Sharad Purnima

Sharad Purnima is the bright full-moon night of Ashwin and is associated with beauty, abundance and divine love. Vaishnava tradition remembers the night through Krishna’s Maha Raas with the gopis of Vrindavan, a devotional image in which each gopi experiences Krishna’s presence and the story becomes a symbol of complete love for the divine rather than ordinary romance. The night is also called Kojagari Purnima in many regions, from the expression “Who is awake?”, with Lakshmi believed to bless those who remain awake in worship. Families place milk, kheer or in Gujarat dudh-poha under the moonlight before taking it as prasad, reflecting the popular belief that the cool autumn moon has a special nourishing quality. The festival combines moon worship, Lakshmi devotion, music, raas and the seasonal joy of clear skies after the monsoon.

Sharad Purnima is valued for devotion, family tradition and the spiritual or seasonal meaning attached to the day.

Kheer or dudhpak is made and left out in the moonlight through the night, then eaten in the morning - the moon is held to put something into it. People sit out, sing, and stay up. In Gujarat the night is also kept for garba, a fortnight after Navratri has ended.

Kojagari Lakshmi Puja in Bengal and Odisha, kept awake through the night - the name asks who is awake, because Lakshmi is said to pass and look. Gujarat keeps it with garba and dandiya, one last night of it after Navratri. In the Braj country it is the Raas Purnima.