what kids love about india festivals
Answers
Explanation:
List of Indian Festivals, Your Child Must Know
Diwali. Deepawali or Diwali is celebrated by Hindus all over India with great gaiety and passion. ...
Holi. ...
Dussehra, Navratri and Durga Puja. ...
Onam. ...
Ganesh Chaturthi. ...
Eid-ul-Fitr. ...
Janmashtami. ...
Pongal.
1. Diwali
Deepawali or Diwali is celebrated by Hindus all over India with great gaiety and passion. The festival’s origins date back to celebrating the return of Lord Ram to Ayodhya after an exile period of 14 long years. To show their happiness and devotion, the people of Ayodhya lit up the city with lamps on their windowsills and doorsteps. Even to this day, small lamps are lit all around the house and outside. The light of the lamp is said to represent the victory of good over evil. During Diwali, people celebrate by holding many cultural events and exchange gifts and sweets. People burst crackers in this festival. It is also said that people worship Goddess Lakshmi during Diwali. They clean their houses and illuminate them so that Goddess Lakshmi can enter and give her blessings to the family. Diwali is celebrated on 8th November, usually for 5 days before or after.
2. Holi
One of the most famous festivals of India, Holi is also called the ‘Festival of Colors’. It is a festival filled with colours, music, dance, fun, frolic, and playfulness. It is celebrated on 20th March as the day that the she-demon Holika was killed by Prahlad, a devotee of Lord Vishnu. Some cultures in South India also celebrate it as the day that Lord Shiva burned Kamadeva, the Lord of Love to death by opening his Third Eye. They worship Lord Kamadeva for this sacrifice as he dared to disturb Lord Shiva’s peace only to save the world from calamity. People celebrate Holi by throwing coloured powder at each other and holding a pooja for Holika Dahan or the slaying of Holika. Holi also celebrates the love between Lord Krishna and his consort Radha. The legend goes that Krishna complained to his mother on how Radha was fair and he was dark.
Dussehra, Navratri and Durga Puja
Navratri is celebrated as a Hindu festival of worship and dance from 10th to 18th October. Meaning ‘nine nights’, the festival is celebrated to worship of all forms of Shakti, the goddesses of India. For nine nights, people dance the ‘garba’ around an earth lamp to traditional music. In Tamil Nadu, the first 3 days are for Goddess Parvati, the next three to Goddess Durga and the last three to Goddess Lakshmi. Dussehra is the tenth day after the nine days of Navratri and is celebrated as the day Lord Ram defeated the Asura Ravana. During the festival’s nine days, people enact Ramleela or Ram’s story in various towns and villages, accompanied by folk music. On the tenth day, the actor who plays the role of Ram fires lighted arrows at huge effigies constructed of Ravana and his sons Meghnath and Kumnbhakarna.
4. Onam
Onam is most vibrantly celebrated in the state of Kerala in South India as the occasion of King Mahabali coming home. It lasts ten days from 1st to 13th September, and people decorate the entrance of their houses with colourful rangoli patterns. During the festival, sumptuous traditional feasts called ‘Onam Sadhya’ with 4 different types of curries are served on banana leaves. The Snake Boat Race and the Kaikottikali Dance are two unique features of Onam.
5. Ganesh Chaturthi
Most celebrated in Maharashtra, Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated on 2nd September to express joy at the birth of the elephant-headed god, Ganesha. The legend goes that Lord Shiva created Lord Ganesha to help the devas and thwart the Asuras.
6. Eid-ul-Fitr
Eid-ul-Fitr is the most treasured festival for Muslims all across the globe. The festival in June commemorates the end of the 30-day long fast of Ramadan, an important day in Islamic culture.
7. Janmashtami
Janmashtami is celebrated on 24th August to honour the birth of the playful Lord Krishna, Lord Vishnu’s 9th incarnation. It lasts two days, with the first day being Gokul Ashtami and the second, Janmashtami.
Janmashtami
8. Pongal
Pongal is a harvest festival celebrated on 14th January, for 3 days mostly in South India. On the first day, houses are cleaned, and children sing and dance with a bonfire. On the second day called Surya Pongal, a sweet called Pongal is made, and thanks are given to the Sun God. The third day is Mattu Pongal, where people worship and pay respect to cows.
9. Baisakhi
Baisakhi is an important festival celebrated on the 14th of April for the Sikh people of India. It is a combination of a harvest festival and the Punjabi New Year. Punjabi’s dances the Bhangra dance on the day of Baisakhi.
10. Maha Shivratri
This festival is celebrated for the Great Lord Shiva on 4th March. It celebrates the union between Lord Shiva and his wife, Parvati. People observe fast on this festival and bathe the Shiv Linga with milk and holy water. The legend goes such that King Bhagirath left his kingdom to pray for the souls of his ancestors to attain salvation. He prayed to the Lord Ganga to wash over his ancestor’s ashes and remove the curse on them so that they may reach heaven. But only Lord Shiva could bear his entire lineage, and so he prayed to him.
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