festival in india

The Significance of Diwali

 The Diwali or Deepavali festival marks the victory of good over evil. The Sanskrit word “Deepavali” means “an array of lights” and signifies the victory of brightness over darkness. As the knowledge of Sanskrit diminished, the name was popularly modified to Diwali, especially in northern India.

On Diwali, the goddess Laxmi, a symbol of prosperity, is worshipped. People wear new clothes, share sweets and light firecrackers. The North Indian business community usually starts their financial new year on Diwali and new account books are opened on this day.

Hindus find cause to celebrate this festival for different reasons.

Significance of Holi

In spite of being such a colourful and gay festival, there are various aspects of Holi which makes it so significant for our lives. Though they might not be so apparent but a closer look and a little thought will reveal the significance of Holi in more ways than meets the eyes. Ranging from socio-cultural, religious to biological there is every reason why we must heartily enjoy the festival and cherish the reasons for its celebrations.
So when, its time for Holi, please don't hold yourself back and enjoy the festival to the hilt by participating with full enthusiasm in every small tradition related to the festival. 

Significance of Navratri

Navratri is celebrated as a nine day period of worship in most states of North India, dedicated to the nine forms of the Hindu deity Durga. The tenth day is the festival of Dussehra. Read on to know about the significance of Navratri and how it is celebrated.Navratri is a combination of two words. 'Nav' means nine while 'ratri' means night. Therefore, this celebration is literally translated as 'nine nights'. The celebrations begin on the first day of the month of Ashvin according to the Hindu calendar. They culminate in the festival of Dussehra, on the tenth day of the month. As per the Gregorian calendar, Navratri always falls in the month of October. The exact date differs from year to year though.

The Significance of Raksha Bandhan 
India's folk tales are scattered with stories about the bonds between brothers and sisters. The brother-sister relationship in India is a very sacred andcelebrated one. Raksha Bandhan gives the people of India a reason to celebrate this very bond. Raksha Bandhan means 'bond of protection' and on this day, brothers take an oath to protect their sisters under all circumstances. 

Dussehra or Vijayadashmi:

Dussehra or Navratri is one of the most popular festivals of India. Dussehra is the anniversary of the victory of Goddess Durga over the buffalo-headed demon, Mahishasura, giving the goddess her name Mahishasura-Mardini (the slayer of Mahishasura). Dussehra also commemorates the victory of Lord Rama over Ravana of Lanka. The theme of this festival is the victory of good over evil.

Ganesh Chaturthi:

Ganesh Chaturthi, the birthday of Lord Ganesh, is celebrated in August-September. Ganesh is the elephant headed son of Goddess Parvati, consort of Lord Shiva.

In Maharashtra, it is most important festival and is celebrated for 10 days. It is celebrated from 4^th to 14^th day of bright fortnight of Bhadrapad month. In Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh, images of Ganesh made of unbaked clay are worshipped on this day in every house. A special sweet called Modak is prepared on this occassion. To mark the end of the festivities, the clay idols are immersed in water.

Baisakhi:

This is a major Sikh festival - a religious festival, harvest festival and New Year’s Day all rolled into one.

In April, this day marks the beginning of the Hindu solar New Year. In fact this day is celebrated all over the country as New Year day under different names. It is also the time when the harvest is ready to cut and store or sell. For the Sikh community Baisakhi has a very special meaning. It was on this day that the last Guru Gobind Singh organized the Sikhs into Khalsa or the pure ones. By doing so, he eliminated the differences of high and low and established that all human beings were equal.

Makar Sankranti:

Makara Sankranti festival coincides with the beginning of the sun's northward journey, and falls on January 14 according to the solar calendar. According to legend, Bhishma, a great hero of the Mahabharata, though wounded mortally, waited for this auspicious time to give up his life. For, it is believed that, a person dying on this day reaches the Abode of Light and Eternal Bliss.

In many states, the celebration has a special offering of rice and pulses cooked together with or without jaggery and clarified butter. In many areas of India people distribute til-gud - the sesame seed and jaggery. The til brimming with fragrant and delicious oil, stands for friendship and comradeship and jaggery for the sweetness of speech and behavior.