When is Ram Navami?
Ram Navami is a Hindu festival, celebrating the birth of Lord Rama to King Dasharatha of Ayodhya.
It is celebrated on the ninth day of Chaitra month (the first month in the Hindu lunar calendar). It marks the culmination of the spring festival of Vasanta Navratri (Chaitra Navratri) which begins on Ugadi.
Ram Navami is a gazetted holiday in several Indian states but may be celebrated on different days.
Traditions of Ram Navami
Rama was the seventh incarnation of Vishnu. He was the hero of the Ramayana, the ancient Sanskrit epic.
A continuous recital of the book takes place during the month of Chaitra prior to the celebration. On Ram Navami itself, the highlights of the story are read in the temple.
Houses are thoroughly cleaned on Rama Navami and a family shrine may be decorated with small statues of Rama. Offerings of flowers and fruit are placed on the shrine and prayers are recited after an early bath.
To mark the day, followers of Hinduism may fast or restrict themselves to a specific diet and won't eat certain foods like onions, garlic, and wheat products.
The celebrations at key places associated with Sri Rama, such as Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh and Ramesvaram in Tamil Nadu can attract thousands of devotees.
In some parts of India, there is a tradition of tying an earthen pot full of money on top of a tree and local youths form teams to try and claim the pot.
It isn't as easy as it sounds; the base of the tree is covered with soft mud. And while the teams try to reach the top of the tree by forming human pyramids, the onlookers are shooting water jets at them.
The tradition is similar to 'vutti' which takes place during Janmashtami.
