| Surasamharam | |
|---|---|
 Festival image of Murugan during a procession | |
| Also called | Kanda Shashti |
| Observed by | Tamil Hindus |
| Type | Hindu |
| Significance | Victory of Murugan over the asuras |
| Date | Aippasi or Kartikai month of the Tamil calendar |
| 2023 date | 18 November (Saturday) |
| 2024 date | 7 November (Thursday) |
| Frequency | Annual |
Hindu festival dates The Hindu calendar is lunisolar but most festival dates are specified using the lunar portion of the calendar. A lunar day is uniquely identified by three calendar elements: māsa (lunar month), pakṣa (lunar fortnight) and tithi (lunar day). Furthermore, when specifying the masa, one of two traditions are applicable, viz. amānta / pūrṇimānta. If a festival falls in the waning phase of the moon, these two traditions identify the same lunar day as falling in two different (but successive) masa. A lunar year is shorter than a solar year by about eleven days. As a result, most Hindu festivals occur on different days in successive years on the Gregorian calendar. | |
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Surasamharam (Tamil: சூரசம்ஹாரம், romanized: Sūrasaṃhāram),[1][2] also called Suranporu, is a Hindu ritual folk performance that recreates the legend of the killing of asuras by the deity Murugan. It is the culmination of the week-long Kanda Shasthi Vratam festival.[3] It is performed mainly in Tamil Nadu. It is also celebrated in Andhra Pradesh, Sri Lanka, and the district of Palakkad in Kerala at temples dedicated to Murugan. This festival falls in the month of either Aippasi or Kartikai of the Tamil calendar.[4] In the lunisolar calendar, Surasamharam falls on the 6th day on the bright half (Shukla Paksha) phase of the Kartika lunar month, just 6 to 7 days after Diwali. Most South Indians celebrate Surasamharam as part of the 6 day fast known as Maha Skanda Sashti, starting from the day after Diwali up through the 6th day. On the day after Surasamharam, also known as Thirukalyanam, where it is believed that Lord Murugan marries Valli and Devayanai. Most people who choose to observe their fast will typically break it after observing the sacred marriage performed at a temple.
- ^ Aruljothi, C.; Ramaswamy, S. (7 June 2019). Pilgrimage Tourism: Socio-economic analysis. MJP Publisher. p. 170.
- ^ J.K. BANTHIA (1995). Temples of Tamil Nadu Kancheepuram District. p. 125.
- ^ "The fall of demons". The Hindu. 27 December 2012. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
- ^ "2021 Skanda Sashti, Kanda Sashti dates for New Delhi, NCT, India".