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Festivals of India

 

Rakhi or Raksha Bhandan is a festival of India, celebrated to honor the emotional bond between brother and sister. Sister ties a holy thread around her brother's wrist and takes a commitment from her brother that he will always be there beside her in hour of need. This thread, which vibrates with sisterly love and virtuous sentiments, is rightly called the 'Rakhi'. A "bond of protection".
Rakhi
Bhai Dooj
Bhai-Dooj is yet another Indian festival that symbolizes the brother and sister eternal love for each other. Whereas sister prays for the long and prosper life of her brother by applying tilak on his forehead and in return brother promises to provide a life long protection to her sister. The festival falls on the second day after Diwali and is celebrated all over the country.
Amongst the hugely popular Indian festivals falls on the 10th day of the waxing moon during the Hindu month of Ashvin (around September or October). There is a fascinating array of myths and legends associated with Dussehra. On this day, Rama (the god-king and the hero of the great Hindu epicRamayana) vanquished the evil Ravana – the 10-headed demon-king of Lanka who had abducted Rama’s wife Sita.
Bhai Dooj
Diwali
Deepawali or the Festival of Lights is perhaps the most popular of all Hindu festivals of India. Religious fervour paralleled with ample fun and merry-making marks this India festival. Deepawali is celebrated in most parts of the country with equal enthusiasm and fervour. Like most festivals, Diwali, as it is more popularly known, comes with its own bagful of mythological and historical references.
The most colourful of all Indian festivals, Holi sees everyone smearing each others face and body with different colours. Holi is celebrated at a time of the year when everyone’s had enough of the chilly winter and everyone look forward to the warmth of the sun. Trees get fresh new leaves that are at their glossiest best, and flowers  begin to pop open and claim their share of fun in the sun. Even grandmothers abandon their knitting for the glorious sunny days. They know that it’s time to give in to good cheer, for the harsh Indian summers are just round the corner.
Holi Festival
Celebrating Eid at Jama Masjid - New Delhi
Eid Ul Fitar is the biggest Muslim festival of India. Eid is derived from the Arabic word ‘oud’ or ‘the coming back’ to signify the return of Eid each year. The festival is significant as much for its timing as for its religious implications. It is celebrated after the  month of Ramzan (the month of fasting and the ninth month of the Muslim year), on the first day of Shavval – a month in the Hijri year (Muslim year). It is believed that the Koran was revealed to Prophet Mohammed in the month of  Ramzan.
The people of Punjab, one of the richest states in India, are in their element during the celebrations of one of the most spirited festivals of India – Baisakhi. Sikhism as a religion originated from this northern state and is home to some of the most sturdy and fun-loving people in this country. Hidden behind the celebration of Baisakhi are the months of hard labour that have gone into the production of the rabi crop, the first harvest of the  year
Baishakhi Festival
Durga Pooja
The azure sky with fluffy white clouds and a nip in the air marks the advent of autumn. It is time for Bengal’s most popular festival – Durga Puja or the worship of the Goddess Durga. Actually the festival is celebrated twice a year – once in the month of March or April (Basant), and again in the month of September or October (Ashwin), during the moonlit fortnight. On both occasions, the puja  is a nine-day affair with the last day coinciding with Rama Navmi and Dussehra respectively. The Mother Goddess is venerated in one form or the other all over India, though she is most popular among the  Bengalis.

 

 

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