Sharad Purnima is celebrated on a full moon night.
This festival marks the end of the monsoon season, and the start of the harvesting season.
Sharad Purnima is a festival celebrated in Hinduism, on the night of a full moon, in the month of Ashwin. This festival marks the end of the monsoon season, and the start of the harvesting season. According to Tirupati-based astrologer, Dr Krishna Kumar Bhargava, this year Sharad Purnima is on October 28. He said the exact time the festival will start will be 4:17 am in the morning, and it will end on 1:53 am, October 29.
It is believed that on this day, Goddess Laxmi comes to the earth, and visits those houses that are clean and filled with light. Believers and devotees stay awake the whole night to welcome the Goddess. They engage in activities like singing devotional songs and playing games.
This night is also known as Raas Purnima, and it signifies the dance which was done by Lord Krishna and the gopis (milk maidens) in Vrindavan. This dance is a celebration of devotion, divine love, and the union between divinity and the human soul. The festival is also known as Kojagari Purnima in Bengali, which means, “Who is awake?” and in Odisha, it is celebrated as the Kumari Purnima. Girls fast on this day to find a suitable groom in the future, and also worship the moon. In Gujarat, the night is celebrated by performing the dance called garba, under the moonlight.
The celebrations for the day start early in the morning. Women adorn themselves in new dresses. The entire day, only liquids like milk and coconut water are consumed. The courtyards are decorated with beautiful rangoli designs, and idols are then brought outside and worshipped.
During this festival, kheer is prepared and kept under the open sky. Sages believe that on this night, the moonlight contains nectar or amrit, which is why the kheer is left under the sky the whole night. After that, it is given to the family members as prasad. According to beliefs, the moonlight in the prasad holds divinity.