Top 10 Festival Celebrating In India

1. Diwali :

Diwali or Deepavali is the Hindu festival of lights celebrated every year in autumn in the northern hemisphere. This wonderful festival is the celebration of five days. Dhanteras marks the first day of five-days-long Diwali Festival. Dhanteras Festival, also known as Dhantrayodashi or Dhanwantari Triodasi, falls on the auspicious thirteenth lunar day of Krishna Paksha in the Hindu month of Kartik (October/November). In the word Dhanteras, "Dhan" stands for wealth. On Dhanteras Goddess Laxmi is worshiped to provide prosperity and well being. Hence Dhan Teras holds a lot more significance for the business community. The day before Diwali is celebrated as Chhoti Diwali / Narak Chaturdasi or 'small Diwali'. It is Diwali on a smaller scale, with fewer lights lit and fewer crackers burst. The third day of Diwali festival is the most important one for Lakshmi-puja and is entirely devoted to the propitiation of Goddess Lakshmi.

Govardhan-Puja is also performed in the North on this day. Govardhan is a small hillock in Braj, near Mathura and on this day of Diwali people of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar build cowdung, hillocks, decorate them with flowers and then worship them.The fifth or the last day of diwali is Bhaiya Dooj, popularly know as Bhai Dooj. The reason why this festival is known as bhai dooj is that it falls on the second day after the new moon, that is the Dooj day. And it is a day to pray for the long life of the brother, which is referred as “bhayya or bhai”.

2. Holi :

Also known as the festival of colors, holi is one of the famous festivals of India, celebrated with a lot of fervor across the country. On the eve of Holi, people make huge Holika bonfires and sing and dance around it.

On the day of Holi, people gather in open areas and apply dry and wet colors of multiple hues to each other, with some carrying water guns and colored water filled balloons. It signifies the victory of good (Prince Prahlad) over evil (Holika) and the arrival of spring.

3. Shivaratri :

Maha Shivaratri is a Hindu festival celebrated annually in honour of the god Shiva. There is a Shivaratri in every luni-solar month of the Hindu calendar, on the month's 13th night/14th day, but once a year in late winter (February/March, or Phalguna) and before the arrival of spring, marks Maha Shivaratri which means "the Great Night of Shiva"

4. Navratri / Durga Puja :

Navaratri is a nine nights (ten days) Hindu festival, celebrated in the autumn every year. It is observed for different reasons and celebrated differently in various parts of the Indian subcontinent. Theoretically, there are four seasonal Navratri.

In the eastern and northeastern states of India, the Durga Puja is synonymous with Navratri, wherein goddess Durga battles and emerges victorious over the buffalo demon to help restore Dharma.

5. Raksha Bandhan :

Raksha Bandhan is a popular festival celebrated across the country. Irrespective of caste and creed people from all walks of life participate in this festival. It is celebrated on the full moon day of the lunar month Shravana (Shravana Poornima) which also coincides with Upa-karma (changing the sacred thread for the brahmins, Avani Avittom in South India).

The festival is also called as Rakhi Poornima, Nariyal Poornima and Kajari Poornima in different states and is celebrated differently.

6. Eid :

Eid al-Fitr is an important religious holiday celebrated by Muslims worldwide that marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting (sawm). The religious Eid (Muslim religious festival) is the first and only day in the month of Shawwal during which Muslims are not permitted to fast.

7. Janmashtami :

Janmashtami marks the birth of Lord Krishna who is believed to be the eight incarnation of Lord Vishnu on earth, as mentioned in the scriptures. It is said that Lord Krishna was born at midnight on the 'eighth day' or the 'Ashtami' of the holy month, Shravana, according to the Hindu Lunar calendar.

The legend behind Lord Krishna's birth, and his triumph over enemies, makes for one of Hindu folklore's most loved tales, and is recited amongst the devotees with much fervor on Janmashtami.

8. X-Mas :

Many Christians in India celebrate Jesus Christ's birth on on Christmas Day, which is annually held on December 25. The celebrations are most noticeable in states where there are many Christians. Christmas Day is a gazetted holiday in India.

9. Baisakhi :

Vaisakhi is a historical and religious festival in Sikhism and Hinduism. It is usually celebrated on April 13 or 14 every year. The history of Baisakhi celebrations can be traced back to 1699. Guru Gobind Singh, the then Guru of the Sikhs, called on the historic Baisakhi Day congregation of Sikhs at Keshgarh Sahib near Anandpur on March 30, 1699. Thousands of people had assembled seeking their Guru's blessings.

10. Ganesh Chaturthi :

Ganesh Chaturthi is the Hindu festival that reveres god Ganesha. A ten-day festival, it starts on the fourth day of Hindu luni-solar calendar month Bhadrapada, which typically falls in Gregorian months of August or September. He is worshiped by both Shiva worshippers and Vishnu worshippers as he is considered to be an avatar of both Shiva and Vishnu. Even Buddhists and Jains have faith in Ganpati.