Gajan (festival)

Gajan or Shiva gajon is a Hindu festival celebrated mostly in the Indian state of West Bengal and Bangladesh. It is associated with such deities as Shiva, Neel and Dharmaraj. Gajan spans around a week, starting at the last week of Choitro continuing till the end of the Bengali year. It ends with Charak Puja on the last day of Chaitra, the last month in the Bengali Hindu calendar. The next day is Poila Baishakh,the first day of Bengali New Year. Participants of this festival is known as Sannyasi or Bhakta. Persons of any gender can be a participant. The complete history of the festival is not known. The central theme of this festival is deriving satisfaction through non-sexual pain, devotion and sacrifice.

Etymology
The word gajan in Bengali comes from the word garjan or roar that sannyasis (hermits) emit during the festivities. Alternatively, the word gajan is considered a combination of parts of two words - ga is from the word gram meaning village and jan is from the word janasadharan meaning folk. In this sense gajan is a festival of village folk.

Significance
The Gajan festival is for bringing fertility back in the spring. The rituals can be performed by any person who performs austerities to gain eligibility to make offerings to the deities.

Shiva Gajan
The Gajan of Shiva takes place in Chaitra (April-May), the last month of the Bengali year.

In Shiva's gajan Shiva is married to Harakali on this day. The sannyasis form the barjatri (bridegroom's party). In Dharma's gajan Dharmathakur is married to Kamini-Kamakhya in Bankura Dist.or Mukti. The most recent studies on the gajan festival are: 1) Nicholas, R. Rites of Spring. Gājan in Village Bengal. New Delhi: Chronicle Books, 2008; and 2) Ferrari, F.M. ''Guilty Males and Proud Females. Negotiating Genders in a Bengali Festival''. Calcutta and London: Seagull, 2010.

Dharma Gajan
The Gajan of Dharma takes place in Baisakha (May-June), the first month of the Bengali year.

Common elements
The Shiva and Dharma Gajan have three common aspects.


 * 1) renouncing worldly life during the ritual
 * 2) undertaking physical ordeals
 * 3) making offerings to Surya

Fairs


Fairs are often associated with the celebration of gajan.