Festivals Of India Pdf Free Download
Reuquen Boyett
India is a country with a vast territory and diverse religions, which creates a diverse local festival culture. It is said that there are over a thousand festivals in India throughout the year. Every festival in India is welcomed with big celebrations and sometimes a unison of cultures.
Diwali is the biggest and most important festival in India. It is a national festival, like Christmas in Western countries, but it is also celebrated by some non-Hindu communities. Diwali falls in October or November, the celebrations last for 5 days, and they celebrate the triumph of good over evil.
The next hugely popular Indian festival that is celebrated by most communities is Diwali (festival of Lights). It falls on November 1stth and the main celebrations starts from October 29th, and end with November 3rd. Read more on Diwali.
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For the public holidays, there will be a day off (on the main day) for the general population, and schools and most businesses are closed. While for optional holidays, employers can choose to take a half or full day off of work. Schools, banks, government and private offices, and businesses remain open and functional.
Diwali, also known as the Festival of Lights, is the most important national festival of the year in India, celebrating the victory of good over evil and light over darkness. It tops all other festivals with its lengthy, large-scale, and multi-faith celebrations in India.
The next day, the entire country heads to the streets for a giant colored-powder-and-water "fight". The color fight is meant to represent the pure joy of victory and the coming together of people of all classes.
The first 3 nights focus on the goddess Durga to remove the barriers and evils on our body, the second 3 nights focus on the goddess Lakshmi (goddess of wealth and good fortune) and the last 3 nights on goddess Sarasvati (goddess of knowledge, music, art, speech, wisdom, and learning).
Dussehra is an important festival in India that comes after Navaratri. The 'tenth-day victory' marks the Lord Rama's victory over Ravana (the 10-headed demon) after 10 days of battles.
During the festival, shows and plays based on the Ramlila are performed at outdoor fairs, along with songs and narrations. During Dussehra in Mysore, you should have a chance to see Mysore Palace with its almost 100,000 lights dazzling at the night show and a torch-light parade at the Bannimantap Parade Grounds.
Durga Puja is the largest festival to take place in Kolkata and West Bengal. It commemorates the victory of the goddess Durga over the buffalo demon Mahishasura. It is a ten-day event, and the last five days involve certain rituals and practices.
During the last day of the festival, statues of Durga are paraded through the city then submerged into the Hugli River. This ceremony marks the end of the goddess's annual sojourn to her paternal home and return to her husband Lord Shiva.
Onam in Kerala is full of cultural events including traditional dances, sports competitions, boat races, and Kathakali performances. Every household also creates a pookalam, which is a decoration made from flower petals and rice that is placed on the floor at the entrance of homes and buildings.
The most important day of Onam is called Thiru Onam (September 15th, 2024), which directly translates to 'sacred Onam day'. Thiru Onam is when the competitions, boat races, feasts, and temple events all take place.
Pongal is a festival in Tamil Nadu that celebrates thanksgiving to the Sun God for harvests with large feasts and family get-togethers. Pongal also marks the return of the sun into the Northern Hemisphere and the return of warmer weather.
On Makar Sankranti, Indians celebrate the sun passing back into the Northern Hemisphere, signaling the return of warmth to the country and marking the beginning of the harvest season. So, people worship Surya, the Hindu sun god.
This festival is celebrated in many different forms across India. In Tamil Nadu, it is celebrated as Pongal. Makar Sankranti is celebrated in North India with large kite festivals, the most famous of which is the Jaipur Kite Festival.
The Jaipur Kite Festival is one of the most attended festivals in Rajasthan. The festival includes kite competitions where competitors try to cut the kite strings of their opponents. The last kite flying gets a prize! The city of Jaipur also arranges a friendly kite-flying zone for anyone who doesn't want their kite string cut.
Eid al-Fitr is celebrated all over the world, but it is an important holiday in India because of the country's large Muslim community. Islam has contributed a lot to Indian culture especially in North India, which has had a long history of Islamic rulers, including the Mughals who built incredible structures such as the Taj Mahal and Red Fort.
Eid is a day of celebration that marks the end of Ramadan, the holy month of fasting. Because Eid marks the breaking of the fast, this holiday is celebrated with large meals and incredible street food.
Ganesh is an elephant-headed Hindu god that is the most well-known and most admired god of wisdom and wealth in Indian mythology and folklore. Although Ganesh is a beloved deity all across India, the city of Mumbai holds a particular love for him and throws a huge festival in his honor every year.
Ganesh Chaturthi is a 10-day festival that celebrates the birth of Ganesh. During the festival, huge handcrafted statues of Ganesh are displayed in pandals or temples throughout Mumbai. Every neighborhood in the city competes to make the best and most beautiful statue of Ganesh.
Throughout the festival, each statue is given offerings and is celebrated with religious rituals until the final day when all the statues are carried to the ocean and submerged. Placing the statues in the sea symbolizes Lord Ganesh leaving Earth and returning to the heavens.
Janmashtami, popularly known as the Krishna Janmashtami festival, is celebrated across India to honor the birth of Krishna (eighth incarnation of Lord Vishnu). Hindus believe that Lord Vishnu was reincarnated as Krishna to bring hope to the earth and free it from the despair caused by the tyranny of evil rulers.
It is celebrated on the eighth day of the Hindu month of Bhadrava (the fifth month), and usually falls in August or September and it will last for 2 days. The celebration consists of keeping a vigil and fasting until midnight at Krishna temples, praying, and enjoying performances of the life of Krishna.
The highlight of the festival is Dahi Handi, which takes place on the second day. People form a human pyramid to reach the clay pots of yogurt strung up from tall buildings. If you wish to witness this fun activity then Mumbai is the place to go because Dahi Handi competitions take place at hundreds of locations across the city.
Mahashivratri, 'Great Night of Shiva', is a festival dedicated to Shiva. In Hinduism, Shiva is worshipped as a supreme being who creates, protects, and transforms the universe. A Shivaratri is celebrated on the 13th night and 14th day of every lunar month, among the 12 Shivaratris, the Shivaratri occuring in February/March is the most spiritual one, so it is celebrated as Mahashivratri.
Mahashivratri is not a joyous festival. It is a time for self-reflection and introspection, celebrated at night and during the day after with chanting, fasting, and meditating. Some devotees stay awake all night, singing hymns and devotional songs in praise of Lord Shiva.
Varanasi is home to one of the most important Shiva temples in the country: the Kashi Vishwanath Temple. This temple sees over a million Hindus from around the country who come to perform rituals.
Haridwar is famous for its temples and ghats, steps leading down to a river where pilgrims bathe to rid themselves of their sins. Devotees often first take a dip in the holy Ganges at Har Ki Pauri Ghat, then head to Neelkanth Mahadev Temple to make offerings. By watching the rituals, you will understand more about Hinduism and their belief of the soul's journey to liberation.
The Pushkar Camel Fair takes place over a multi-day period in November every year. The Pushkar Fair began as an event to buy and sell livestock, but in recent years has been developed by the Rajasthan Tourism Board into a beautiful display of Rajasthani culture.
During the fair, thousands of colorfully decorated camels along with their owners arrive for a large carnival. The great array of activities include street performances by snake charmers, musicians, and folk dancers as well as camel races and camel beauty contests. You can also check out the Best Mustache and Turban Tying competitions.
The fair itself is often quite crowded and full of people trying to enjoy the carnival activities. If you'd like to avoid the crowds, consider getting a bird's eye view of the festivities from a hot air balloon.
Hanuman Jayanti is a significant Hindu festival that marks the birth of Lord Hanuman. Hanuman is one of the biggest devotees of Lord Rama (the seventh avatar of Vishnu). He is described as someone who always successfully tackled odds and difficult circumstances.
During the festival, people fast from sunrise on the day of Hanuman's birth, decorate Hanuman statues with flowers and garlands, visit local temples, and attend special religious discourses, read and recite poetic shlokas (Sanskrit couplets), and sing bhajans (devotional songs).
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