teejari TEEJARI
MAKAR SAKRANTI This is not a very important festival for the Sindhis, but they celebrate it in different forms. They offer til (sesame) and mooli (radish) to Brahmins, along with rice and milk. HOLI
AKHANDI This is celebrated after Baisakhi in the month of April, and is the festival of the harvest season. It is also the harbinger of new fruits like mangoes. In this festival, the newly married daughter-in-law, or any other female family member who is new to the family, performs the paani daan, during which the woman has to fetch water in a new pot, take it to the temple and hand it over to the Brahmins. On this occasion, a small celebration takes place, where the freshly harvested fruits are used in the preparations of the feast. NAAG PANCHAMI On this occasion, the Sindhis prepare sweets such as vermicelli (sewai) and sweet bread, which are eaten a day before and after Janamashtami (the birth of Lord Krishna.) which falls three days later. They also prepare onion bread, which is served to neighbours and friends. Naag Panchami, is sometimes also referred to as Thaddari. CHETICHAND This is the main festival of the Sindhis, and celebrates the birth of their Avtaar, Isht Devta, the household deity or god. They call their household god various names such as Amarlal, Jhulelal, Uderalal, and Varoon Dewata. This festival is celebrated for forty days every year, generally from the 16th of July to the 24th of August. During these days, Sindhis perform the ritual of lighting the lamp (jyot jagana) on a big plate of bronze. On this pooja plate are kept the diya, akshat (rice grains), oil and vermillion, which is taken home. There is a procession on the 40th day, when all the jyots are congregated in places which have been fixed earlier. Fairs are held and lots of people are invited for the celebrations. This is also called the jyoti sangam bhandara. It is believed that God Jhulelal incarnated to protect the Sindhis against the invasion of Aurangzeb. But this is not entirely true as the birth of Lord Jhulelal has been traced back to the 10th century and Aurangzeb ruled in the 18th century. However, it is true that Lord Jhulelal is the protector of the Sindhi community. DEEPAVALI Since the Sindhis are largely a business community, Deepavali signifies the beginning of the commercial year for them and new account books are opened. On this occasion, Sindhis buy temples called hattari made of clay from the market. The number of the hattaris bought is equal to the number of males in the household. They worship these at the place from which they earn their incomes, such as shops and offices. Then in the evening, the worship of Goddess Lakshmi takes place. For this family members gather at the altar and light the holy flame on a brass plate on which puffed rice, batasha (sugar candy) and flowers are arranged for the worship. After the pooja, lamps are lit and crackers are burst. A festive dinner follows. |
This is celebrated in the month of Sawan, generally in August, and is similar to Karva Chauth. The women of the household celebrate it after sunset. Married women observe a fast. They rise before daybreak, bathe, and perform a small pooja. Then they eat a hearty meal before sunrise. They do not eat anything the entire day nor drink any water until sunset. When the moon rises, the fasting women first see the moon and then break their fasts by eating a rice and milk preparation. Among other communities where Karva Chauth is celebrated, it is necessary that a woman see the face of her husband before breaking her fast. But among the Sindhis, this is not an important ritual. The significance of this festival is that the wife prays for the long and prosperous life of her husband and strengthens the ties of marriage. 
On the eve of Holi, a ceremony called Holikadahan takes place. Sindhi women light a bonfire and roast a special kind of sweet bread called the mithi roti in it. This is an offering and is wrapped in threads. The mithi roti is cooked, but the thread covering is not burned. The roti is removed from the fire and consumed by all present at the pooja. The next morning Holi (dhulandi) is celebrated like all Hindus do. The significance of eating the bread from the fire is that it is believed to make women immune from various diseases and disasters.