Rama Navami (Sanskrit: à¤°à¤¾à¤® नवमी, romanized: RāmanavamÄ«) is a Hindu festival that celebrates the birth of Lord Ram, the seventh avatar of the deity Vishnu, to King Dasharatha and Queen Kausalya in Ayodhya, Kosala.^[3][4][5] This festival is a part of the Chaitra Navaratri in the spring, and falls on the ninth day of the bright half (Shukla Paksha) of Chaitra (March-April), the first month in the Hindu calendar.^[6] Rama Navami is an optional holiday for government employees in India.^[7]

The day is marked by Rama Katha recitals or reading of Rama stories, including the Hindu epic Ramayana which narrates the tale of Rama. Vaishnava Hindus celebrate the festival by visiting temples, praying, fasting, listening to spiritual discourses and singing bhajans or kirtans (devotional songs).^[3][6][8] Some devotees mark the event by taking miniature statues of the infant Rama, washing and clothing them, then placing them in cradles. Charitable events and community meals are also organized. The festival is an occasion for moral reflection for many Hindus.^[3][9]

Important celebrations on this day take place at Ayodhya and numerous Rama temples all over India. Ratha yatras (chariot processions) of Rama, Sita, Lakshmana, and Hanuman occur at several places.^[3][10] In Ayodhya, many take a dip in the sacred river Sarayu and then visit the Rama temple.^[5]

For details, click here.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In a new ruling, Spouses of H-1B visa holders can work in US.