Sama Pancham Vrat is Coming On 20 Saptember 2012.Sama Pancham is Known as a Rishi Panchami.According to Gujarati Month this Festival is Coming on Bhadra Months Sud Paksh Pancham(Day of Five)
Sama Pancham is a unique ritual observed mainly in Gujarat in the Bhadrapad Month (August – September). Women and farmers observe certain rituals on the day. In 2012, the date of Sama Pancham is September 20. On the Sama Pancham day, people cook and eat only Sama grains. The ritual is observed on the fifth day of the Shukla Paksha (waxing phase of moon) in Bhadrapad Month. On this day, farmers and people associated with agricultural activities cook and eat Sama – the seeds that a kind of wild grass.
Women observe on the day rituals associated with Rushi Pancham. Some women avoid performing religious rituals on the day and indulge in singing of bhajans.
Lord Brahma narrated the legend of a generous Brahmin called Uttank. Uttank lived with his wife Sushila in Vidharba. Uttanks wife Sushila is very much dedicated to her husband. The devoted couple has a son and a daughter. Their daughter married to a young man but he died after few months of their marriage.
The parents constructed a cottage on the bank of the holy river Ganga and lived in it with the widow daughter. One day when she was sleeping in the cottage her body was covered with the ants. The parents were frightened and called the Brahmins. Brahmins performed some rituals and confirmed that in her previous birth, she had enteredinto the kitchen on the day of menstruation.
The Brahmins told them about the significance and puja procedure of Rushi Panchami Rajaswala vrat and asked them to perform the vrata to get rid of the bad effects of the daughters mistake in her previous birth. Uttank and Sushila made their daughter to performRishi Panchami puja and freed her from the rajasvala dosha of her previous birth.
According the scriptures and Hindu beliefs, the girl on the first day ofmenstruation is Chandalini (demon). On the second day she is considered as Bhramdhatini, a witch. On the third day, the girl is a washer woman and on the fourth or the final day after performing bath, she becomes purified.
Sama pancham Pooja ProcessOn the day of Sama Pancham, Devotees perform ritual bath in holy rivers or other water bodies. They clean their hands 108 times, the mouth 108 times. Lord Ganesh, Navagraha – nine planetary Gods, Saptarshis – seven Sages and Arundathi are worshipped. Woman offer the prashad to Gods and wash her husbands feet.
Then, women again perform sacred bath. They rub the special red mud for several times on different parts of the body. They sprinkle water over head and brush the teeth for 360 times with Dantiwan, a sacred plant. With taking ritual bath once again in sacred water devotees feel blessed that their all sins are cleansed away.
