Raksha Bandhan

  

Relationships have always been considered as a vital part and parcel of every individual’s life. Years come and go, but certain relationships are there to stay forever. Especially, when it comes to taking a deep dip into the cultural sea of India, these eternal bonds are celebrated in every special way. One such festival which rejoices every bit of these sacred connections is the occasion of Rakshabandhan, which is a celebration of an undying bond between a brother and sister.

On this day, the sister ties a thread, also known as ‘Rakhi’ around her brother’s wrist which shows her adoration and her longing for her brother’s well-being and good health. In return, the brother gives something to his sister as a token of love and appreciation. For centuries, this festival brings great merriment and a sense of festivity into people’s lives, and with the passage of time, the celebration has become more grand and elaborate in terms of its style and approach.

Makar Sankranti

Makar Sankranti is celebrated across the country in different ways and the cultural significance of the festival varies geographically as we move from one state to another, with every state celebrating and welcoming the new season of harvest in their own indigenous manner. 

What makes the festival stand apart from the other Indian Hindu Festivals is the fact that the date of Makar Sankranti is fixed. Makar means Capricorn and Sankranti is transition. 

There is a sankranti every month when the sun passes from one sign of the zodiac to the next. The popular Indian festival “Makar Sankranti” is the first Indian festival falls in New Year. 

It is one of the major Indian harvest festival celebrated on 14th of January of every year. It’s an important festival of the Hindus and celebrated almost everywhere in the country in myriad cultural forms and different names. Every region celebrate it in innumerable ways, according to the localization, culture and traditions.

Holi

Holi is a Hindu spring festival, originating from the Indian subcontinent, celebrated predominantly in India, but has also spread to other areas of Asia and parts of the Western world through the diaspora from the Indian subcontinent, also known as the "festival of colours" or the "festival of love". The festival signifies the victory of good over evil, the arrival of spring, end of winter, and for many a festive day to meet others, play and laugh, forget and forgive, and repair broken relationships, it is also celebrated as a thanksgiving for a good harvest. It lasts for a night and a day, starting on the evening of the Purnima (Full Moon day) falling in the Vikram Samvat Hindu Calendar month of Phalgun, which falls somewhere between the end of February and the middle of March in the Gregorian calendar. The first evening is known as Holika Dahan or Chhoti Holi and the following day as Holi, Rangwali Holi, Dhuleti, Dhulandi, or Phagwah.
How Holi is celebrated:
Night before: Holika Bonfire.
On Holi: spray colours on others, dance, party; eat festival delicacies.
Date
per Hindu calendar
2018 date
Friday, 2 March
2019 date
Thursday, 21 March
Frequency
annual

Holi celebration at Haridwar
Holi is an ancient Hindu religious festival which has become popular with non-Hindus in many parts of South Asia, as well as people of other communities outside Asia. In addition to India and Nepal, the festival is celebrated by Indian subcontinent diaspora in countries such as Jamaica, Suriname, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, South Africa, Malaysia, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Mauritius, and Fiji. In recent years the festival has spread to parts of Europe and North America as a spring celebration of love, frolic, and colours.

Holi celebrations start on the night before Holi with a Holika Dahan where people gather, perform religious rituals in front of the bonfire, and pray that their internal evil be destroyed the way Holika, the sister of the demon king Hiranyakashipu, was killed in the fire. The next morning is celebrated as Rangwali Holi – a free-for-all festival of colours, where people smear each other with colours and drench each other. Water guns and water-filled balloons are also used to play and colour each other. Anyone and everyone is fair game, friend or stranger, rich or poor, man or woman, children and elders. The frolic and fight with colours occurs in the open streets, open parks, outside temples and buildings. Groups carry drums and other musical instruments, go from place to place, sing and dance. People visit family, friends and foes to throw coloured powders on each other, laugh and gossip, then share Holi delicacies, food and drinks. Some customary drinks include bhang (made from cannabis), which is intoxicating. In the evening, after sobering up, people dress up and visit friends and family.

Easter

Easter is also called pasta or resurrection sunday is a festival celebrating
The resurrection of Jesus from the dead describe in the new testament as having
Occurred on the third day of his burial after his crucifixion by the Romans at Calvary
It is the culmination of the passion of Jesus preceded by lent a forty day period
Of fasting prayer and penance
Most Christian refer to the week before Easter as holy week it contains the days
Of the Easter triduum include Maundy Thursday commemorating the maundy and
Last supper as well as good Friday commemorating the crucifixion and death of
Jesus in easter Christianity the season of pascha begins on pascha and ends with
The coming of The fortieth day the feast of the ascension.

Eid-al-Fitr🌙🌟

Eid al-Fitr is an important religious holiday celebrated by Muslims worldwide that marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting. This religious Eid is the first and only day in the month of Shawwal during which Muslims are not permitted to fast. The holiday celebrates the conclusion of the 29 or 30 days of dawn-to-sunset fasting during the entire month of Ramadan.

The day of Eid, therefore, falls on the first day of the month of Shawwal. The date for the start of any lunar Hijri month varies based on when the new moon is sighted by local religious authorities, so the exact day of celebration varies by locality.

Eid al-Fitr has a particular salat consisting of two rakats and generally offered in an open field or large hall. It may be performed only in congregation and has an additional extra six Takbirs , three of them in the beginning of the first raka'ah and three of them just before rukūʿ in the second raka'ah in the Hanafi school of Sunni Islam. Other Sunni schools usually have twelve Takbirs, seven in the first, and five at the beginning of the second raka'ah. According to Shia Islam, it has 6 Takbirs in the first Rakat at the end of qira'a, before rukūʿ, and 5 in the second. This Eid al-Fitr salat is, depending on which juristic opinion is followed, farḍ, mustaḥab or mandūb .

Muslims believe that they are commanded by Allah, as mentioned in the Quran, to continue their fast until the last day of Ramadan and pay the Zakat al-Fitr before offering the Eid prayers.

Diwali

Diwali or deevali is a Hindu festival of lights which is celebrated
Every autumn in the northern hemisphere  .One of the most popular
Festivals of Hinduism diwali symbolises the spiritual victory
Of lights over darkness good over evil and knowledge over ignorance.

NAVRATAI

The festival is associated to the prominent battle that took place between Durga and demon Mahishasuraand celebrates the victory of Good over Evil.These nine days are solely dedicated to Goddess Durga and her nine Avatars.Each day is associated to an incarnation of the goddess:

Edi

Day 1: Shailaputri (Arya)Edit

Known as Pratipada, this day is associated to Shailaputri (literally "Daughter of Mountain"), an incarnation of Parvati. It is in this form that the Goddess is worshiped as the consort of Shiva; she is depicted as riding the bull, Nandi, with a trishula in her right hand and lotus in her left. Shailaputri is considered to be the direct incarnation of Mahakali. The color of the day is red, which depicts action and vigor.

Day 2: BrahmachariniEdit

On Dwitiya, Goddess Brahmacharini, another incarnation of maa Parvati when she penance to achieve her goal to have Shiva as her husband.

Day 3: ChandraghantaEdit

Tritiya commemorates the worship of Chandraghanta- married form of maa Parvati

Day 4: KushmandaEdit

Goddess Kushmanda is worshiped on Chaturthi. Believed to be the creative power of universe, Kushmanda associated to the endowment of vegetation on earth and hence, the color of the day is Green. She is depicted as having eight arms and sits on a Tiger.she is Mahalaxmi adya Shakti gauri

Day 5: SkandmataEdit

Skandamata, the goddess worshiped on Panchami, is the mother of Skanda (or Kartikeya). The color Grey is symbolic of the transforming strength of a mother when her child is confronted with danger. She is depicted riding a ferocious lion, having four arms and holding her baby.

Day 6: KatyayaniEdit

Born to a sage, Katyayana, she is an incarnation of maa Parvati and is shown to exhibit courage which is symbolized by the color Orange to kill MAHISHASURA. Known as the warrior goddess, she is considered one of the most violent forms of Goddess aadya shakti. In this avatar, Kātyāyanī rides a lion and has four hands.

Day 7: KalaratriEdit

Considered the most ferocious form of Goddess Durga, Kalaratri is revered on Saptami. It is believed that Parvati removed her fair skin to kill the demons Sumbha and Nisumbha. The color of the day is White. On Saptami, the Goddess appears in a white colour attire with a lot of rage in her fiery eyes, her skin turns black. The white colour portrays prayer and peace, and ensures the devotees that the Goddess will protect them from harm.

Day 8: MahagauriEdit

Mahagauri symbolizes intelligence and peace. The color associated to this day is Pink which depicts optimism.She has extremely fair complexion and therefore Maa is compared with the conch, the moon and the white flower of Kunda. Radiant and compassionate, Maa Maugauri is usually depicted in a white or green saari and riding a bull. She is also known as Shwetambardhara. Maa Mahagauri purifies the souls of Her devotees and removes all their sins. She has a calming effect on the lives of Her devotees and she also helps them improve their knowledge.

Day 9: SidhidatriEdit

On the last day of the festival also known as Navami, people pray to Siddhidhatri. Sitting on a lotus, she is believed to possess and bestows all type of Siddhis. Here she has four hands. Also known as Mahalakshmi Devi. The light blue colour of the day portrays an admiration towards the nature's beauty.

Navaratri (literally "nine nights"), also spelled Navratri or Navarathri, is a nine nights (and ten days) Hindu festival, celebrated in the Tamil month of Purattasi (17 September to 17 October) every year. It is celebrated differently in various parts of the Indian subcontinent.There are two seasonal Navaratri in a year. This festival in this month is called Sharada Navaratri that is the most celebrated for Goddess Durga.

it was India's famous festival. In India, Goddess Durga battles and emerges victorious over the buffalo demon Mahishasuran to help restore Dharma.

Celebrations include stage decorations, recital of the legend, enacting of the story, and chanting of the scriptures of Hinduism. The nine days are also a major seasonal and cultural event, and the public celebrations of classical and folk dances of Hindu culture.^[On the final day, called the Vijayadashami or Dussehra, the statues are either immersed in a water body such as river and ocean, or alternatively the statue symbolizing the evil is burnt with fireworks marking evil's destruction.

Ganesh Chaturthi

Ganesh Chaturthi also known as Vinayaka Chaturthi is one of the important Hindu festivals celebrated throughout India with a great devotion. This day is celebrated as the birthday of Lord Ganesh, the elephant-headed son of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. Lord Ganesh is the symbol of wisdom, prosperity and good fortune.

Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated on Shukla Chaturthi of the Hindu month of Bhadra (generally falls between August and September). This festival is celebrated by Hindus with a great enthusiasm. People bring idols of Lord Ganesh to their homes and do worship. The duration of this festival varies from 1 day to 11 days, depending on the place and tradition. On the last day of the festival the idols are taken out in a colorful and musical procession and immersed traditionally in water.

As per Hindu mythology Lord Ganesh is considered as "Vigana Harta" (one who removes obstacles) and "Buddhi Pradaayaka" (one who grants intelligence). This festival is very important for students, they worship Lord Ganesh to illumine their minds.

Christmas🌲🎅

Christmas🎅🌲, is a Christian festival celebrating the birth of Jesus. It was over 2,000 years ago that Jesus, the Son of God, conceived by the Holy Spirit to a virgin(Mary), was born in Bethlehem. Unable to find a place in an inn as travellers, the parents had to settle for a stable, where Jesus was born. December 25th is known as the birth date of Jesus Christ. Christmas celebrates this birth of the saviour of humankind. The significance of Christmas goes beyond carols, Christmas trees and gifts.
Christmas is about gathering with friends and family to enjoy the festival.
Christmas is in the spirit of spreading joy, kindness, beauty and love during the Christmas season.
Christmas is the season of giving without the thought of getting💕