Essay on Festivals of India: A festival is a kind of celebration. Festivals are many and varied. Different festivals are observed in different tribes and communities. In India, we find Hindus, Muslims, Christians, and Hindus from the bulk of the Indian population. These religious groups observe their respective festivals in their traditional ways. They are as follows:
Puja Festival / Durga Puja
Pooja festival is the festival of Maa Durga. It is a Hindu festival. It falls in October every year. This festival lasts for ten days. On the tenth day, images of Durga are taken in procession and immersed in a river or reservoir. The festival is grandly held in the cities of Calcutta and Cuttack.
Diwali or Deepawali
It is more common as the ‘Festival of Lights’ and is celebrated by all Hindu sects across the country and abroad. It falls on the auspicious day of the new moon of Amavasya in the month of Karthik which usually falls in October or November, But the exact date varies from year to year. After slaying the demon king Ravana, Diwali celebrates Rama’s house. On the evening of this day, earthen lamps are lit in front of every house. People burst play bombs and firecrackers and play with lots of fireworks.
Car-festival
Hindus celebrate a lot of festivals in a year. The car festival is the largest of them. This festival usually falls in July. But the exact date varies from year to year. The most important is the car festival in Puri. The three deities of the Puri temple, namely Jagannath, Balabhadra, and Subhadra are placed on three chariots made of wood. These chariots are large.
Powerful wires are attached to them. When the pilgrims pull the strings, these chariots move. The car festival is held at many places in Odisha. But the car festival in Puri is the largest car festival for Hindus. Every Hindu in any part of the world wishes to see it at least once in his lifetime.
Festivals are a source of joy, excitement, and enjoyment for the people of India. Life will be monotonous without them. People are busy nowadays. Festivals provide them with great pleasure.
