Celebrate a Festival in India!

     Whenever we mention the festivals in India, most of us recall the image of the people playing with powder colors and water guns. This is what actually happens in the Holi festival. It is usually referred to as ‘Festival of colors.’  Holi festival doesn’t have a fixed date; it’s according to the position of the moon. That’s why it corresponds to a different date every year. It gradually grows popularity all over the world due to its fun spirit and energetic activities. The history behind this festival is that people are celebrating the victory of good over evil. The name Holi is derived from the name of demon Holika and the celebration is for its burning and destruction done by the devotion of Lord Vishnu. The best places to celebrate Holi are Delhi, Goa, Rajasthan, and Mathura. Take the chance and dive into the reds and greens and forget about the blues just for a day!

     Ganesh Festival lasts for over 10 days and it is also known as Vinayaka Chavithi or Vinayaka Chaturthi. It is on the fourth day of the waxing moon period which corresponds with August and September each year, and this is determined by the Hindu lunar calendar. It is a Hindu festival celebrated to honor the elephant-headed god Ganesha's birthday. He is the lord of arts and sciences and deva of wisdom. During the festival, huge elaborately-crafted statues of Ganesh are worshiped every day throughout the period and paraded in the streets with singing and dancing. Then, the idols of Ganesh are taken into the sea for the procession of Visarjan, immersing the idol inside the water. The best places to celebrate the festival are Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Pune. Just go to the festival and let the sounds of drums make their work.  

   This is a major festival for the Bengalis in India celebrating the powerful goddess Durga and it lasts for ten days. It falls in the Indian month of Ashwin which corresponds with September or October. They decorate huge pandals (stage and structural decorations), and in the middle, they put a richly decorated idol of Durga. It is celebrated by singing, dancing, scripture recitations, gift-giving, feasting, family visits, revelry, and public processions. According to the myth, the goddess Durga won her battle against asura (clans who seek power) which represents the victory of good over evil. It is a part of the culture of India and is widely celebrated and experienced in Kolkata, Bihar, and Assam.

    Krishna Janmashtami Festival or known simply as Gokulashtami or Janmashtami is a Hindu festival that celebrates the birth of Lord Krishna every year. It is a public holiday celebrated on the eighth day of the Hindu month of Bhadrava. This matches August or September in the Gregorian calendar. You can best have experience of Janmashtami in Mathura and Vrindavan. Devotees fast until midnight on a preceding day till the traditional hour of Krishna's birth. You can see the household and temples decorated with flowers and leaves and then food is served to the god and the rest are offered to the public to have his blessings. There is a fun part in the festival when a group of guys climbs over each other, forming a human pyramid to reach a hung pot of milk and break it. This is a copy of Lord Krishna's childhood game with boys.

    Diwali Festival is considered the biggest festival held in India and it is celebrated by Hinds around the world. It is also known as the 'Festival of Lights' and the date changes every year as it is determined according to the position of the moon. Usually, it falls between October and November and it lasts for five days. It celebrates the victory of Lord Rama and his return to his kingdom after defeating Ravana (a powerful demon). The legend says that his followers illuminated his way back with a lot of earthenware oil lamps which also represents the victory of light over darkness and ignorance in the heart of Diwali. During the festival period, the houses are decorated with electric colorful lights, and many fireworks, candles, and small clay lamps are lit by the Indian families. The best places to celebrate Diwali are Jaipur, Varanasi, and Delhi.

       Onam Festival is a large annual festival held in Kerala, India. People celebrate it by decorating their houses with different floral arrangements, wearing new clothes (especially white/ gold sarees for women), food served on banana leaves, sports, dancing, snake boat races, and games. The legend behind Onam is that the spirit of King Mahabali is visiting the place, that's why they are welcoming him at the time of Onam. It is also known as the 'Harvest Festival' and it is on the 22nd Nakshatra Thiruvonam in the Malayalam calendar month of Chingam which falls within August and September.      

    This festival is for animal lovers and who also likes animal sports. On this fair, a huge number of camels is collected in Pushkar in the state of Rajasthan dressed up, shaved, raced, and traded. The main reason behind holding this fair is to attract local traders to come and do business in Pushkar during the Hind month of Kartik. It is decided according to the Hindu calendar but usually, it comes during October or November and it receives more than 200,000 visitors.

    We can call India the land of festivals. Although we have mentioned some above, there are a way more left; they have more than 50 festivals per year for different cultures and religions and they awesomely manage to exist together.