Brish Sakranti/Poornima Vrat/Kurma Jayanti/International Day of families

What is Sakranti?
The first day of the month is called "Sakranti". there are 12 Sakrantis in every year and these Sakrantis are very important for auspicious religious works and Puja.

What is Brish Sakranti ?
The Sun is entering Taurus from Aries today, this day is also called Taurus Sakranti, Vrisava Sakranti, and Brish Sakranti.

  On this day, it is customary to bathe in the river or the lake, although in recent years and in places where the river is not available, it is customary to bathe in the house by chanting the mantra of Ganga and performing holy worship. It is customary to go to the nearby Vishnu temple, worship, and recite Vishnu Sahasranama. On this day, special results are obtained by offering Pitri Tarpans. Today, Kagweni, Gokarna, Vishnupaduka, Varahakshetra, Gaya of India, Kashi, and other places have special pilgrimage.

Poornima Vrat

What is Poornima?
The last day of Shukla Paksha is "Poornima" the full moon day. On this tithi, the moon is the brightest and most magnificent. It is believed that fasting on this day brings immense lunar grace to health, prosperity, and peace. On the full moon day, Lord Shiva and Vishnu are especially worshiped. Special worship to Lord Vishnu is done in the form of Satya Narayan Puja. Satya Narayan Puja is usually performed whenever possible, although the fruits of this puja performed on the day of the full moon are very abundant.

 How is Poornima Vrat observed?
This day is fasted from sunrise in the morning to moonrise in the evening. Some people observe this fast without drinking water, while others observe this fast by eating only one meal and eating no salt (alino) food. In the evening, after the moonrise, the fast ends with the sighting of the moon.



Kurma Jayanti



What is the Kurma form of Lord Bishnu?
The tortoise form of Vishnu is called Kurma.

Why is Kurma Jayanti observed?
Kurma Jayanti falls on the full moon of Baishakh Shukla Paksha. It is said that this Kurma incarnation carried the Madranchal mountain on his back during Kshir Sagar Manthan. The first incarnation of Vishnu is the fish incarnation (Matsya Avataar), while the second incarnation is the Kurma incarnation. Vishnu is believed to have appeared in the incarnation of Kurma, which can be reasonably present in both water and land. It is customary to fast on this day, to stay awake one day in advance, to recite Vishnu Sahasranama, and to recite other Vedic mantras.

 It is also believed that giving alms on this day is very beneficial.

 Due to the belief in the presence of Yogamaya in the Kurma incarnation, it is considered especially fruitful to start construction works, arts, and crafts today.


International Day of families

Background

In 1993, the General Assembly decided in a resolution (A/RES/47/237) that 15 May of every year should be observed as The International Day of Families. This day provides an opportunity to promote awareness of issues relating to families and to increase the knowledge of the social, economic, and demographic processes affecting families.
On 25 September 2015, the 193 member states of the United Nations unanimously adopted the Sustainable Development Goals, a set of 17 goals aiming to eliminate poverty, discrimination, abuse, and preventable deaths, address environmental destruction, and usher in an era of development for all people, everywhere. Families and family-oriented policies and programs are vital for the achievement of many of these goals.

2022 Theme: Families and Urbanization
Urbanization is one of the most important megatrends shaping our world and the life and well-being of families worldwide.
Sustainable urbanization is related to the achievement of several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and targets, such as SDG-1 (Poverty eradication); SDG-3 (Good health and well-being); SDG-11 (Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable); and SDG-10 (Reduce inequality within and among countries). These SDGs and their targets depending on how well urbanization is managed towards benefitting families and enhancing the well-being of all generations living in cities.
This year’s theme, "Families and Urbanization", aims to raise awareness of the importance of sustainable, family-friendly urban policies.


Suyog Dhakal