Festivals in India: Prepared by

FESTIVALS IN
INDIA
Prepared By-
HOLI
Expression of Love
Lovers too long to apply colours on their beloved. This has a popular
legend behind it. It is said that the naughty and mischievous Lord
Krishna started the trend of playing colours. He applied colour on
her beloved Radha to make her one like him. The trend soon gained
popularity amongst the masses. No wonder, there is no match to the
Holi of Mathura, Vrindavan and Barsana - the places associated with
the birth and childhood of Radha and Krishna.
HOLI FESTIVAL
One of the major festivals of India, Holi is celebrated with enthusiasm and gaiety on the full moon day
in the month of Phalgun which is the month of March as per the Gregorian calendar.
Holi festival may be celebrated with various names and people of different states might be following
different traditions. But, what makes Holi so unique and special is the spirit of it which remains the
same throughout the country and even across the globe, wherever it is celebrated.
Preparations
Entire country wears a festive look when it is time for Holi celebration. Market places get abuzz with
activity as frenzied shoppers start making preparations for the festival. Heaps of various hues of gulal
and abeer can be seen on the roadside days before the festival. Pichkaris in innovative and modern
design too come up every year to lure the children who wish to collect them as Holi memorabilia and
of course, to drench everybody in the town.
Womenfolk too start making early preparations for the holi festival as they cook loads of gujiya, mathri
and papri for the family and also for the relatives. At some places specially in the north women also
make papads and potato chips at this time.
Season of Bloom
Everybody gets delighted at the arrival of Holi as the season itself is so gay. Holi is also called the
Spring Festival - as it marks the arrival of spring the season of hope and joy. The gloom of the winter
goes as Holi promises of bright summer days. Nature too, it seems rejoices at the arrival of Holi and
wears its best clothes. Fields get filled with crops promising a good harvest to the farmers and flowers
bloom colouring the surroundings and filling fragrance in the air.
RATH YATRA
Rath Yatra
Ratha Yatra is also known as Festival of Chariot. Every year Shri
Jagannath's chariots is celebrated at Puri, in Orissa. The second
day, known as dwitiya, of moon's waxing cycle (shukla pakshya)
of lunar calendar's third month (Ashadh Maas). Puri's main
temple Jagannath's deities- Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and
Goddess Subhadra with sudarshana chakra (celestial wheel), are
carried out of the temple precincts in a form of a ritual procession
in their respective chariots. The chariots are huge and are
decorated with various colours. A large number of devotees draw
the chariots to the Gundicha Temple at a distance of two miles to
the North. Gundicha is King Indradyumna's Queen.
On the way back from Gundicha Temple, these deities halt at the
Mausi Maa Temple, where their aunt was abode, and get an
offering of Poda Pitha. This is a special pancake type, which is the
Lord's favourite. After a stay for seven days, the deities return to
their abode.
RAKSHA
BANDHAN
RAKSHA BANDHAN
Rakhi is a sacred thread embellished with sister's love and affection
for her brother. On the day of Raksha Bandhan, sisters tie rakhi on
the wrists of their brothers and express their love to them. After
receiving the rakhi from a sister, a brother sincerely takes the
responsibility of protecting her sister. In Indian tradition, the
frangible thread of rakhi is considered even stronger than an iron
chain as it strongly binds a brothers and a sisters in the
circumference of mutual love and trust.
Any Indian festival seems to be incomplete without the traditional
Indian festivities, such as gathering, celebrations, exchange of
sweets and gifts, lots of noise, singing and dancing. Festivals are the
celebration of togetherness as being as a united family and the
festival "Raksha Bandhan" is not an exception of this.
The love and self actuation towards a novel cause between a
brother and his sister is the theme of this great festivals. It is a
festival that is mainly celebrated by the people of Northern and
Western part of India, but people from other parts also celebrate
this festival with same alacrity. Although, the mode of celebration
may differ from region to region, but the central theme of this great
festival remain same.
DURGA PUJA
DURGA PUJA
Durga Puja is one of the important Hindu festivals in India. The
festival celebrates life, culture, traditions and customs. The
festival is celebrated all over India and has different rituals and
festivities especially in the eastern Indian states of West
Bengal, Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and Tripura. It is also
celebrated in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat,
Punjab, Kashmir, Karnataka and Kerala. The festival is
commemorated by worshipping Goddess Durga. She is
worshipped for killing Mahisasur, a powerful demon who was
also known as the Buffalo Demon. It also marks her return
every year in the Bengali month of Aswin, remembering Lord
Ram as he summoned Goddess Durga for her blessings in order
to save Sita from the clutches of Ravana.
Durga Puja is one of the biggest festivals in Bengal and it is the
most important socio-cultural event in the Bengali society.
DIWALI
DIWALI
"Diwali", the festival of lights, illuminates the darkness of the New
Year's moon, and strengthens our close friendships and knowledge,
with a self-realization!
Diwali is celebrated on a nation-wide scale on Amavasya - the 15th
day of the dark fortnight of the Hindu month of Ashwin,
(October/November) every year. It symbolizes that age-old culture
of India which teaches to vanquish ignorance that subdues
humanity and to drive away darkness that engulfs the light of
knowledge. Diwali, the festival of lights even to-day in this modern
world projects the rich and glorious past of India.

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