Festivals of India
A festival is basically an annual event usually celebrating a cultural characteristic of the community and its religious or cultural beliefs or practices. It may be a grand festival with international appeal like the Olympic Games, New Year’s Celebration, St. Valentine’s Day, Holi, and Diwali. It can also be an inter-regional festival with regional or even international appeal like Eid. It can also be an annual or a short-term celebration to mark a change in the season, such as the Indian Holi or the Chinese Spring Festival. It can also be a special occasion to celebrate a milestone like the retirement of a leader or an academic or a political figure.
In India, festivals are celebrated differently. They are celebrated differently according to the religion, caste, region and community. A festival may be highly religious, highly cultural or both, but the common factor that every year remains the same people celebrate it to honour their gods and goddesses and invoke the power of good versus evil. A festival adds to the festive nature of the season and enchants the people who participate in it.
Hindu festivals are mainly devoted to the gods and goddesses of their religion. There are some common festivals celebrated all over India that are celebrated with great enthusiasm and fervour. These include the Diwali festival, Holi, Vaisakhi, Bhaidooj, Dusshera, Navaratra, Guru Nanak Jayanti, Id-ul-Fitr, and Baisakhi. Diwali and Holi are regularly celebrated with all the devotees and friends. Vaisakhi is considered to be the most sacred time of the Hindu calendar and it is celebrated with immense devotion and enthusiasm among the Hindu community.
Muslim festivals are marked by special feasts and other celebrations. Different types of feasts are arranged according to the different seasons. The Id-ul-Fitr feasts are arranged to mark the end of Ramadan and are popular all over the world. There is also Bakri feasts which are celebrated to honour the great warrior generals. Navaratra, Baisakhi, Dusshera and Guru Nanak Jayanti are very famous festivals for the Muslims.
Jewish festivals are marked by special feasts and religious activities like the Ketubah, Seder, Tubal meeting and Bar Mitzvahs. It is believed that these festivals were arranged by the rabbis as a way to remind the Jewish people about the commandments of God. Every year these events are observed with great joy and happiness all over the world. In some countries like Australia there is theocalogue which is basically a musical extravaganza and is celebrated during the month of April.
All these are just a few of the religious feasts that are celebrated all around the globe with great enthusiasm. A quick citation needed for each festival listed above will enable you to keep in track of the details and the events organized around them. A few other feasts also mark important religious festivals throughout the world. Read on to know more.