India is a land of festivals. Every season is adorned with its own special festivities and one such event is Krishna Janmashtami.

Janmashtami: The birth ceremony of Lord Krishna

The literal meaning of Janmashtami is Janam+Ashtami i.e birth on the 8th day of the month on Amavasya. This is celebrated with various festivities in India.

In northern India, where actually Lord Krishna (8th incarnation of Lord Vishnu) took birth in the Mathura. In Mathura and Vrindavan, it is celebrated with lots and lots of festivities.

In the Digital age, whole social media is filled with the posts of Lord Krishna and his consort Radha Rani. Young children are dressed up in the form of bal Gopal(another name of Lord Krishna) and Radharani. Many cultural celebrations take place at the schools, where young children are dressed up as Krishna and Radha and perform in the school events or the community cultural events.

Choori(crumbled bread with lots of pure ghee and shakar) and gur jeera(jaggery cumin) is specially prepared at this festival. After moving to Switzerland, I really miss choori and gur jeera. While living in India, I never knew that Dhania Panjiri is equally offered to Lord Krishna at this time. As Lord Krishna took birth at midnight, so a special celebration happens at the midnight and those people who observe fast on Janamashtami, open their fast by looking at the full moon. As this is the monsoon season, it usually rains heavily at this time of the year.

Chatti pooja of Krishna takes place on the sixth day after his birth and it is believed that Lord Brahma write the fate of the baby on this day. And another mythological significance of this day is that 'Putna Vadh' also took place at the Chatti.On this day, in North India people make Dahi kadi.

In eastern India, the pooja and prayers take place usually at the home, and lots of Krishna's favorite delicacies are prepared at the home.

2. Teej or teeyan: I always stress at this point that traveling teaches you a lot. And, knowing something and registering something in mind are two different things. I have spend quite a good time in India and I know the panjabi community so well. However, I never knew that teeyan or teej is celebrated such a grand level in Panjab. What an irony!
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Khairatabad(in Hyderabad,India) Ganesh Pooja

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Bengali Durga Pooja and Lokhi Pooja

Bengali Durga pooja starts from Sashthi. We put Chandan and sindoor dots on all the door entrances to welcome ma Durga and goto the temple to give pooja and Anjali. Ladies observe niramish (Satvik Food) fast on the shashthi.

On Saptami, kola bau chan hoye.
On Astami, anjali is must. For the pooja thali, sari, 5-types of fruits or vegetable, sandesh, agarbati, alta and sindoor, rice, takka. Again niramish food without rice. Sandhi arti is a must watch on ashtami.
On Nabami, pather mangshoin is must. Kumari pooja also happens on Nabami.
On Dashmi: mishthi i.e. sweets are must.
On the day of visarjan, sindoor kela will be done by married women. In the plate of sindoor khela, sindoor, sandesh, paan, jal or water is put.
On Sharad Poornima: kojagori Lokhi Pooja happens in the evening. Lokhi feet's alpana is put on the door's entrance. Narkol Naaru is prepared for ma Lokhi along with chire, murki, and batasha.
In front of ma Lokhi, alpana is made. One plate with five types of cut fruits is prepared like apple, baedana or anaar, kheera or saosa.
A plate with chire, murki, batasha, dates, chawal ke naaru kind of.
Bhog for the thakur like niramish kopi aloor tarkari, baegun bhaja loochi.
Another plate with 5 types of mishti along with narkol naaru. A glass of water.
kosa kosi, agarbati, pardeep, kapoor dani, match stick, sindoor, ghee, conch, ghanti, no kasar and banana for lokhi pooja. Flower garland and lots of loose flower. Tulsi leave will be put in all the thakur offering.

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How to organize and celebrate Diwali: Indian Autumn Festival or festival of Lights

Prepare and send the invitation and flyers
Create a Program for the evening: Welcome speech; Dance; Singing; Arti; Thank you
Food and table arrangement
Decoration
Sound system and projector
Welcome: Kumkum tilak and Rosewater
Performances
Flag of the country
Video recording and pictures of the event
Cleaning
Crackers
Contribution

Decoration material: Candles; tea lights; table; saree and cloths to cover the table and walls decoration; Rangoli at the entrance;Mandir; Pooja Thali; Kalash and plate; Coconut; rice; Mango and pan leaves; Beetle nuts; Fresh flowers and sweets; Electric light lamps; Ghee; Diya; Roli-moli; Haldi-kumkum;Rosewater; Fruits; Ganga Jal

Process:

Place the mandir on the table covered with a cotton cloth; You can keep small tables under the temple to make it little higher; place all the God and goddess in the temple.
Place the kalash on a plate filled with rice, fill the kalash with some water and few rice grains; Put 5 mango leaves on the kalash and Coconut. Put 5 dots with kumkum and haldi on the coconut.Put a moli around the kalash. Cover the kalash with a red cloth or gamcha or a saree. Put a gold chain and any other decorative garland around the kalash. Put some silver coins on the rice plate and cash.Put some tulsi leaves in the kalsh and food offering.
Draw a swastika on the Kalash with the kumkum.
Prepare the pooja thali with flower, agarbati, dhoop, diya, ghanti, shankh.
Light the ghee lamp
Put a tray of sweets and fruits in front of the mandir table.
Put one supari each on 5 beetle leaves.