| Term Paper Title |
Festivals And Holidays Of India |
| # of Words |
919 |
| # of Pages (250 words per page double spaced) |
3.68 |
Festivals and Holidays of India
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. There
are a few versions of the origin of this festival. In the northern
part of India, it is associated with the autumn season and the
harvest. They believe that Lakshmi returns to the plains and
lowlands every autumn, after her stay in high country during
the summer months. She visits people's homes on that night
and needs the light to guide her way. By assuring th...Read entire document
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