The different colors of celebration of Akshaya Tritya

Falling on the 3rd Tithi (lunar day) of the Bright Half (Shukla Paksha) of the Indian month of Vaishakha, Akshaya Tritya is for many the most auspicious day in the Hindu calendar. Bringing in enough reasons to rejoice and celebrate, this festival has people offering prayers to numerous Gods in order to be blessed with luck and prosperity that can help them procure wealth through sincere hard work and dedication. Considered to free from all malice effects, this day is rightfully chosen for the initiation of many business ventures and associations.

Along with prayers that are made to Cows, elephants, and even horses, Akshaya Tritya ushers in an atmosphere of celebration all around the country. India, being rich in cultural and ethnic diversity, has people adding their own flavors to this festival. In Sanskrit, the word Akshaya translates into ‘eternal’ or something that has no end. Therefore, people in the hope of good fortune, happiness, and wealth, celebrate this festival with wonderful enthusiasm all over the country.

In North India, the day is considered to be the birthday of Lord Parasurama. Known as the sixth incarnation of Lord Vishnu, Lord Parasurama is worshipped by all the people in order to be blessed with luck and peace. On this day, people turn to various charitable options, along with taking dips in the most holy river of the country, river Ganga. Many couples also choose their day for marriages and give a new start to their lives.

In South India, the day is celebrated with great happiness and gaiety as people worship Lord Vishnu and Goddess Lakshmi Kubera on this day, seeking their blessings for wealth and health. Maha Vishnu Pooja and Lakshmi Kubera are also conducted. Along with this, charity is done and temples are thronged by people in large numbers, hoping to catch a glimpse of the idols of they look upto.

However, there are other shades to this celebration as well. While many people look upto this day for celebration and the beginning of new ventures, there are children in the state of Rajasthan that are pushed into child marriage, and that too in large numbers. The rural parts of Rajasthan are active with these kinds of marriages and nothing is being done to stop them.

In Maharashtra, this day is said to be the end of festival Haldi-Kumkum which is women oriented. Mumbai, being the business capital of the country hosts a wide array of celebrations where people turn to gods to be blessed with luck to do business, prosperity to sustain it, and wealth to accumulate.

Satya Narayan Katha is performed in various homes of West Bengal. However, most businesses begin with new audit books at this time of the year. This is done with a belief that this would bring grand success to the ventures.

In Orissa, this festival is given a different touch. Rural people worship Mother Earth on this day and the ceremony is known as Muthi Chhuan or Muthi Anukula in which farmers have the practice of wearing new dresses and going to their farms, and worship Mother Earth and do works of ploughing and sowing seeds in their farms.

Akshaya Tritya, hence, brings countless reasons for celebration for people all over India, and each group rejoices in its own unique and beautiful color.