Festival of India

                                                   Festival of India 

1.  Hindu festival 
2.   Muslim festival 
3.   Sikh festival 
4.  Christian festival 
5.  Jain festival 
6.  National festival

                                                                  Hindu festival  

India is a country know for culture and festivals . main specialty of a country is that it is famous for tradition and celebrating there festivals hundreds of festivals and fairs in India usually celebrate by the calender date of every year .                                                                                              

• Holi 

Festival of colors and spring (February-March)

• Mahashivaratri (Shiva Ratri)

 - night sacred to Shiva (February-March)

• Rama Navami 

- birthday of Lord Rama (April)

• Krishna Jayanti 

birthday of Lord Krishna (July-August)

• Raksābandhana 

 renewing bonds between brothers and sisters (July-August)

• Kumbh Mela 

 pilgrimage every 12 years to four cities in India (July-August; last one 2003)

• Ganesha-Chaturthi (Ganesha Utsava) 

 festival of Ganesh (August-September)

• Dassera 

 victory of Rama over demon king Ravana (September-October)

• Navaratri 

festival of Shakti (in Bengal) or Rama's victory over Ravana (South India) (September-October)

Diwali 

festival of lights and Laksmi (September-October)

  

                                                                  Muslim festival 

• Akikah

An informal birth ceremony. This ceremony is not practiced widely.

• Shadada

The marking of a young Muslim’s formal entry into Islam. There is no set age for this rite, though it is most commonly celebrated during the teenage years.

• Marriage Ritual

 Witnesses observe the groom’s formal offer of marriage and the brides acceptance of it. There is no elaborate ceremony. The waleemah is the reception which includes music and dancing.

• Funerals and Mourning

 This includes the recitation of the janazah (prayers for the dead) at the gravesite and may include a service at the funeral home. Muslims do not condone cremation and burial of the dead takes place within 24 hours of death. The official mourning period for a family member is 40 days.

• Ramadan

This Holy Festival takes place in the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is a time of fasting and daily repentance.

• Lailat ul-Qadr

 The final 10 days of Ramadan. Muslims celebrate Muhammad’s first revelation.
Id al-Fitr – The feast period just after the month long fast of Ramadan. It lasts for three days.

• Id ul-Adha

Two to three months after Ramadan, animals are slaughtered to benefit the poor. The purpose of the the Id ul-Adha is to celebrate the faithfulness and obedience of Abraham.
Al-Isra Wal Miraj. Celebrated on the 27th Day of the 7th month in the Islamic Calendar. It marks Muhammad’s journey from Mecca.

• Maulid al-Nabi

Celebrates the birth of Muhammad.

                                                 Sikh festival  

• Guru Gobind Singh's Birthday - January 5

Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Guru, was born in 1666. His birthday is celebrated in December or January. Guru Gobind Singh founded the Khalsa and nominated the Guru Granth Sahib, the holy book, as his successor Guru.
 

• Maghi - January 14

Maghi commemorates the martyrdom of the "Forty Immortals," forty followers of Guru Gobind Singh who had previously deserted him, fought bravely against overwhelming Mughal army forces and were martyred in Muktsar. Guru Gobind Singh blessed them as having achieved mukti (liberation) and cremated them at Muktsar. On Maghi, Sikhs visit gurdwaras and listen to kirtan (hymns). Naturally, the largest gathering is at Muktsar where an annual fair is held.

• Hola Maholla - March 26

Hola (or Holla) Maholla is a mela celebrated in Anandpur on the Indian festival of Holi in memory of Guru Gobind Singh. The Guru instituted this day for military exercises and mock battles, followed by music and poetry contests. The holiday is still celebrated with mock battles and displays of horsemanship and skills with the sword. There are also processions with the Sikh flag and the Guru Granth Sahib.

• Vaisakhi - April 14

Vaisakhi, in April, began as a Hindu festival of thankgiving but for Sikhs, marks the founding of the Khalsa in 1699. Those ready to be initiated into the Khalsa are usually baptized on this day, and the Sikh flag is replaced.

• Martyrdom of Guru Arjan - June 16

Guru Arjan, the fifth Guru, was tortured and killed by the Mughal emperor Jahangir in 1606. His martyrdom is commemorated in May.

• Celebration of the Guru Granth Sahib - September

This festival, celebrated in August or September, commemorates the completion of the Sikh holy text in 1606.

                                                                     Christian festival 

• Christmas 

though Christmas is a primary festival of the christian calender but still it has a special significance in every one life.

• Good Friday 

Anniversary of Jesus  death on the cross.

• Easter 

Easter also know as Pascha the feast of the resurrection, the Sunday of the resurrection,after the death of the Jesus. 

  

                                                                         Jain festival 

• Adinath Jayanti

Every year Adinath Jayanti is celebrated on the 9th day of dark half of Chaitra. Nearly after five years, arrangements are made for darshan of the underground Chaityas.

• Akshyatritiya

This festival is observed in April. On this day sugarcane juice is ritually offered to those who have observed various types of fasts through out the year. According to jaina literature, on this day Rsabhanatha, the first tirthankara, received in accordance with the religious ritual in the form of sugar-cane juice for the first time after his continuous fast of six months from the hands of the mythical Prince Sreyamskumar. The ladies who participate in the ritual are given garlands and are brought to the temple in a small hell procession. The relatives of the participants go to a nearby shop of sugarcane crusher, wash the press with boiled water and collect the juice in earthen pots. They bring the juice to the temple and offer to the participants 108 small cups full of juice. After observing this ritual the participants normally take a vow that for the rest of their lives they will not drink unboiled water.

• Kartik Purnima

By the full moon day of Kartik (around November), Karyik Purnima, the monks and nuns , start to wander further after having stayed at one place for the rainy period. On this day the monks are taken out of the town in a procession and a few people even accompany the monks to the next town or village. The community starts eating green vegetables which is not done during the rainy season. On this day many people start on a pilgrimage to Palitana. In many temples a stone panel or cloth painting of Palitana is displayed and those who cannot undertake the pilgrimage to Palitana go and worship the panel in a temple.
Diwali

Along with Hindus the Jainas also celebrate the festival of Divali. For the Jainas, Divali is an important festival, because on this day Mahavira is supposed to have attained nirvana. In many temples of Digambara sect sweet balls are offered. Divali is also important for Jainas as it marks le beginning of their new year. All business accounts of the previous year are settled and new acount books are started. On this day businessmen go to shops and buy new account books and worship them along with the image of Lakshmi as well as currency notes, jewellery, etc. at a special ceremony.

• Mahavira Jayanti

This festival, connected with the great auspicious event of the birth of Lord Mahavira is celebrated with great pomp and enthusiasm by all Jainas. Processions are taken out, meetings are held and the message of Mahavira is explained to all.

Siddhachakra or Navadevata Puja
Siddhacakra or Navadevata diagram (the circle of the Siddha, the omniscient one) consists of a stylised lotus with eight petals. In the centre Id in four petals of the lotus are depictions of the five highest Beings of the Jainas, namely Arhat, the enlightened one, Siddha, the liberated one, Acharya, the head monk, Upadhyaya, the teacher monk, and Sadhu, the monk. In the four petals the Svetambaras inscribe the principles: right knowledge. right faith, right conduct and right penance; whereas Digambaras depict dhar.

                                                 National festival

• Gandhi Jayanti

Every year, October 2nd is celebrated as Gandhi Jayanti to commemorate the birth anniversary of the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi. Gandhi Ji was born on October 2, 1869, into a Hindu family, in Porbandar city of Gujarat state. His father, Karam Chand Gandhi was the Diwan of Porbander State, which was a small princely salute state in the Kathiwar Agency of British India. Mohandas Karam Chand Gandhi or Mahatma Gandhi was the main force behind.

• Independence Day

Every year, August 15 is celebrated as Independence Day to commemorate India’s freedom from British rule. This auspicious day is also marked as a birth of the world’s biggest democracy, India. Independence Day is one of the three national festivals of India and binds the people of different cultures and religions into a bond of unity and brotherhood. On this auspicious occasion.

• Republic Day of India

On 26th of January every year India celebrates its Republic Day. It is one of the national holidays of India and regarded as the most important day in the Indian history as it was on this day in 1950 the constitution of India came into force and India became a truly sovereign state. It is celebrated with much enthusiasm throughout the country to commemorate the event.