5 Most Famous Festivals Of India You Must Experience

India is a land of festivals. It is a country where people of different caste and communities coexist, and all their respective festivals are celebrated together with great flourish. Be it Diwali for Hindus, or Eid for Muslims or Buddha Jayanti or Guru Nanak Jayanti; together they form the festivals of India which are celebrated with equal enthusiasm and excitement. The list of festivals is so long that there is hardly any month that does not see any festival happening. The following festivals of India list is the one that contains the top 5 Indian festival name. Check them out right here.

* Makar Sankranti

This is a real new year of Sikhs and North Indians and is celebrated just a day after Lohri. On this day God is worshipped to seek his blessings in the New Year. It also signifies the end of winter and onset of spring which means a new season for the farmers. Unlike other festivals where the dates of the festivals are decided by lunar cycles, the dates of this festival are decided by the solar cycle. In Gujarat and some parts of Rajasthan, people celebrate this day by flying kites and eating tilladoos and bajrikakhichda. It signifies the movement of the sun towards the north after this day and also marks the new season for agriculture.

* Diwali

Diwali is one of the most important festivals of India. It is a day celebrated with a lot of grandness. Diwali is also called the festival of lights and people across the country light lamps and candles and decorate their houses with rangoli and Toran. People wear new clothes and perform Puja and also greet friends and neighbors with sweets. Diwali also marks the New Year for Hindus. As per the Hindu mythology, it is believed that on this day Lord Rama returned to Ayodhya with his wife Sita and brother Lakshmana after completing the 14-year long exile in the forest.

* Holi

Also known as the festival of colors, Holi is a very colorful festival of India. People across the country celebrate this festival with a lot of fervor and joy. They also light huge bonfires (known as Holika) and do puja and sing and dance around it. The next day people gather and apply dry and wet colors on each other. Children play with water guns and water balloons. Holi is one of the major festivals of India. Holi is celebrated as the victory of good over evil. As per the Hindu mythology, in order to kill Prahlad, the son of Hirnyakashyap, his sister and a demon Holika sat in the fire to burn him, but to everyone’s surprise Holika who has been blessed to never get burnt was burnt to ashes, and nothing happened to Prahlad. Since then the festival of Holi is celebrated. It also signifies the onset of the spring season.

* Dussehra

Dussehra or Vijayadashami as it is popularly known again symbolizes the victory of good over evil. It is celebrated in different ways in different parts of the country. In the northern India Ramlila, a play on the story of Ram is played for 10 days. In Gujarat, Navratri is celebrated for 9 days as Garba and Dandiya. People dress up in traditional colorful Garba outfits and play dandiya race until wee hours. The whole environment is filled with enthusiasm and is extremely invigorating. On the 10th day, large effigies of demons such as Ravana, Kumbhkarna, Meghnath are burnt and is a spectacular sight to witness.

* Rakshabandhan

One of the most important festivals celebrated across the nation. It signifies the bond of a brother and sister where the sister applies a tilak on brother’s forehead and ties a rakhi on his wrist performing his aarti and praying for his well-being. On the other hand, the brother vows to protect his sister. This festival symbolizes a strong bond between the brother and the sister.