India is a country that is marked by colourful festivals celebrated throughout the year. Here are five of the most famous festivals of India that are celebrated across the country. In India festivals, apart from having a religious significance are also occasions for community participation and celebrations. These famous festivals of India transcend the barriers of caste and religion as everyone is swept away in waves of joy and celebration.

5 Famous Festivals Of India – A Land Of Festivals

India is truly a land of festivals where everything ranging from the harvest to the birth anniversaries of Gods and Goddesses are celebrated with grandeur. The festivals are a riot of colours and include the festival of colours, Holi, the festival of Kites, Uttarayan, and the festival of lights, Diwali, among many others.

Here we take a look at some of the famous festivals of India – Hindu Festivals that are widely celebrated. Visiting India to coincide with these festivals is a great way to tour India. The festivals are sure to add an extra sheen to your India experience.

Famous Festivals Of India – Diwali, The Festival Of Lights

Diwali is to Hindus, what Christmas is to Christians. It is a festival that is celebrated in homes across the length and breadth of India. Though it is traditionally a Hindu festival, people from all religions participate in this festival with great zeal. The festival is celebrated in the month of October-November, depending on the Hindu Calendar and lasts for 4-5 days.

There are many legends associated with the reason for the celebration of Diwali. The most popular of these is that Diwali commemorates the return of Shri Ram along with brother Lakshman, and wife Sita, to Ayodhya, after vanquishing the demon king, Ravana in Lanka. Diwali is also associated with Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Vishnu, apart from other deities of the Hindu pantheon. Diwali also marks the beginning of the New Year in some regions like Gujarat.

Diwali is marked by decorating houses with lamps, fireworks, and traditional prayer and worship. Diwali is also the time to bond and exchange greetings with friends and family.

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Famous Festivals Of India – Holi, The Festival Of Colours

Holi is another one of the famous festivals of India and a very popular one too across generations. The festival is predominantly celebrated in the northern and western parts of India. Holi is a festival that heralds and celebrates the advent of the spring season. It is also considered as a festival of love as it celebrates the divine love of Radha and Krishna.

The Holi festival spans over 2 days. On the first day, huge bonfires are lit as a symbolic burning of the demoness named Holika. According to legend, the demon king wanted to kill the child Prahalad who was a devotee of Lord Vishnu. He asked Holika to sit on a burning pyre with Prahalad in her lap. He knew that Holika would not be harmed by the fire, while Prahalad would burn to death. However owing to divine intervention, the reverse happens and Holika is consumed by the fire and Prahalad comes out unscathed.

The day after Holi is the actual festival of colours, known as Dhuleti. On this day people make merry by throwing colour (Gulal) on each other and dancing and singing. Some of the best places to visit in India for celebrating Holi are Mathura, Vrindaban, Jaipur, Udaipur, and Anandpur Saheb in Punjab.

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Famous Festivals Of India – Dussehra, Celebrating Victory of Good Over Evil

The festival of Dussehra or Dassara is celebrated with great pomp and gaiety. The festival chiefly commemorates the victory of Ram over the demon king Ravana. Fireworks and the burning of the effigies of Ravana and his brother Kumbhakarna along with his son Meghnad, mark the spectacular celebration of Dussehra.

Mysore in Karnataka celebrates the festival of Dassara in a grand manner. Dassara celebrations bear a royal mark in Mysore as it is the legacy which has been handed over by the royal family of Mysore. Community celebrations of Dassara were started by King Raja Wodeyar in 1610. The celebrations include a grand procession of caparisoned elephants with the idol of Goddess Chamundeshwari being carried on a golden Howdah by the lead elephant. Various programmes of sports, culture, dance, and music are held during the festival celebrations that span over a 10-day period.

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Famous Festivals Of India – Navratri, The Festival Of Dance

Navratri is a festival which preludes the festival of Dussehra. The festival spans over 9 days/nights and hence it is called Navratri. On each of the nine nights, a different manifestation of the divine mother Goddess Durga is worshipped.

A picture or idol of the Goddess is installed and worshipped ritualistically. After this men and women dance in a circle around the installed image of the deity to the rhythm of the music. The dance is called Garba and originates in the state of Gujarat. Dance and music along with worship form the main part of the Navratri festival. The best place to celebrate Navratri in India is Ahmedabad or Vadodara in Gujarat.

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Famous Festivals Of India – Ganesh Chaturthi

Ganesh Chaturthi is another of the famous festivals of India. This festival is celebrated with great fervour, especially in Maharashtra and the southern states of India. Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations as a community event were introduced by the Indian freedom fighter, Bal Gangadhar Tilak.

Ganesh Chaturthi celebrates the birth of Ganesha, one of the most popular Gods of the Hindu pantheon. The festival spans over 10 days, during which an idol of Ganesha is installed in homes and community centres and worshipped ritualistically. On the final day, the idol is taken out in procession and immersed in the sea or river or any other water body. Mumbai and Pune are the best places in India to celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi.

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