Masi magam | Masimagam | Masi maham | Masi makam | Mahamagam | Mahamaham | Mamangam

 Masi Magam

Tamil month masi occurs during Feb-Mar every year. During this month, when the nakshatram (meaning star) named magam (or makha / magha) falls on pournami (poornima / full moon day), it is celebrated as Masi magam. Even in the years when the nakshatram magam does not prevail during pournami, masai magam is celebrated. This festival is specially celebrated in Tamilnadu.

Celebration in temples:

Deity from temples (utsava moorthy) are taken for procession for theerthavari - is dip in the river or any other theertham; it could be pond or river or sea. Devotees walk along with the deity during the procession and they take a dip too, to remove all the sins. 

This masi magam festival is even more special in Kumbakonam. The festival is celebrated in a grand manner in all the temples in kumbakonam. People from surrounding places visit kumbakonam and take dip in the river cauvery (or kaveri). Generally people take dip in holy rivers to get rid of the sins. It is believed that gods of all the holy rivers, like ganga, yamuna, saraswati, take a dip in kaveri on this day to get rid of the sins accumulated in them that was let out by people.

Mahamaham:

Masi magam is celebrated as mahamaham is celebrated once in 12 years, when sun is in kumbha rasi. Maha maham day is the concurrence of 3 events - month of magam, full moon day, sun passing through kumbha rasi. 

It is believed that during the maha pralayam, siva saved necessary seeds and amritam along with other items in a pot containing water. When the maha pralayam came to an end, the pot landed in Kumbakonam. Siva came as a hunter and threw an arrow in the pot, the water pot then became a pool which is now referred as Mahamaha kulam (mahamaha tank).

Ratha sapthami | Ratha saptami | Sun God

Ratha saptami 

Ratha Sapthami is celebrated around Jan-Feb calendar months which fall in Indian month Magha (Tamil month Thai). 

Saptami is the 7th day of any paksham. There are two pakshams in a month - Sukhla paksham and krishna paksham. The 15 days of waning of moon is termed krishna paksham and the 15 days of waxing of moon is termed sukhla paksham. 

Generally, saptami days are special for Sun God, Surya Dev. Ratha Saptami is celebrated on saptami day of sukhla paksham during the month of Magha. It is said that energy from sun is very high on this day and this is the best day for us to receive maximum energy from sun for good physical and mental health. 

Snanam (bath) is the primary ritual on Ratha saptami day. Snan is recommended before sunrise to get maximum benefit. Hindu families have a tradition to have the bath keeping eruku leaves (Sanskrit:Bhanu Telugu:jilledu Kannada:Ekkagida Tamil:Eruku) on the head. Women keep 7 leaves stacked one on top of the other and ganesha made of turmeric (Refer pic 1) on top of it; keep this set up on the head and take bath. Men replace the turmeric with cow dung or akshathai (uncooked rice mixed with wet turmeric - refer pic 2)

Pic 1 : Turmeric Ganesha

Pic 2: Akshthai / Akshanthalu

The eruku leaves are considered to absorb energy from sun. It is said that, taking head bath before sunrise, placing these leaves on head on rathasaptami day, transmits the absorbed energy by the leaves, to the one who takes bath.

Some people observe upavasam after the bath maximise the energy. Fasting is personal choice, whereas bath with eruku leaves is the ritual almost everyone follows.