festivals of india

1. FESTIVALS OF
INDIA
FESTIVALS

2. TYPES OF FESTIVALS
• Festivals are of 3 types
• National festivals
• Harvest festivals
• Religious festivals

3. NATNIOL FESTIVALS
a. Festivals which are celebrated by whole natation are called national festivals
b. They are
c. Republic day
d. Independence day
e. Ghandi Jayanti

4. REPUBLIC DAY
• Every year Republic Day is celebrated in India on 26th
January with zeal and enthusiasm. Spectacular parades
at Jan path, New Delhi, consisting the Indian National
Army and national flag hoisting in various parts of the
country are common practices followed on this day. It
was this day in history in 1965 when Hindi was declared
as the official language of India

5. INDEPENDENCE DAY
• India gained independence from British rule on
August 15, 1947. As India freed herself from the
clutches of the British empire, the whole country
roared in happiness, marking the reign of an
independent and free land, away from the terror
rule of the 200-year British rule. Fearless Patriots
led the freedom struggle which went on to be
written within the deep trenches of history. On
the occasion of this patriotic day, let’s know more
about the history, significance, facts, and how this
day is celebrated in India and across the world

6. GHANDI JAYANTI
• A great leader Mahatma Gandhi was born on
2nd October,1869 at Porbandar in Gujarat. He is
remembered for his unforgettable contribution
to the struggle for freedom. His aim was to build
a new society that practices nonviolent and
honest behavior. Its members should be treated
equally whatever their gender, religion, colour, or
caste maybe.

7. RELIGAOUS FESTIVALS
• DIWALI
• HOLI
• CHRISTMAS
• EID
• CHAT PUJA
• DUSHERA
• RAKHI

8. DIWALI
• Diwali, or Dipawali, is India's biggest and most important
holiday of the year. The festival gets its name from the
row (avali) of clay lamps (deepa) that Indians light
outside their homes to symbolize the inner light that
protects from spiritual darkness. This festival is as
important to Hindus as the Christmas holiday is to
Christians.
• Over the centuries, Diwali has become a national festival
that's also enjoyed by non-Hindu communities. For
instance, in Jainism, Diwali marks the nirvana, or spiritual
awakening, of Lord Mahavira on October 15, 527 B.C.; in
Sikhism, it honors the day that Guru Hargobind Ji, the
Sixth Sikh Guru, was freed from imprisonment. Buddhists
in India celebrate Diwali as well.

9. HOLI
• India is a nation where diverse cultures, languages,
ethnicities and religions have co-existed for
centuries. The festival of colours, Holi, which is being
marked on March 29, is also celebrated in different
ways across cultures. Below, we take a look at some
of the traditions of Holi in India that celebrate the
victory of good over evil and symbolise the eternal
union of Radha and Krishna

10. CHRISTMAS
• Christmas Day is a holiday in many, but not all,
countries. Many homes have Christmas trees and
other decorations in the weeks leading to
Christmas Day. Some workplaces hold Christmas
parties prior to December 25. Festive activities
include exchanging presents, singing Christmas
songs, going to parties.
• It's a special time when children get presents
from family, friends and Santa Claus, or Father
Christmas. Christmas cards are also given or sent
out prior to Christmas Day.

11. EID
• id, meaning ‘celebration’ or ‘festival’, is a prestigious word in
Islam. There are two dedicated times of Eid in Islam that
Muslims celebrate as per the Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH)
guidance: Eid ul-Fitr and Eid ul-Adha. These are times at
which Allah (SWT) rejoices in His followers being happy and
encourages joy amongst all.
• Eid ul-Fitr and Eid ul-Adha often get confused, but they are
two separate celebrations and have different meanings
behind them. The two festivals are celebrated similarly, but
they commemorate different things and as such, encompass
two contrasting facets of Islam

12. CHHAT PUJA
• Chhath Puja is the festival dedicated to Lord Surya Dev or
the Sun God and Chhathi Maiya. The festival is mostly
celebrated in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and
Jharkhand, in India, where Hindu devotees observe a fast
and offer fruits, flowers, and delicacies. Taking a dip in a
water body and fasting are some of the key rituals of the
occasion. Today, on the third day of the festival, devotees
will offer prayer to

13. DUSHERA
• Dussehra festival is round the corner. Also
known as Vijayadashami, it is one of the major
Hindu festivals celebrated across the country.
Dussehra 2021 is falling on October 15, Friday.
Dussehra marks the end of Navratri and
signifies the victory of good over evil as Lord
Ram had defeated Lanka king Ravana. People
also celebrate this day to mark the victory of
Goddess Durga over demon Mahishasur.

14. RAKHI
• Raksha Bandhan, also abbreviated to
Rakhi, is the Hindu festival
that celebrates brotherhood and
love. It is celebrated on the full moon
in the month of Sravana in the lunar
calendar. The word Raksha means
protection, whilst Bandhan is the verb
to tie.

15. HARVEST FESTIVALS
• BIHU
• LOHRI
• PONGAL
• BAISAKHI
• MAKAR SANKRANTI
• Vasant Panchami
• ONAM

16. BIHU
• Assam’s Bohag Bihu festival is a time of
celebration marks the beginning of the
Assamese New Year. The word “Bihu” is
derived from the Sanskrit word Bishu,
meaning “to ask blessings and prosperity
from the Gods" before the onset of the
harvest season. It is celebrated over seven
days. This year it starts on April 14.

17. LOHRI
• In the present time, the concept of Lohri is all
about bonfire, fancy foods, food baskets, and
dancing to the tunes of hit chartbuster. But, do
you know the traditional meaning of holy bonfire
and why people together take revolve around it
post sunset? Well, it has a deeper meaning which
is all about paying gratitude to the almighty and
dancing to the beats of the dhol and enjoying a
scrumptious feast.

18. PONGAL
• It is basically a harvesting festival or it can be
considered as the 'thanksgiving' festival'
because this festival is celebrated to thank the
Sun God and Lord Indra for helping farmers in
getting better-yielding crops. During the
festival, people reject old belongings and
welcome new stuff.

19. BAISAKHI
•
The festival of Baisakhi is celebrated to mark the onset of
spring in India. The time of Baisakhi usually signifies the
end of the harvest season, and is an occasion of
tremendous joy and festivity for farmers. The celebrations
are concentrated in the states of Punjab and Haryana. In
other parts of India, Baisakhi is known by diverse names -
PohelaBoishakh in West Bengal, Bohag Bihu in Assam,
Puthandu in Tamil Nadu, Bihu in Uttarakhand, Ugadi in
Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, PooramVishu in Kerala and
MahaVishuva Sankranti in Odisha.

20. MAKAR SANKRANTI
• Makar Sankranti is the first major festival to be
celebrated in India and usually takes place in January,
this year the festival will be celebrated on January 14.
Makar Sankranti is a major harvest festival celebrated
by Hindus across India, however different states
celebrated the festival under different names,
traditions and festivities. Makar Sankranti marks the
end of winter as well as the beginning of longer days
on account of the sun's northward journey, this period
is also known as Uttarayan on this account and is
considered to be very auspicious

21. VASANT PANCHAMI
• Marking the preparation for the arrival of spring, Vasant
Panchami or Vasant Panchami is an auspicious festival
of the Hindus which is celebrated with great pomp and
show across India on the fifth day (Panchami Tithi) of
the Hindu month of Magha, Shukla Paksha. It is also
called Sri Panchami in the South and is dedicated to
Saraswati, is the wife of Brahma and considered by
Hindus as the Goddess of knowledge, music, learning
and arts.

22. ONAM
• Onam 2021 Date: Onam, the 10-day long festival
that celebrates the return of King Mahabali
annually as well as the Vaman avatar of Lord
Vishnu, will be celebrated from August 12 this year.
But the actual festival, which is widely celebrated in
Kerala, will start with Thiruvonam on August 21.
Third day of Onam will be August 22 while the final
day falls on August 23.

23. IMPORTANCE OF FESTIVALS
• Festivals contribute immensely to feelings of
social cohesion. Many such celebrations focus
on cultural or ethnic topics and seek to inform
community members of their traditions. They
involve community elders sharing stories and
experiences; setting templates for maintaining
unity among families