Ramanavami celebrates the
birth of Rama or Ramachandra. On the ninth day of the first fortnight of Chaitra
the birth of Rama is commemorated. The story of Rama was first written by Vaalmeeki
in about the 4th century B.C. Rama is supposed to have lived during the 8th or
7th century B.C. The epic known as the Ramayana. In some parts of India, it is
a nine-day festival, coinciding with the Vasanta Navaratri.
The public
worship starts with morning ablutions, chanting Vedic mantras dedicated to Vishnu,
and offering flowers and fruit to the god. People keep a fast throughout the day,
breaking it only at midnight with fruit. In some parts of India, especially Bihar
and Uttar Pradesh, public gatherings called satsangs are organised to commemorate
the birth of Rama. Excerpts from the Ramacharitamanas, extolling the glory of
Rama, are recited. People of all castes and creeds participate in these gatherings
to listen to the stories and their explanations offered by the learned. |
