The Hindu Dharma Parirakshana Trust of the Andhra Pradesh Endowments department has issued a notice suggesting temple authorities to abstain from New Year celebration, welcome banners, and floral decorations in temples on January 1.
The department found celebrating New Year on January 1 not in accordance with the Hindu tradition.
The Hindu Dharma Parirakshana Trust of the Andhra Pradesh Endowments department has issued a notice suggesting temple authorities to abstain from New Year celebration, welcome banners, and floral decorations in temples on January 1.
"The Hindu tradition says temples should organise festivities on Ugadi, which is the New Year for Telugus across the world. Temples should not be decorated or they should not distribute sweets on western New Year,” the notification reportedly said.
The department said it was not appropriate for Hindu temples to spend devotees' money on January 1, the New Year according to Western calender.
The department found celebrating New Year on January 1 not in accordance with the Hindu tradition, reported The Hindu.
The move comes a weeks after schools in Aligarh were warned against celebrating Christmas as it may sway the students' mind, resulting in 'forced conversion' of Hindu students.
Christian schools in Uttar Pradesh's Aligarh were issued a warning by the Hindu Jagran Manch, a right-wing Hindutva group affiliated to Yogi Adityanath's Hindu Yuva Vahini, not to celebrate Christmas as it may lure the students to Christianity.
The HYM suspects Christmas celebration in schools, with a major population of Hindu students, is a step 'towards forced conversion'.
In a separate incident from barely a few weeks ago, Bajrang Dal activists accused a group carol-singing Christians of coversion, and torched their car of priest outside a police station in Satna district of Madhya Pradesh.
(Inputs from agencies)