What is Rama Navami and when is it in 2018?
- The Hindu festival Rama Navami occurs during the months of March and April
- Rama Navami marks the birthday of Lord Rama, the son of King Dasharatha
- Hindus around the world celebrate by reading the Ramayana and stories of Rama
The Hindu festival Rama Navami is an annual celebration part of the spring Navratri, or nine-day period and typically occurs during the Gregorian months of March and April, around the same time as Holi.
Marking the birthday of Lord Rama, Hindus would read stories from the Ramayana, the epic that also tells the tale of Diwali, visit temples or pray at home and take part in religious singing during a bhajan or a kirtan.
Rama Navami celebrations take place at locations in India that are associated with the Lord Rama like Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh and Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu that usually attract a lot of devotees, but who is Lord Rama and when is Rama Navami in 2018?
The Hindu festival Rama Navami is an annual celebration that marks the birthday of Lord Ram
What is Rama Navami?
Rama Navami celebrates the birthday of Lord Rama, the son of King Dasharatha of Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh, and the event has origins in an ancient Hindu story. King Dasharatha had three wives but no children and in order to appease the Gods, he conducted a prayer ceremony, called a yagna, believing this would give him an heir to the throne.
During the yagna, a sage offered Dasharatha a bowl of holy dessert, called payasam, of which he offered his eldest wife Kausalya the first portion. A few days later, Kausalya conceived a son who was named Ramarama. The Hindu epic Ramayana that tells the story of this God and claims that he was an incarnation of the creator of the universe, Vishnu, who transformed into a human to end evil on Earth.
Rama only became a ‘god’ after he achieved this triumph of good over evil when he killed Ravana, the ten-headed demon who had kept his wife Sita captive during Rama’s 14 year exile from Ayodhya. After Ravana’s death, the community welcomed Sita, Rama and his brother Lakshman back and lit the way back into the city with a multitude of lights. This day is celebrated on Diwali, or the Festival of Lights.
Hindu devotees hold rallies on Ram Navami and Hanuman Jayanti in South Kolkata, India
When is Rama Navami?
Rama Navami, or the birthday of Lord Rama will be celebrated on Sunday, March 25 2018.
As Lord Rama is thought to have been born in the middle of the Hindu day, or the Madhyahna period, the day may be occasionally marked over two days because of when the lunar calendar shifts or when the sun rises on the ninth day of the nine day period, also referred to as Chaitra Navratri.
Despite Rama being one of the most revered Hindu gods, Rama Navami is a relatively minor festival in comparison to Diwali or Holi. It is also not a national holiday but is an optional restricted holiday in India.
Folk artists participate in a procession on the occasion of the annual Ram Navami festival
How is Rama Navami celebrated?
Rama Navami was not celebrated in the second century, during the time when the Ramayana is thought to have been written. Festivals only started to be marked in India in the 16th century when the devotional movement, or Bhakti, gained momentum and Sufi saints and scholars popularised epic tales such as the Ramayana with literature, poetry and religious songs.
During this time, the Ramayana was translated from Sanskrit to other regional languages including Hindi, Bengali and Malayalam which ensured that Rama was regarded as the supreme deity that he is today. Rama Navami is now celebrated by fasting in the nine days, or Chaitra Navratri, in the lead up to the day as well as prayers in temples where idols of Lord Rama are worshipped and excerpts from the Ramayana are read out loud by priests.
The Indian Hindu diaspora also celebrate Rama Navami, notably the Indian servants who arrived in colonial South Africa before 1910 to work in British plantations and mines, lived through the Apartheid regime and mark Lord Rama’s birthday by reciting the Ramayana and singing religious songs. The same happens with Hindus living in the Caribbean countries and Fiji.
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