times timesThe Hindu religious calendar originating in Hindu India has more religious festivals
than the days of the Gregorian calendar.
In the beginning indentured Hindus recalled by memory religious festivals of the
motherland but by the the last quarter of the 20th century the entire calendar became
available to the ordinary Hindu and the observation of festivals expanded and is
continuing to expand.
Among the hundreds of festivals and observances Trinidad Hindus recognized from the
time of their arrival:Panchak, Ekadashi, Amavasya, Poornima, Basant Panchami, Maha Siva
Ratri, Holi, Phagwa, Nav Raatri, Ram Lila, Rama Navmi, Hanuman Jayanti, Krishna Janashtami,
Pitri Paksh, Kartik Snaan, Divali. Recently more and more attention is being paid to
Saraswati Jayanti, Aagaman Divas or Indian Arrival Day, Ganga Dashami, Vyas puja,
Guru Poornima, Raksha Bandan, Gita Jayanti, Maha Sabha Gayatri Jaap and Kali Puja.
MAIN HINDU FESTIVAL DAYS OF TRINIDAD & TOBAGO 2005 | ||
|---|---|---|
| FESTIVAL | DATE(S) | |
 | EKADASHI, AMAVASYA AND POORNIMA Ekadashi, the 11th day after a full moon and Amavasya, the new moon is observed by fasting and pujas by devout Hindus, but Poornima, the full moon, is regularly observed as an occasion for congregational puja in many temples. | MONTHLY |
 | SARASWATI JAYANTI A puja is done to celebrate the birthday of the Goddess of wisdom and knowledge, Saraswati. | 13 FEBRUARY |
 | BASANT PANCHAMI There is no season of spring in Trinidad so that memory of this festival must have been based on the time when Holi or Phagwa is to be celebrated. Some 40 days before Phagwa a Castor Oil plant is planted on land of the community. The plant is supposed to represent Holika the royal demoness who was destroyed by fire in the story of Prahalad. | 13 FEBRUARY |
 | MAHA SHIVA RAATRI
A Hindu festival dedicated to the god Shiva celebrated on the fourteenth night of the dark half moon in the month of Magh (January - February). This is by far the most revered occasion in the Hindu Religious Calendar. All temples in Trinidad are open all day and night with officiating Pundits ready to receive worshippers at any time. |
8 MARCH |
 | PANCHAK It is easy to understand why the early indentured labourers remembered Panchak. It is a most inauspicious time in the Hindu calendar. It is a bad time to die. Elaborate ceremonies and rituals are called for to avoid the pitfalls of Panchak. What is startling about this revelation is that the learning is to be found in the Garuda Purana. Few, if any, of the indentured immigrants came to Trinidad in 1845 with the Puranas. | 8-12 MARCH |
 | HOLI Over a period of 30 to 40 days preparations are made for this celebration. Groups go from temple to temple singing Chowtals – A powerful devotional song to a hypnotic drum beat. Many competitions are organized. In the meantime a structure is being erected around the castor oil plant and on the evening of Holika Dahan it is set alight signifying the burning of the evil Holika and welcoming the presence of Lord Vishnu to Prahalad’s rescue. The next day the Hindu society is awash in red and other colours as Abir is sprayed with great enthusiasm on all. | 26 MARCH |
 | NAV RAATRI There are two Nav Raatri festivals in the Hindu calendar. At this time too,the oldest continuous street theatre in Trinidad is performed. Ram Lila or plays enacting episodes of the Ramacharitamanasa are held all over Trinidad. And as with the burning of Holika the burning of the demon King Ravana has come to assume significance in this period.The first Nav Raatri festival culminates with the celebration of the birthday of Lord Rama. | 9 - 17 APRIL |
 | HANUMAN JAYANTI A puja is done to celebrate the birthday of Hanuman. | 24 APRIL |
 | AAGAMAN DIVAS (INDIAN ARRIVAL DAY) Hindus have recently begun celebrating Indian Arrival Day in Trinidad by holding pujas. On 30 May 1845, the Fatel Razack landed in Trinidad, the first ship bearing Indian immigrants sent to Trinidad as indentured labourers by the British to work on the sugar plantations. | 30 MAY |
 | SRI KRISHNA JANAMASHTAMI Of the birthday celebrations of Lord Rama, Sri Hanuman, Lord Krishna and Lord Ganesh, the birthday of Lord Krishna is by far the most popular. Week long Bhagwats or recitation of the Bhagavad Gita are held in most temples and in the homes of wealthy Hindus. All Hindus observe Goberdhan Puja which occurs during these recitations marking the miracle of Lord Krishna and Mount Goberdhan. | 25 AUGUST |
 | GANESH JAYANTI Ganesh Jayanti is slowly gaining recognition similar to Sri Krishna Janamashtami and clay murtis of Lord Ganesh are made only to be dissolved in nearby streams or the sea after elaborate Ganesh pujas. | 7 SEPTEMBER |
 | NAV RAATRI The second Nav Raatri which takes place after Pitri Paksh, usually in September – October is the one more popularly observed in Trinidad. It is a season of extended readings of the Ramcharitamanas and the performance of yajnas in almost every Hindu community and the homes of wealthy Hindus. During this period Durga Ashtami is observed and Durga Puja is performed. | 4 - 11 OCTOBER |
 | KARTIK SNAAN The cleansing festival is celebrated on the last day of the lunar month of Kartik in October-November. On the day of Kartik Snaan Hindus in Trinidad bathe in the sea or rivers, as Hindus in India bathe in the Ganges. This festival was at its height in the fifties and then tapered off. It is now slowly regaining its position of eminence in the Trinidad Hindu calendar. | 17 OCTOBER - 15 NOVEMBER |
 | PITRI PAKSH Soon after Ganesh Jayanti celebrations comes the period of Pitri Paksh. From the time of his arrival the Hindu has scrupulously adhered to these rituals. As Dr. Raj Bali Pandey says in his book Hindu Samskaras: “The last sacrament in the life of a Hindu is the Antyesti or the funeral with which he closes the concluding chapter of his worldly career. While living a Hindu consecrates his wordly life by performing various rites and ceremonies at the different stages of his progress. At his departure from this world his survivors consecrate his death for his future felicity in the next world”. | 18 SEPTEMBER - 3 OCTOBER |
 | DIVALI The international festival of Hindu India, Divali is a national holiday in Trinidad. Every Hindu home prepares for and celebrates Divali with the fervent prayer and belief that the Goddess Lakshmi will bless their home and family with wealth. More and more non-Hindus are participating in this festival. Elaborate structures, usually made of bamboo strips abound and entire villages are transformed into spectacles of oil lit deyas. The small earthen ware lamps filled with coconut oil and a wick. | 1 NOVEMBER |