FESTIVALS OF INDIA

FESTIVALS OF INDIA! -Few important festivals of India are as - Raksha Bandhan & Bhai Dooj- Celebration of brother-sister love;Diwali Durga Puja- Festival of Light; Holi- Festival of colours; Ganesh Chaturathi ; Sri Krishna Janmashthami ;Dussehra and Navratri; Christmas; Lohri ;Pongal; Id-Ul-Fitr ;Mahavir Jayanti;Pushkar Fair

FESTIVALS OF INDIA - The Introduction

Every religion, community, caste or creed adds a piece or two to the kaliedoscopic cultural mosaic of India. India, a vast land, proud of its rich culture and heritage, puts in loads of joy in its every festival. The fine fabric of rich culture and tradition is decorated by the Fairs and Festivals celebrated in India with lots of zest and joy. Although, on the special occasion of festivals, certain traditional ceremonies and rituals are performed but there are some common aspects like sweets, flowers, songs, dance, lights, hymns, fasts and feasts which are an integral part of the festivals in India.Festivals in India are an inseparable element of Indian way of life. The term festival indicates joy and celebrations and almost each day in some part of India a festival is celebrated for some joyous reasons. There are Seasonal Festivals in India to welcome the new year, the harvest or rainy season ; Religious Festivals to celebrate religious occasions, the birthdays of divine beings and saints and National Festivals like Independence Day, Republic Day and Gandhi Jayant that are celebrated with pride and joy. The festivals in India are just as vibrant as its cultural fabric. They are colorful, full of life and most of all touch the very soul of its people. The entire country is lit up with the diyas of diwali and all corners of it hear the chimes of the Christmas bell. And, if Holi immerses the nation in its varied hues, the semiyan of Id are savored by one and all. Festivals of India enriches its unique ‘unity’ in ‘diversity’ as festivity breaks all barriers of religion, caste, creed and economic standing.
THE FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS!! - THE DIWALI

Diwali symbolizes the victory of light over darkness. Celebrated joyously all over the country, it is a festival of wealth and prosperity. Year after year I have seen the lamps being lit for Diwali. In the dark night the glowing flames herald the advent of longer nights-the early days of an Indian winter. The essence of this light is Shri Lakshmi-arising, at the beginning of time, out of the waters at the churning of the Milky Ocean by gods and demons for a thousand years. Regarded as the goddess of love, beauty and prosperity, Lakshmi, Kamla or Padma (Sanskrit words for lotus), the beloved consort of Vishnu, along with the dearly loved pot-bellied, elephant headed, auspicious god of the Hindu theogony, Siri Ganesha, is a presiding deity of the festival of lights. They are worshipped in every household so that the year may be full of prosperity. Throughout the night a lamp is kept burning before her image so that she may continue to dwell in the house and bestow upon it the wealth of life.

THE FESTIVAL OF COLOURS- THE HOLI
History and Meaning of Holi
Celebrated all over India since ancient times, Holi's precise form and purpose display great variety. Originally, Holi was an agricultural festival celebrating the arrival of spring. This aspect still plays a significant part in the festival in the form of the colored powders: Holi is a time when man and nature alike throw off the gloom of winter and rejoice in the colors and liveliness of spring.
Holi also commemorates various events in Hindu mythology, but for most Hindus it provides a temporary opportunity for Hindus to disregard social norms, indulge in merrymaking and generally "let loose."
The legend commemorated by the festival of Holi involves an evil king named Hiranyakashipu. He forbade his son Prahlad from worshipping Vishnu, but Radhu continued to do offer prayers to the god. Getting angry with his son, Hiranyakashipu challenged Prahlad to sit on a pyre with his wicked aunt Holika who was believed to be immune to fire. (In an alternate version, Holika put herself and Prahlad on the fire on orders from her brother.) Prahlad accepted the challenge and prayed to Vishnu to keep him safe. When the fire started, everyone scared that all has fired but in the end PRAHALAD are come out OK