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Important Festivals in India??
Important Festivals in India??
FESTIVALS IN INDIA
Major Festivals of
India (National,
Religious,
Harvest and
Seasonal)
Presented By UPSC_IASSQUAD
An Initiative of OUR STUDY CIRCLE
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Republic Day is celebrated all over the country on 26th January every year. On
this day, i.e., 26th January, 1950, India’s constitution came into force. This day is
important because on this day our country became a Democratic republic and
all citizens were given equal rights to vote and choose the government. A
special celebration (grand parade) is held at Rajpath in New Delhi every year.
On this day, the National song, “Jana Gana Mana” can be heard throughout the
country.
Independence Day is celebrated all over the country on 15th August each year.
On this day, i.e., 15th August, 1947, India gained independence from British rule
and hence in other countries this day is also termed as “India Day”. We pay
tribute to the freedom fighters who sacrificed their youth for our
independence. The Tri-color National flag is hoisted at Red Fort (New Delhi) by
the Prime Minister. Every Indians feel proud on this day.
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2.3 Diwali:
The autumn festival of Diwali is celebrated in between the months of October and
December on the darkest new moon of the year. It is also termed as “Festival of Lights”,
as on this day every people, especially Hindus, lighten up their houses with lights
including candles and diyas. It is celebrated in honour of Lord Rama. He returned to his
kingdom, Ayodhya, after spending 14 years in forest. On this day, people dress
themselves in their best outfit and take part in their family function. Celebrating the
triumph of light over darkness, or victory of good over bad, this festival features
fireworks, lanterns and celebrations.
There is a tradition of worshiping Devi Lakshmi and Ganpati Deva on this day. It is done
for securing peace, prosperity, wealth and happiness.
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Hindus celebrate this festival on the birth anniversary of Lord Sri Krishna.
Lord Sir Krishna is believed to be an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. His birth is
symbolically associated to the end of ignorance and cruelty over mankind.
Thousands of devotees gather together in temples and cheerfully worship
the Lord. In many places, the popular event of “Dahi Handi”, takes place.
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2.7 Dussehra:
Maha means “great”, Ratri means “night” and Shiva refers to “Lord
Shiva”. The marriage of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati took place on
this day. This is a great time to worship Lord Shiva and seek his
blessings. There is a tradition of offering a holy bath to the “Shiva
Lingam”. People celebrate this festival by fasting, offering sweets to
god, etc.
2.9 Eid:
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2.10 Christmas:
2.11 Easter:
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3. Seasonal and Harvesting Festivals in India
There are many types of seasonal and harvesting
festivals celebrated in India. The most important
of them are discussed below:
3.1 Basant Panchami:
The day of Basant Panchami (also Vasant Panchami) is celebrated by the Hindus as
“Saraswati Puja”. It is usually celebrated every year in the month of February. This
festival marks the beginning of the Holi festival and also the spring season. On this
day, people worship the Goddess of knowledge, music, culture, i.e., Devi Saraswati.
In Tamil Nadu, 14th of January is celebrated every year as the Pongal Day. In many
part of India, this day is celebrated as Makar Sankranti. This festival is marked
with prosperity and abundance. On this day, freshly harvested cereals and foods
are cooked. On the day of Makar Sankaranti, people worship the Sun God.
3.3 Lohri:
3.4 Onam:
3.5 Baisakhi:
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