Parents' Worship Day

Parents Worship Day
Observed by	India
Type	Cultural
Celebrations	Worship of Parents
Date	14 February
Frequency	Annual

Parents' Worship Day, known as Matri Pitri Poojan Diwas (also Matru Pitru Poojan Divas) was started by Asaram Bapu in 2007 as an alternative to Valentine's Day.^[1][2][3]

It is celebrated on 14 February every year.^[4] It is based on the Sanskrit words for mother (मातृ, mātṛ) and father (पितृ, pitŕ).

History

The day was first celebrated on 14 February 2007 at Sant Shri Asharamji's Gurukul, Ahmedabad.^[5]

This festival draws its inspiration from the pujan of Shiva and Parvati performed by Ganesha.^[6] In India, Valentine's Day is being substituted with "Parents Worship Day", a celebration of love between parents and their children, amid concerns about teenage pregnancy.^[7]

According to The Hindu, the Indian state of Chhattisgarh has been celebrating Matru-Pitru Pujan Diwas since 2012, on the advice of Asaram.^{[8][9][10][11]} It is officially celebrated by the Chhattisgarh Govt in schools and colleges as ordered by the Chief Minister Raman Singh.^[12][13]

In 2013 some schools & colleges in Bhubaneswar started to celebrate the Parents Worship Day.^[14][15]

In 2015 the state government led by the Bharatiya Janata Party made it an official celebration.^[16][13] In 2015 the right wing political party Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha endorsed the day.^[16] On 14 February 2015, it was celebrated on a large scale by an NGO Bhartiya Yuwa Shakthi at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Krida Mandal, Nehru Nagar, Kurla. The event imparted theoretical and practical values to parents and children.^[17] It was celebrated by Sanatan Dharma Sabha in Jammu in 2015, 2016, and 2017.^[18][19][20]

In 2017 the District collector in Madhya Pradesh issued a notice for schools, youth and urged people to celebrate 14 February as Matru-Pitru Pujan Diwas.^[21][22]

In December 2017, the education minister of Jharkhand, Neera Yadav issued a notice to celebrate the day in 40,000 government schools in the state in 2018.^[23][24]

In 2018, Gujarat Technological University and Swaminarayan Institute of Technology celebrated Parents Worship Day to reaffirm respect towards Parents.^[25]

In 2019, Gujarat Education Minister, Bhupendrasinh Chudasama appreciated the initiative of celebrating 14 February as Matru Pitru Pujan Diwas.^[26]

In 2020, Gujarat Education department told schools to organize Parents Worship Day on 14 February in order to nurture best values from childhood and to protect Indian culture.^[27]

In 2024, Education minister Madan Dilawar of Rajasthan mentioned about the plan to conduct Parents Worship Day celebration from the next academic session.^[28]

Celebration

Matru Pitru Poojan Diwas

Matru Pitru Poojan Diwas (MPPD) also called Matra Pitra Pujan Divas is a festival initiated by Asaram. On this day, children from all religions worship their parents and seek their blessings by offering them tilak, garland.^[25] It is seen by many as a method to cement the bond between family members and to imbibe good values like respect, obedience and humility in children. Right wing activists claim that it is an alternate method to counter teenage pregnancy.^[29] In several states like Maharashtra, Haryana, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Valentine's Day has been officially renamed as Matru-Pitru Pujan Diwas.^[30][31][32]

As per Directorate of Public Instructions, every year February 14 is celebrated as Parents' Worship Day instead of Valentine's Day in Chhattisgarh. Parents are invited to schools and children worship them by performing aarti and offering sweets.^[33]

Abba Ammi Ibadat Diwas

Muslim students expressed love for parents by celebrating the day as 'Abba Ammi Ibadat Diwas'.^[34]

References

1. "Indianisation of Valentine's Day". The New Indian Express. February 15, 2011.
2. Dahat, Pavan (2015-02-07). "Valentine's Day to be Parents' Day in Chhattisgarh". The Hindu.
3. Bhattacharya, D.P. (January 29, 2012). "Worship parents on Valentine's Day, says Sant Shri Asharam Ji Bapu". India Today.
4. "It's official: Chhattisgarh renames Valentines Day as 'Matru-Pitru Diwas'". The Times of India. 7 February 2015. Retrieved 2015-12-13.
5. "Valentine's Day sounds too mainstream? Celebrate Matra Pitra Pujan Diwas this time". News and Analysis from India. A Refreshing approach to news. 2019-02-14. Retrieved 2020-01-01.
6. "'Parents Worship Day' as substitute of 'Valentine Day'". jkmonitor.org. Archived from the original on 2018-10-24. Retrieved 2018-04-09.
7. "Valentine's Day: Countries that don't love February romance".
8. Dahat, Pavan (2015-02-07). "Valentine's Day to be Parents' Day in Chhattisgarh". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2020-01-01.
9. "Parents Worship Day: After Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand To Implement Jailed Asaram Bapuji's Advice". www.outlookindia.com. 2017-12-24.
10. प्रियदर्शी, राजेश (2017-02-14). "आसाराम बापूजी का वेलेंटाइंस डे आइडिया" [Asaram Bapu's Valentine's Day idea]. BBC News हिंदी.
11. Bhardwaj, Ashutosh (February 13, 2012). "V-Day to be Matri-Pitra Divas in Chhattisgarh schools". Indian Express.
12. Chhattisgarh CM declares Valentine's Day as 'Matru-Pitru Diwas' Archived 2015-12-26 at the Wayback Machine" (February 9, 2015). India Today. Retrieved December 25, 2017.
13. Kishore, Lalit (February 13, 2013). "Chhattisgarh makes Parents Worship Day a compulsory observance in schools on February 14". Meri News. Archived from the original on October 18, 2013.
14. Singha, Minati (February 15, 2013). "Children 'worship' parents, teachers". The Times of India.
15. "'Kids' future brightened by parents' blessings'". The Pioneer. Bhubaneswar, Odisha. 2017-02-15.
16. "It's official: Chhattisgarh renames V-Day as 'Matru-Pitru Diwas'". The Times of India. February 7, 2015.
17. "Matru-Pitru Pujan Diwas in Kurla today". www.afternoondc.in. Archived from the original on 2015-12-22. Retrieved 2015-12-13.
18. "Sanatan Dharam Sabha to celebrate 'Parents Worship Day' on Feb 14". Daily Excelsior. 11 February 2015.
19. "Sanatan Sabha to celebrate Parents Worship Day". State Times. February 9, 2016.
20. "Sanatan Dharam Sabha Celebrates "Matra Pitra Poojan Diwas"". The Mandate. 14 February 2017. Archived from the original on 13 July 2018. Retrieved 18 December 2017.
21. "Collector in Madhya Pradesh asks people to worship their parents on Valentine's Day". The Indian Express. 2017-02-10.
22. "Madhya Pradesh: Chhindwara collector asks people to worship their parents on Valentine's Day". The Financial Express. 10 February 2017.
23. "Parents Worship Day: After Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand To Implement Jailed Godman Asaram's Advice". outlookindia. 2017-12-24.
24. "Now, 'parent puja' in Jharkhand schools to teach kids respect". The Times of India. 2017-12-24.
25. "valentine day: Parents' Worship Day observed as Valentine Day counter". The Times of India. February 15, 2018. Retrieved 2020-01-01.
26. "Gujarat minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama praises rape-convict Asaram's ashram for planning 'Matru-Pitru Divas' on 14 February". Firstpost. 30 January 2019. Retrieved 2020-01-03.
27. Mehta, Yagnesh Bharat (February 9, 2020). "Gujarat: Education department tells schools to organise 'parents worship' on February 14". The Times of India.
28. "'Parents' Worship Day' on Feb 14 from next session". The Times of India. 2024-01-29. ISSN 0971-8257.
29. "This Valentine's Day, Hindu hardliners to preach message of love — with a twist". The Indian Express. 2015-02-06. Retrieved 2015-12-13.
30. "Worship your parents on Valentine's Day, MP Collector issues notice". Zee News. 2017-02-10.
31. "Valentine's Day renamed as 'Matru-Pitru Diwas' in Chhattisgarh". indiatvnews.com. 2015-02-07.
32. "वैलंटाइंस डे पर कलेक्टर का नोटिस, मातृ-पितृ पूजन दिवस मनाओ - Navbharat Times" [Collector Notice - Celebrate Matru Pitru Pujan Diwas]. Navbharat Times. 2017-02-10.
33. "Chhattisgarh CM declares Valentine's Day as 'Matru-Pitru Diwas'". India Today. February 9, 2015. Retrieved 2020-01-04.
34. "Muslim students express love for parents - Ahmedabad Mirror". Ahmedabad Mirror. 2016-02-15.