5 Festivals Of The Holy Cow

Hindus do not eat beef for religious reasons. This is because cows are holy to Hindus. The pun or sarcastic phrase 'holy cows' has sprung from this religious belief of Hindus. According to Hindu culture, cows are holy because they are milk giving animals. We get our first milk from our mother and that is why cows are equated with mothers. In fact they are also called 'Gau mata' which means 'cow mother'.

Many Hindu festivals revere cows. The presence of the holy cows are essential for many rituals in Hinduism. Everything coming from the cow is considered holy, even the cows piss and dung. Some festivals require cow dung to cleanse the atmosphere. Let us take a deeper look at the festivals that require the holy cows to complete them.

1. Pongal: The biggest harvest festival of Tamil Nadu is incomplete without the presence of cows. The third day of Pongal is allocated to cows. It called the Mattu Pongal. On this day, the cows are adorned with kum kum and their horns are painted. Women from every Tamilian family worship the cows and feed them sweet Pongal.

2. Gaijatra: This is a festival dedicated to cows celebrated in Nepal. It usually takes place in the months of August or September, depending on the lunar calendar. Numerous cows are marched on the streets of Nepal in the memory of family members who have passed away. The name of the festival 'Gaijatra' roughly translates to 'cow's journey'.

3. Gowardhan Puja: The day before Diwali is the famous Gowardhan puja or the festival of cow dung. On this day, cow dung is the diety who si offered food (vegetables) and money. This custom stems from the fact that cow dung is considered holy by the Hindus.

4. Deepali-Tihar: Deepawali or Diwali is a pan India festival that is celebrated with great pomp and show. Our neighbour Nepal also celebrates Deepawali, but they call it Tihar and celebrate it differently. In Nepal, the customary Lakshmi puja for Diwali is incomplete without cows. On the main day of the festival, cows are worshiped as the form of Goddess Lakshmi. Women do 'aarti' of the cows and feed them 'prasad'.

5. Shivaratri: Don't be surprised because we are talking about the cow's male counterpart, the bull. No worship of Lord Shiva is ever complete without paying homage to his pet bull, Nandi. Especially on Shivaratri, women pay their respects to Shiva's bull and then move on to the Lord himself. In fact, every Shiva temple has the idol of the bull outside the sanctum chamber. The bull, Nandi is always placed right in front of the Shiva Linga.

These are the festivals that cannot be complete without worshiping cows. Do you know any other Hindu festivals that pay homage to cows?