Festivals of India

Festivals of India

Festivals are a great way to bond over families, good food and have a memorable time. Hardly any country celebrates as many festivals as do Indians. Festivals in India are the most celebrated occasions. You have some festival or the other every month or every fortnight. There is a festival for fire, festival for water, festival for victory of good over evil, festival of lights, festival of gold and prosperity and many others like that.

Festivals not only mean celebrations. It takes into account the nature’s activity and combines within itself the flavors of the flora and fauna of any region. So a single festival is celebrated across various regions in many forms. So you eat a particular kind of fruit or vegetable on a particular festival day and not otherwise. And when you are in one region you would have to celebrate the festival in one way and when you are in another part of India, the same festival will have a variant in terms of celebrations. There are of course non-believers in this theory but the essence of festivals is in following the ritual wholeheartedly. Besides it does no harm to you in anyway – physically, mentally ore otherwise. In fact it does a lot more good to you emotionally. So raise your E.Q. (Emotional Quotient) and raise a toast to the festivals of India.

All Indian festivals are based on the maasa or (Solar or Lunar) calendar months and the fortnights in each month.

Let us have some introduction to the Sanskrit Lingo of months.
Chaitra(March-April), Vaishakha(April-May),
Jyeshtha(May-June), Ashaada(June-July),
Shraavana(July August), Bhaadrapada(August-Septembet),
Aashvija(September-Octopber), Kaartika(October-Bnovember), Maargashira(November-December), Pushya(December-January),
Maagha(January-February), Phaalguna(February-March).

The fortnights are called pakshas each –
Shukla paksha – fortnight facing new moon
Krishna paksha – fortnight facing full moon