Written by: Eshanee Manandhar - 28004, Grade VIII
Posted on: 04 September, 2023
Janai Purnima is a festival to bring purity. This festival is basically celebrated to revitalise purity in their lives and bonding between their closed ones. Janai Purnima is also called a sacred-thread festival as a sacred thread called Janai is worn by the men in the festival. Janai Purnima is a Hindu festival celebrated in the month of Shrawan. However, due to some changes in the lunar year calendar, the Janai Purnima of this year 2080, is celebrated in the month of Bhadra. It is also called Shrawan Purnima.
During this festival, men usually wake up early in the morning and take bath in a river. The water of the river they bathe in is considered as holy water, it is said that after they take a bath, they are turned holy and totally purified. After bathing, they wear a thread called Janai which is considered as the holy thread. The holy thread is only given to those men who have performed the religious activity called Bratabandha. After doing the Bratabandha, the men are told to wear the Janai (thread) everytime. Janai is a sacred thread worn specially during the Bratabandha (An occasion where the man gets guru diksha (life lessons) from the guru with the Gayatri mantra. With one being given guru diksha one has to follow the moral code of conduct of Brahmacharya (Abstinence from the physical relationship till the marriage).
Yearly, they change their Janai on Janai Purnima day. In the city area, priests are called in the family’s home where they read matras out of a holy book which is said to purify the Janai. After the priests are done with reciting the mantras, they are given some food and also money. The money is usually called Dakshina.
In the context of India, Rakshya Bandhan is celebrated in Janai Purnima. This culture has also been adapted in Nepali since a few years ago. On this day, sisters make brothers wear rakhis highlighting their bond between themselves. In exchange for the rakhi, the brothers give their sister money and other sorts of gifts. During this day, priests ties a holy thread in people’s arm while chanting the “rakshya mantra”. During this day, “kwati” is also taken which is a type of soup with several pulses which purifies our stomach.
Janai Purnima is a really important festival in our country. We must all respect our cultures and celebrate festivals with joy and being together with our family. We must keep on celebrating these kinds of festivals to mark the significance of the festival and also to continue our cultures and traditions as it symbolises our country and ourselves. These kinds of festivals are evidence why our country, Nepal, is unique through social and cultural abundance.
