Festivals and Ethical Concerns

Hindu Festivals: Marking the Sacred Year

Hindu festivals (utsav) celebrate the divine through colour, light, story, music and community. Most are tied to the lunar calendar and commemorate events from sacred narratives or honour specific deities. Festivals are understood as spiritually charged moments when the power of the divine is especially accessible, and participation generates spiritual merit. Six festivals are specifically required for study: Holi, Navaratri, Diwali, Maha Shivaratri, Ganesh Chaturthi and Raksha Bandhan.

Holi: The Festival of Colours

Holi is celebrated in late February or March to mark the arrival of spring and the victory of good over evil. Its central narrative concerns Prahlad, a devoted worshipper of Vishnu whose father, the demon king Hiranyakashipu, tried to have him killed because he refused to worship his father instead of God. Hiranyakashipu’s sister Holika, who was believed to be immune to fire, tricked Prahlad into sitting with her in a bonfire. However, Holika burned while Prahlad emerged unharmed through Vishnu’s protection. Bonfires are lit the night before the main celebrations (Holika Dahan), symbolising the burning of evil. The following day, people celebrate joyfully by throwing powdered colours and water at each other, symbolising the arrival of spring and the joy of divine protection.

Holi is also associated with the playful love (lila) of Krishna and Radha. The festival temporarily dissolves normal social boundaries — differences of caste, age and gender are suspended as people play together. This social dimension gives Holi significance beyond its mythological roots, representing the Hindu ideal of joyful community and equality before God.

Navaratri: Nine Nights of the Goddess

Navaratri means “nine nights” and is celebrated twice a year, with the most significant occurrence in autumn (Sharad Navaratri). It honours the goddess Durga and her nine forms (the Navadurga), celebrating the divine feminine power known as Shakti. The festival commemorates the goddess’s victory over the buffalo demon Mahishasura, as narrated in the Devi Mahatmya. Each of the nine nights honours a different form of the goddess. In Gujarat, celebrants perform the lively group dances garba and dandiya raas. In West Bengal, the last four days are called Durga Puja, ending with the immersion of large clay images of Durga in rivers. On the tenth day (Vijaya Dashami or Dussehra), large effigies of the demon Ravana are burned, linking Navaratri to the story of Rama’s victory over Ravana in the Ramayana.

Diwali: The Festival of Lights

Diwali, the festival of lights, typically falls in October or November. It celebrates the return of Rama and Sita to Ayodhya after Rama’s fourteen-year exile and his defeat of the demon king Ravana, as narrated in the Ramayana. The citizens of Ayodhya lit rows of clay lamps (diyas) to welcome them home — this is re-enacted today as millions of diyas, candles and electric lights illuminate homes and public spaces. Diwali is also the time to worship the goddess Lakshmi (goddess of wealth and prosperity), and new account books are begun by Hindu businesses at Diwali. Fireworks are set off as expressions of joy and to drive away evil.

Diwali lasts five days, each with its own rituals, including the exchange of sweets and gifts. For Vaishnava Hindus, it primarily honours Rama’s return; for many other Hindus, it is primarily Lakshmi’s festival. It is widely shared beyond Hinduism — Jains celebrate Diwali as the anniversary of Mahavira’s moksha, and Sikhs celebrate the release of Guru Hargobind from captivity.

Maha Shivaratri, Ganesh Chaturthi and Raksha Bandhan

Maha Shivaratri (“the great night of Shiva”) falls in late winter and is one of the most important occasions for Shaivite Hindus (devotees of Shiva). Worshippers fast all day and keep an all-night vigil, chanting Shiva’s names and meditating. Shiva lingam shrines in temples are bathed with water, milk and honey and decorated with bael leaves. The festival commemorates the night when Shiva performed the cosmic dance (Tandava) that sustains the universe, and is also associated with the night of Shiva and Parvati’s divine wedding.

Ganesh Chaturthi celebrates the birthday of Ganesh, the elephant-headed son of Shiva and Parvati. It is especially prominent in Maharashtra, where large clay images of Ganesh are installed in homes and public pandals for ten days of worship, music and celebration. On the final day (Anant Chaturdashi), the images are carried in large processions to rivers or the sea and immersed, symbolising Ganesh’s return to his cosmic home. Ganesh is worshipped at the beginning of any new enterprise because he is the remover of obstacles (Vighnaharta) and the patron of beginnings. The 19th-century social reformer Bal Gangadhar Tilak transformed Ganesh Chaturthi into a large public festival as a means of bringing Hindus together during the colonial period.

Raksha Bandhan (“the bond of protection”) is a festival honouring the relationship between brothers and sisters. Sisters tie a sacred thread (rakhi) around their brother’s wrist; the brother gives a gift and pledges to protect his sister. The festival has its roots in several Hindu narratives, including the goddess Lakshmi tying a protective thread on Bali, and is celebrated across India in late summer. It affirms family bonds and the principle of mutual care and duty (svadharma).

Hindu Ethics: The Environment and Ahimsa

Hindu attitudes to the environment are rooted in the belief that Brahman pervades all of creation. Harming the natural world is therefore not merely a practical concern but a spiritual one. The Hindu concept of ahimsa (non-violence) applies not only to human beings but to animals and the natural world. The cow is particularly revered and protected. Sacred rivers like the Ganges are worshipped as goddesses, giving their protection spiritual as well as environmental weight.

In 1986, Hindu representatives participated in the Assisi Declarations on Nature, committing Hinduism formally to environmental stewardship grounded in its religious teachings. These declarations affirmed that nature is sacred, not merely useful, and that believers have a duty to protect it. In practical terms, Hindu organisations run goshallas (cow sanctuaries) across India. The Ahimsa Foundation for Cattle Protection works to end the slaughter of cows and to promote non-violent attitudes to animals.

Social Inclusion and Women’s Rights

Hindu teachings on social ethics are complex and contested. The Bhagavad Gita and other scriptures teach that all souls are equally sacred regardless of birth — the Gita at XVI 1–3 lists virtues including fearlessness, compassion and generosity as the marks of a divine character without reference to gender or caste. However, historical Hindu social structures have often restricted women’s roles and entrenched inequalities. Modern Hindu reformers including Gandhi and figures within the Swaminarayan and Brahma Kumaris traditions have emphasised the spiritual equality of women and have worked to expand women’s participation in leadership and religious practice.

Sewa International (also known as Sewa UK) is a Hindu charity providing disaster relief, food distribution, community care and education both in the United Kingdom and internationally. Its work is explicitly grounded in the Hindu principle of sewa (selfless service) as an expression of karma yoga. Projects range from flood relief in India to food banks in British cities. The work of the Purusha Sukta (Rig Veda) has been used to argue that all parts of society — all varnas — form one body, meaning that social inequality harms the whole community.