| Vijayadashami | |
|---|---|
 Vijayadashami reveres Durga's and Rama's victory over evil depending on the region.[1] | |
| Also called | Dashāhra,Dashain, Dassahra |
| Observed by | Hindus |
| Type | Religious, Cultural |
| Significance | Celebrates the victory of good over evil |
| Celebrations | Marks the end of Durga Puja and Navaratri |
| Observances | |
| Date | Ashvin Shukla Dashami |
| 2023 date | 24 October[2] |
| 2024 date | 12 October[3] |
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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Vijayadashami (Sanskrit: विजयादशमी, romanized: Vijayadaśamī), more commonly known as Dassahra in Hindi-Urdu,[a] and also known as Dashāhra or Dashain in Maithili and Nepali, is a major Hindu festival celebrated every year at the end of Durga Puja and Navarahtri. It is observed on the tenth day of the month of Ashvin, the seventh in the Hindu lunisolar calendar.[6][7][8] The festival typically falls in the Gregorian calendar months of September and October, more specifically between 27 September and 26 October. It is celebrated on the tenth day of the waxing moon (Shukla Paksha) of the Ashvayuja month.
Vijayadashami is observed for different reasons and celebrated differently in various parts of India and Nepal.[1][9][6] In the southern, eastern, northeastern, and some northern states of India, Vijayadashami marks the end of Durga Puja, commemorating goddess Durga's victory against Mahishasura to restore and protect dharma.[6][10][11] In the northern, central, and western states, it marks the end of Ramlila and commemorates the deity Rama's victory over Ravana.[12] Alternatively, it marks a reverence for one of the aspects of Durga.[1][7][8]
Vijayadashami celebrations include processions to a river or ocean front that involve carrying clay statues of Durga,[13] Lakshmi, Saraswati, Ganesha, and Kartikeya, accompanied by music and chants, after which the images are immersed in the water for dissolution and farewell. In other places, towering effigies of Ravana, symbolising evil, are burnt with fireworks, marking evil's destruction. The festival also starts the preparations for Diwali, the important festival of lights, which is celebrated twenty days after Vijayadashami.[14][15][1]
- ^ a b c d Fuller, Christopher John (2004). The Camphor Flame: Popular Hinduism and Society in India. Princeton University Press. pp. 108–109. ISBN 978-0-69112-04-85.
- ^ December 17, 2021UPDATED (27 December 2021). "When is Dussehra in 2022: Date, time, history and significance". India Today. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Dussehra 2023 - Calendar Date".
- ^ "Dussehra 2020 Date, Time & Significance – Times of India". The Times of India. 21 October 2020. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
- ^ "Vijayadashami 2020: Vijay Muhurat date, timings and Sindoor Khela". Zee News. 25 October 2020. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
- ^ a b c Encyclopedia Britannica 2015.
- ^ a b Lochtefeld 2002, pp. 212–213, 468–469.
- ^ a b Encyclopedia Britannica Dussehra 2015.
- ^ Lochtefeld 2002, p. 751.
- ^ Lochtefeld 2002, pp. 468–469.
- ^ "Dussehra 2020 (Vijayadashami): Story, Ram Setu, Lord Rama & True God". S A NEWS. 25 October 2020. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
- ^ Bhalla, Kartar Singh (February 2005). Let's Know Festivals of India. Star Publications. ISBN 978-81-7650-165-1.
- ^ "Dussehra 2020: Date, Puja Timings, History, Significance and Importance". The Indian Express. 25 October 2020. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
- ^ Gall, Susan B.; Natividad, Irene (1995). The Asian-American Almanac. Gale Research. p. 24. ISBN 978-0-8103-9193-2.
- ^ Singh, Rina (2016). Diwali. Orca. pp. 17–18. ISBN 978-1-4598-1008-2.
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