A festival is an event for a day or period of time celebrated by a community based on its religion or tradition. Festivals are celebrated world wide depicting vibrant cultures and traditions. They symbolize cheerfulness , brotherhood , harmony and sharing. They give us a break from our humdrum , hectic and monotonous life and provide us a chance to rejuvenate and relax with our family and friends. They strengthen our social relationships and unite the country politically.

India is a land of festivals. Around 100 festivals are celebrated every year in India due to its rich diversity and culture. Here are the most important festivals celebrated annually in India-

DIWALI- The most sacred festival of Hindu’s , Diwali or Deepavali is celebrated every year by Hindus all over the world. This festival marks the return of Lord Rama with his wife and brother to Ayodhya after a 14 year long exile. This is a five day long festival of lights that begins from Dhanteras and ends at Bhai Dooj. Hindus start the preprationsfor this festival in advance by cleaning their houses , decorating it with flowers and Rangoli etc. All the houses glitter and dazzle with diyas and lights on the eve of Diwali. On this day , goddess Laxmi and god Ganesha are worshipped. People distribute sweets and gifts to share their happiness.

HOLI- Holi , the festival of colours is celebrated every year in the month of march in India and many other countries. This festival of Hindus is celebrated with joy and enthusiasm every year. People apply abeer on each other and children play with water. This festival spreads peace and harmony. Religious songs are sung using musical instruments like Dholak etc. Various types of special things like gujhiya , sweets etc are made. On this day there is a public holiday across the country. Holika Dahan takes place a day before this festival. Holi depicts the victory of good over the evil.

BAISAKHI- Baisakhi or vaisakhi is a Sikh festival that marks the new year of the Sikh community. It is celebrated every year on 13th or 14th April. This festival is celebrated all over India , especially in Punjab and Haryana. This is of paramount importance for the farmers as on this day their toiling pays off. People sing songs , perform Bhangra and Gidda to celebrate this day. Fairs are held in every nook and corner of the country. There is a public holiday on this day.

GANESH CHATURTHI – Ganesh chaturthi is a Hindu festival celebrated all over India , especially in Maharashtra. It is celebrated yo mark the birth anniversary of Lord Ganesha. Ganesha is widely known for his wisdom and prosperity. People bring clay statue of Lord Ganesha to their house and worship it for 10 days. During these days there is a public holiday and make modak and sweets to please him. On the 11th day people together immerse the clay statue in lake , river , pond or ocean. This is known as Ganpati Visarjan or Anant Chaturdashi.

EID UL FITR- Eid or eid ul fitr is a festival of paramount importance for the Muslims worldwide. This festival marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan. Muslims fast during this month to purify their soul. On this holy day , Muslims visit mosque and offer prayers. They greet each other by saying ‘ Eid Mubarak’ and distribute sweets. Houses are decorated and fairs are held. Feasts are prepared and everybody enjoy this festival with great enthusiasm.

CHRISTMAS- Christmas is a religious festival celebrated every year in winter to commemorate the birthday of Jesus Christ. Everyone enjoys this cultural holiday. It is celebrated on 25th December. The celebrations start four weeks before and ends on twelfth day of Christmas. Houses are decorated with Christmas Trees and People exchange gifts with each other. Christmas carols are sung and people dance with great zeal. It is believed that Santa Claus comes to every house at midnight and distributes gifts to the children.

Apart from these , there are other festivals celebrated like Dussehra , Onam , Mahavir Jayanti etc. Festivals purify our souls and refresh our mind so that we could continue to run the rat race in this materialistic world. It is our duty to celebrate our sacred festivals and keep them away from politics and narrow-mindedness