Indian Festivals

[Guest guest]

India is a secular democracy, a state without a single religion, and with the

right guaranteed by the Constitution to every citizen to practice his or her

own religion. In the larger Indian society, a major role of the festivals is to

promote unity in diversity, with emphasis on communal harmony. Some religious

festivals mark the passing of the seasons, while some can be termed as cultural

events. Some are celebrated in isolated corners of the country, while a few

transcend barriers of creed and are joyously celebrated all over the country.

Indian festivals mainly have a religious note. Apart from rituals and prayers,

festivals are accompanied with fasts or feasts. In urban areas, festivals

attract large crowds from neighboring areas. Fairs and amusements for children

add to the festive atmosphere. The most popular festival of Kerala, Onam,

includes a magnificent boat race where teams of oarsmen compete against each

other. Festivals are also celebrated to mark changes in the season, such as the

advent of spring or the beginning of a rainy spell. One can find traces of

religion as well as magic in these attempts to seek nature's munificence. Some

of the seasonal festivals include the Baisakhi in Punjab, Uthran in Gujarat and

Bihu in Assam. The Hindu festivals vary from the purely magical to the highly

sophisticated metaphysical levels. Compared to the Hindus Muslims and

Christians have closely-knit rigid religious festivals and practices. Apart

from religious festivals, India has some very important secular festivals, like

Republic Day, Independence Day and Gandhi Jayanti. They evoke participation of

the entire population of the country.

Make international calls for as low as $0.04/minute with Messenger.