Pūrṇimā (
Sanskrit: पूर्णिमा) is the word for
full moon in
Sanskrit. The day of Purnima is the day (Tithi) in each month when the full moon occurs, and marks the division in each month between the two lunar
fortnights (
paksha), and the Moon is aligned exactly in a straight line, called a
syzygy, with the Sun and Earth. Full moon is considered the third of the four primary phases of the Moon; the other three phases are
new moon, first quarter moon, and third quarter moon. The full moon shows 100% illumination, causes high
tides, and can concur with
lunar eclipses.[1]
Festivals
The following festivals occur on the purnima. The
Manava Purana (one of the
Upapuranas) contains a list of the festivals that fall on the full moon.
Vat Purnima is celebrated on the full moon day of the month of
Jyeshtha. Women pray for their husbands by tying threads around a banyan tree (Vat) on this day. It honours
Savitri, the legendary wife of Satyavan who persuaded
Yama to restore her husband's life.
Guru Purnima, devotees offer
puja (worship) to their guru, on the full moon day of
Ashadha. It is also known as Vyasa Purnima after the birthday of
Vyasa, the author of the
Mahabharata.
Sharad Purnima or Kojagiri Purnima, the autumn harvest festival, on the full moon day of
Ashvina.
Shraddha Purnima is celebrated on the full moon day of the month of
Bhadra. On this day, the Uma Mahesvara Vrata for the propitiation of the divine couple of
Shiva Parvati is performed, as well as Shakra Vrata, where
Indra is worshipped for children’s well-being.
References
^"The Full Moon". www.timeanddate.com. Retrieved 25 November 2017.