Legends say, “We should celebrate life, not just the festivals.” Well, this could be true. However, in a country like India, where religion and spirituality live in the hearts of people, every festival is a reflection of Indian culture and traditions.
Breaking off the monotonousness of our daily lives, these festivals bring a wave of happiness and joy to everyone’s heart. Although these festivals take place throughout the year, each of them has a unique essence of its own. In this article, let’s discover some of the famous festivals in India.
The most famous national festivals of India:
1. Diwali
First and foremost, Diwali, or Deepavali, is the most celebrated festival among Indians. What’s more? Throughout this festival, people decorate their houses with lots of lights, or diyas. Because of this, the festival gets more lively. Additionally, most people wear new clothes to attend the family puja. Not only that, but children also firecrackers to celebrate the festival to the fullest.
2. Durga Puja
One of the major Hindu festivals of India, Durga Puja, is celebrated with gloriousness by the Bengalis. Indeed, for Bengalis, Durga Puja represents their cultural identity and is celebrated for four days with much fanfare and joy. This festival is mainly popular in West Bengal, Odisha, Assam, Tripura, Bihar, and Jharkhand. In this puja, a huge tem-armed clay idol, Goddess Durga, and her four children are worshipped in mandaps. At the same time, people wear new clothes and go pandal-hopping with friends or families.
3. Holi
Holi is another remarkable festival in India; it is also known as the festival of colors and love. This vibrant festival is a sign of the arrival of spring and the triumph of good over evil. People from every corner of the country celebrate this festival with love and joy. Generally, in the evening before the festival, people set fire to bonfires. This signifies the burning of the mythological character Holika. On the day of the festival, people throw wet and dry colors at each other to celebrate the festival to the fullest.
4. Dussehra
It is also another popular Hindu festival. People throughout the country celebrate this festival with joy. Each part of the country celebrates this festival in a different way. In northern India, people conduct Ram Leela (a theoretical representation of the mythological story) for nine consecutive days. On the last day, people gather on huge grounds to burn giant idols of Ravana, and his brothers. This signifies the triumph of Ram over Ravana.
Apart from these, coupled with interesting mythical stories, there are several festivals in India. However, all the festivals depend on the lunar calendar. Moreover, these festivals take place on a different date every year.
