Theme (Relation): Hindu
Time: October-November
Where: India and worldwide where Hindu lives
Also known as: Ahoi Ashtami, Ahoi Athen
Ahoyi (Ahoi) Ashtami or Ahoi athen as known in common tongue festival is specifically meant for mothers who have sons. Mother’s keep fast on this day and this is celebrated in the month of October- November (8th day after full moon of Ashwin Hindu month). This festival falls on a week before Diwali. Mothers keep fast all day and in the evening offer Pooja water to stars and prey for their long life of their children. Many stories are associated with this festival which relate to asking for wish and blessings for their sons.
Once upon a time, there lived a woman in a village. She had seven sons. One day she went to the forest to bring soil for the renovation and painting of her home (this was in the month of Kartik just before the Hindu festival Deepawali). She started digging soil with axe nearby a den. Suddenly the woman’s axe fell on the cub in the den and the cub died. The woman felt very sorry and sympathetic. She took soil from the forest and came back.
Few days later, all her seven sons died within a year. She was very sad. One day she narrated her woes to old ladies in her village, she was crying and told them that she didn’t commit the sin and it happened unintentionally. She narrated to the ladies that once when she was digging for the soil in the forest her axe fell on the cub and thereafter within a year all my seven sons died. The ladies appreciated for confessing her guilt and then these ladies told that by confessing the sin she has atoned her half of the sin.
They suggested the woman to pray the goddess Ashtami Bhagwati by sketching the face of the cub. By the grace of god your sin will cast off. The woman kept fast on the Kartik Krishna Ashtami and then onwards she started praying and keeping fast regularly. By the power of her prayer the God’s grace showered and she could get back her all seven son. Since then, it became a ritual to worship the goddess Ahoi Ashtami Bhagwati religiously every year.
Like mothers all over the world, the Hindu mother prays and finds comfort in prayer when she prays for her children.
Ahoyi Ashtami is one such day when a mother offers prayers and also fasts so that her children live a long, healthy and peaceful life. The abstinence from food for the whole day is symbolic of all the sacrifices a mother does for the welfare of her children.
The Ahoyi Ashtami pooja pack will help you perform this ritual and take the blessings of Ma Shakti for the well being of your children.
The mother who wants to perform this ritual should wake up early on this day and complete her morning ablutions by sunrise. Then she should lay out the ritual sketch and perform the pooja according to the description in the Ahoyi Ashtami pooja pack. She should abstain from all solid food for the whole day.
In the evening, when the stars are out, she should offer Arghya to the stars and then take her meals.
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