SRI GURU NANAK DEV JI
Sri Guru Nanak Dev ji was born in 1469 in Talwandi, a village in the
Sheikhupura district, 65 kms. west of Lahore. His father was a village
official in the local revenue administration. As a boy, Sri Guru Nanak
learnt, besides the regional languages, Persian and Arabic. He was
married in 1487 and was blessed with two sons, one in 1491 and the
second in 1496. In 1485 he took up, at the instance of his brother-in-
law, the appointment of an official in charge of the stores of Daulat
Khan Lodhi, the Muslim ruler of the area at Sultanpur. It is there that
he came into contact with Mardana, a Muslim minstrel (Mirasi) who
was senior in age.
DIWALI
The most well known story behind Diwali is in the Ramayana, the great Hindu epic.
According to Ramayana, Rama, the prince of Ayodhya was ordered by his father, King
Dasharatha, to go away from his country and come back after living in the forest for
fourteen years. So Rama went on exile with his devoted wife Sita and faithful brother,
Lakshmana. When Ravana, the demon king of Lanka abducted Sita and took her away to
his island kingdom of Lanka, Rama fought against and killed Ravana. He rescued Sita
and returned to Ayodhya after fourteen years. The people of Ayodhya were very happy to
hear of their beloved prince's homecoming. To celebrate Rama's return to Ayodhya, they
lit up their houses with earthen lamps (diyas), burst crackers and decorated the entire city
in the grandest manner
For Sikhs, Diwali holds a special significance for it was on a Diwali day that the third
Sikh Guru Amar Das institutionalized the festival of lights as an occasion when all Sikhs
would gather to receive the Gurus blessings. It was also on a Diwali day in 1619 that their
sixth religious leader, Guru Hargobind Ji, who was held by the Mughal Emperor Jahengir
in the Gwalior fort, was freed from imprisonment along with 52 Hindu Kings (political
prisoners) whom he had arranged to be released as well. And it was also on the same
auspicious occasion of Diwali when the foundation stone of the Golden Temple at
Amritsar was laid in 1577.
EID
Eid is a festival of Muslims that is celebrated all over the world. Eid-ul-Adha is also
known as the festival of sacrifice and sacrifice feast. Eid- ul- Adha is celebrated on the
tenth day of Dhuj Hijja, the Islamic month according to the lunar Islamic calendar. Eid-
ul- Adha accurs approximately seventy days after the end of Ramadan month. The
festival of Eid- ul- Adha is celebrated in the remembrance of prophet Abraham’s
readiness to forfeit Ishmael, his son for god. The story about this festival tells, how
Abraham was ready to kill his son and remained true to God. The story tells, how Allah
told Abraham, to lift up the foundation of Kaaba that was a holy place in Mecca.
DUSSEHRA
The origin of Dussehra also has its roots in the Indian epic 'Ramayana'. It is widely held
that the festival actually commemorates the killing of the great demon king of Lanka,
Ravan, by Lord Rama. The epic mentions how Lord Rama, the god-incarnate, went to
serve a period of exile for 14 years under the order of his father. Along with his devoted
wife Sita and his faithful brother Lakshmana, Rama faced many hardships during this
period prominent among which was the abduction of Sita by the ten-headed Ravana. On a
similar day as Dussehra in Satyug, Ram (the eighth incarnation of Lord Vishnu), is said
to have killed Ravan, who had abducted his wife Sita. With brother Lakshman, follower
Hanuman, and an army of monkeys on his side Rama fought a great battle for ten days to
rescue his wife. Since then, the observance of Dussehra is more in admiration of Lord
Rama than Goddess Durga. The word "Dussehra" can also be interpreted as "Dasa-Hara",
which stands for the cutting of the ten heads of Ravana by Lord Rama. Dussehra is
celebrated by many people of Northern India to commemorate this victory of Lord Rama.
CHRISTMAS
The first time the birth of Jesus Christ was attributed to the date December 25 was in the
4th century, according to early Roman history. Early celebrations of Christmas are
thought to have derived from Roman and other European festivals that marked the end of
the harvest, and the winter solstice.
Some customs from those celebrations that have endured include decorating homes with
greenery, giving gifts, singing songs, and eating special foods.
