10 Famous Festivlas You Can Celebrate In India

India is a diverse nation where people follow their own set of religions, traditions, faith and cultures. Indians are known all over the world for celebrating festivals with unmatched devotion and incredible vibrancy. Each festival is dedicated to various gods, goddesses, events, and harvest season, crop sowing season or even change of season. Each festival is accompanied with detailed Vedic Practices, folk dances and performances which adds a lot of light, colour and positive vibes to the festivals in India. Check out these top 10 most famous festivals of India:

# Holi Festival

Holi is one of the most awaited festivals in India. Also referred to as the festival of love and colours, Holi signifies the victory of good over evil, the eternally divine and pure love shared between Radha and Krishna and the blossoming of the spring season. The official Holi Festival licks off a night before the main day, during the Holika Dahan ceremony. People light up a bonfire symbolic of the killing of Holika, the sister of demon king Hiranyakashyap. The other day people smear each other with vibrant colours, prepare delicious food and exchange gifts.

# Diwali Festival

Also known as Deepavali or the festival of lights, Diwali is another one of the most prominent festivals in India. Celebrated according to the Hindu Lunisolar months of Ashvin and Kartik the festival is symbolic of victory of light over darkness, good over evil and knowledge over ignorance. The festival is associated with goddess Lakshmi and Lord Ganesh and the welcoming back of Lord Ram to his kingdom in Ayodhya after having defeated Ravana and completing an exile of 14 years.

# Dussehra Festival

Celebrated at the end of Navratri every year, and also known as Vijayadashami, this Hindu festival is observed on the 10th day of the Ashvin month. Vijayadashami is celebrated for different reasons throughout the Indian subcontinent where people give different names to their faith. For example, in northern India, this festival marks the end of Durga Puja, in other parts of the country, it is referred to as Dussehra that is commemorated by Ramlila performances etc.

# Eid Festival

Literally translating into – the festival of breaking fast, Eid al-Fitr is one of the 2 major Islamic festivals celebrated by the Muslim Community at a very large scale in India and across the globe as well. The festival marks the end of the holy Muslim month of fasting or Ramadan. This is the time when the people visit each other, wear new clothes, exchange gifts and break the fast by making elaborate, wholesome and nutritious meals.

# Christmas Day

As the end of the year draws closer, the bells of Christmas start ringing in everyone’s ear. Christmas is annually celebrated on 25th December which commemorates the birth of baby Jesus. The term Christmas term literally means mass on Christ’s day. People celebrate the day by decorating their houses in colourful lights, wreaths and flowers. Many people customarily also bring in a Christmas tree and decorate it with sparkly colored decorations. People visit churches and give gifts to each other.

# Pongal Festival

Pongal is a much awaited and one of the most widely celebrated Tamil multi day Hindu harvest festivals in India. Also celebrated in Sri Lanka, Pongal starts off by the end of at the beginning of the Tai month according to the Tamil solar calendar that falls typically during the winter month of January. Dedicated to the sun god or Surya Dev, the festival corresponds with the north Indian festival of Makar Sankranti.

# Ganesh Chaturthi

Ganesh Chaturthi is one of the most beloved festivals in north and central India. On this 10-day festival people celebrate the birth of the elephant-headed Hindu deity, Lord Ganesh. Lord Ganesh is the god of prosperity, wisdom and someone who removes obstacles from life. The festival kicks off on the 4th day of the month of Bhadrapada and ends when the idols of the lord are immersed in water bodies, symbolising his home journey back to his abode in Mount Kailash.

# Durga Puja

Durga puja or the Durgotsav is an annual Hindu festival whose roots can be traced back to the prehistoric times. As the name suggests the festival pays homage to goddess Durga and also celebrates her victory over the demon Mahishasura. Traditionally celebrated by the Bengali community of West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Assam, Tripura, Bangladesh etc. the festival takes place in the Ashvin months of the Hindu calendar. During the 10 days of this festival various rituals and offerings to the goddess take place.

# Baisakhi Festival

The Vaisakh Festival is a marker of the first day of the month of Vaisakh which annually takes place during the month of April. This spring harvest festival is rooted primarily to the northern regions. Other Indian cultures and diaspora also celebrate this festival in their own way. Mainly celebrated by the Sikh community, during this festival, they hold Kirtans, visit local Gurudwaras, Socialise and share festive foods.

# Lohri Festival

Most of the festivals in India are rooted in celebrating agriculture and Lohri is one such popular winter Punjabi folk festival. The Lohri festival marks the end of the harsh cold winter season and welcomes the sun’s journey to the northern hemisphere. It takes place just one night prior to Makar Sankranti where people light up a large bonfire and throw handfuls of grains in it to bless the coming of the new agricultural season and harvest.