Festivals and Holidays of India :: essays research papers fc

There are many holidays and festivals in India. In my report I will explain what the holidays of Holi, Diwali, Dussera, and Basanto commemorate. I will give details about their dates and customs. ****************************** Holi: The Fire Festival The Hindu Fire Festival, called Holi or Basaat is celebrated in India on the fifteenth day of the Light Half of the Moon, in the Hindu month of Phalguna (March). Holi is a spring festival for Hindus. It is celebrated before the monsoon, the great rainstorms which come each year. Holi is a joyous holiday and is celebrated by Hindus of all ages. Boys and girls squirt water pistols, sometimes large pumps filled with saffron or red-colored water. The Hindus favorite colors are red, crimson and saffron. In Bengal, the Holi festival is associated with the life of Krishna, a Hindu god. In Bengal the colored powders are used without the water, for the fun. Before indulging in a feast in honor of Holi, the children change out of their sporty clothes that are covered in red and put on fresh, clean garments. It is customary to exchange gifts in honor of this spring festival. ****************************** Diwali: The Festival of Lights The Hindu New Year, Diwali, is celebrated on the last night of autumn, in October or November. It is a holiday which is celebrated throughout India. It comes at the end of the monsoon rains, when the weather is nice and mild, and lasts for five days. For this holiday, daughters return to their parents' homes, houses are cleared, walls are decorated with designs drawn in white rice flour water and then colored. Business account books are closed and new ones are opened ceremoniously, new clothes are worn and friends are entertained. Before the festival, special food is prepared to be offered in the Hindu temples. In preparation and in honor of this festival of lights clay saucers are filled with mustard oil and floating cotton wicks, giving a soft, glowing light to the homes. These lights are called chirags, and are placed on the window sills and rooftops of houses; along the roads, and on the banks of rivers and streams. Women and girls who live in the sacred city of Banares, take their chirags to the banks of the Ganges River. They quietly light them and put them in the river to float along the water. They hope for their clay boats to float to the other side with the wicks still lit. If they remain lit, it is a sign of good luck. The reason for the lights is to direct Lakshmi; goddess of prosperity to every home.