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Social Conditions
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selves. On the occasion of a festival the cities were decorated, displaying great pump and show. Generally these were organized by the kings themselves who went on elephants round the city in solemn processions. The beauty of the festivals lay in the nocturnal decorations when people in their fine and colourful garments came out of their houses to enjoy and entertain themselves. On the occasion of some festivals, pcople were given holidays. Some festivals lasted for seven days while some continued even for a month.
The Chaturmäsyas were old seasonal festivals. The Apastamba-Grihya-Sūtral tells us that there were three Châturmāsy'a festivals, each celebrated at an interval of four months, which indicated the advent of the three seasons, spring, rainy, and winter. They were celebrated on the full-moon days of Phal. guna, of Ashādha, and of Kārttika.
Jaina and Buddhist texts mention various other festivities. The Chaturmāsya festival of the month of líūrilika was known as the Kaumudi or the Kattika. On the day of Kaumudimahotsava, men and women came out of their houses after sunset, and spent the whole night in wanton merriment. In the Samaññaphala Sutta of the Digha- Vikāya," king Ajātasatru or Magadha is described on the Kaumudi night as sitting on the upper terrace of his palace, surrounded by his ministers. The Sanjiva-Jalakat tells us that when Ajatašatru was the king of Magadha, the city of Rājagriha was so lavishly decorated on the Kattikā festival days that it looked like a veritable city of gods.
The name of a festival Sura- Nakkhota dedicated only 10 drinking points out that drinking was so much in voguc that pcoplc thought it necessary to organise festivals in honour of a popular habit. A drinking festival at Rajagrila is mentioncd in the Sigāla salaka." Another jätaka tells us of a drinking festival held at Vārāṇast. The occasion was characterized by 1. Life in North-Easter. India in Pre-Jaurson Times, p. 83, 2. JLAIDJC, p. 238. 3 Digha, 1 47; SBE. II. 65. 4. Ja l, Yo. 150, 498. 5. Ibid. 459. 0. Ibid, S62.
