According to the Hindu calendar, the first day of our new year is the first day of Kartak Sud. This day is known as ‘Govardhan Samo’. We celebrate this day with much enthusiasm. People wake up early in the morning and give their best wishes of the new year to one another. Prasad is also offered to one another to spread  happiness.

On this occasion, our community specially performs Occhav Kirtan in which poems composed by Vaishnav Saint poets are sung together in chorus. A collection of these poems can be found. in the book named ‘Uda Dharma Panchratna Mala’ starting from page number 406.

It is said that after the end of rainy season Shri Krushna made the people of Vrundavan perform Govardhan Pooja. As a result,all the Vaishnav devotees remember that day for the means of  performing Govardhan Pooja, but all the ‘Uda Bhakts’ remember this day as a means of inner worship along with performing Ochhav Kirtan.

This is a unique festival in our Monsoon season. With immense pleasure, we recite the poems based on the feelings of Leela performed by Shri Krushna along with Radha and her sakhis when he used to go for cow grazing. Sadguru Shree Jivanji Maharaj has also composed Saakhis based on the happiness of monsoon. These compositions can be found in the Govardhan Samo starting from page no 406.

This is the last festival of the year and it has been given much valuable place. Rain has almost taken farewell. Crops are getting almost ready in farms and it provides much happiness as grains for whole year are coming home. To express this happiness Shri Krishna had organized rashlila in Vrindavan. Many literature are written on this raslila and many more will be written in future also. Poets and devotees have keen interest in this season.Many big celebrations are organized in vrajbhumi during sharad utsav. During sharadutsav Sadguru shri Jivanji maharaj accepted Gopaldas as their guru and entered into Ramkabir tradition. And five years later established uda dharma ramkabir tradition in Shahpura.

This festival is celebrated throughout the world on the 9th day of the waxing phase of the month of Chaitra known as ‘Chaitra Sud Navmi’ in the Hindu calender.
Uda Bhakt samaj recognizes this festival by the name of Krupanath Mahotsav because Ram is a very adorable and a kind personality and always bestows his good wishes (or Krupa) on to his devotees. Sadguru Shri Jivanji Maharaj has mandated all of us to reach Puniyad, with whatever Prasad we get, without any invitation as it is the celebration of the birth of our beloved Krupanath. Since the establishment of our tradition no one has
ever received any kind of an invitation for this fest, still the whole samaj gathers to celebrate this Mahotsav with much enthusiasm.

This festival is celebrated on the birth date of Sitaji, who is well known as Lord Ram’s wife. This festival is observed on the 8th day of the waxing phase of the month of Falgun which is ‘Falgun Sud Ashtami’ in the Hindu calendar. In north India, it is also known as ‘Sita Ashtami’. In our tradition, the celebrations of this festival haven’t been observed in the past years. The importance of this festival has been completely forgotten since a long time. The truth is that nobody ever knew when this festival came and went.

Who doesn’t know Shri Krushna? His worship in India is done with great respect. Shri Krushna was born on the 8th day of the waning phase of the month of Shravan known as ‘Shravan Vad Ashtami’ in the Hindu calendar. Shri Krushna’s lovers and
devotees from all over the world, celebrate this day with great enthusiasm. Sadguru Shri Jivanji Maharaj has called both Ram and Krushna as Krupanath and also has mandated us to reach for
their celebration without invitation. We believe that Ram and Krushna are a form of the supreme soul. They are not different. They are just two different names given to one God.

This day is celebrated in the memory of our supreme spiritual leader and the founder of our Uda Bhakt Tradition, Sadguru Shri Jivanji Maharaj. We celebrate this day on his journey inwards to his part in the supreme soul. This day is also observed in the Hindu calender as “Rushi Panchami”. Our Uda Bhakt community celebrates this day in the memory of our sadguru on Sama Pacham. There is a practice of reading the last chapter of the “Samagam” written by Haridas Nadiyada in every village in our community. This day stands in our community with one more cultural significance. In the year 1678, on the day of Sama Pacham, Jivanji Maharaj gave freedom to women from the disgraceful ritual of Rajaswala and requested everyone to distribute Prasad of Sukhdi on that auspicious occasion. He also assured them that by doing so they are not performing any sin. Since that day, the Uda Bhakt
community celebrates the occasion of Sama Pacham. Uda Dharma has always promoted the message of formless devotion, i.e., Nirgun Bhakti. That’s why majority of all our celebrations and festivals start with singing of sacred poems or Occhav Kirtan. Here, there is no place for ritual solemnity or fake grandeur. In our festivals, we only spread sweetness by distributing Prasad of Sukhdi after every celebration.

Similar to the English calender, the Hindu calendar has 12 months and 6 seasons. The first season is called ‘Shishir’ which means Winter and consists of the months of Kaartak and Maagsar.
The second season is Hemant (Fall) which consists of the months of Posh and Maha. Other seasons are Vasant (Spring), Grishma (Summer), Varsha (Monsoon) and Sharad (Autumn). Vasant or the spring season has been given much importance
as this season is of happiness and love. Nature blooms around all corners. During this season, Uda Bhakt Samaj particularly sings poems composed specifically for this season. These compositions have been collected from the Uda Dharma Panchrantna Mala starting from page no. 416. This is the festival of colors and happiness but Kabirji has appealed to us to celebrate this festival with our internal colors and happiness rather than materialistic colors as portrayed in his compositions as Nirgun Vasant. Secondly, saint poets like Parmanand, Premanand, Surdas and Narsinh Mehta have written poems on Sagun Vasant. We sing both Sagun and Nirgun songs of the Spring season.

This festival marks the birth anniversary of a gopi of Vrundavan and Lord Krushna’s beloved Radhaji. On this occasion, we gather and sing the poems composed on Radha who hails from Vrundavan.