Kartika Snan

Kartika Snan

October-November; Hindu month of Kartika

The Hindu months of Vaisakha (April-May), Kartika (October-November), and Magha (January-February) are regarded as especially sacred and therefore the most suitable for acts of piety. Throughout the month of Kartika, Hindus bathe in a sacred river, stream, pond, or well early in the morning. On the sacred rivers, such as the Ganges and the Yamuna in India, a month-long bathing festival is held. People set up tents on the riverbank for this purpose, have regular morning baths, eat only a single meal each day, and spend their time in prayer, meditation, and other acts of devotion.
Hindu women in villages and towns get up early in the morning and visit the sacred streams in groups, singing hymns. After their baths, they visit the nearby temples. They also fast and hang lamps in small baskets around their houses or on the tops of the bamboo along the river. These lamps are kept burning throughout the month. The women also worship the Tulsi plant, which is considered sacred and is cultivated in homes and temples. When Tulsi leaves are put into any water, it becomes as holy as water from the Ganges. Tulsi leaves offered to Vishnu during the month of Kartika are said to please him more than the gift of a thousand cows.

SOURCES:
RelHolCal-2004, p. 177