Festivals of India

By Arsha Gupta
Festivals of
5C
India
Festivals
• Festivals are an expressive way to celebrate
glorious heritage, culture and traditions. They are
meant to rejoice special moments and emotions in our
lives with our loved ones. They play an important role
to add structure to our social lives, and connect us
with our families and backgrounds.
Types of Festivals
National Religious Harvest

Festivals Festivals Festivals
• Independence • Diwali • Lohri
Day • Holi • Onam
• Republic Day • Eid • Baisakhi
• Gandhi • Christmas • Pongal
Jayanti • Rakhi
• Dussehra
• Ganesh
Chaturthi
We celebrate Festivals because…
lend a chance for the
People can honour to pray to their deities,
older generation to
traditions set by their Gods, and Goddesses
teach the future
ancestors and to bless the people
generation the value of
continue the traditions with peace, prosperity,
festivals and
for years to come. happiness and wealth.
traditions..
an excuse for relaxing,

strengthen the bond
unwinding and taking a
between friends and a symbol that reflect
much-needed break
families and spread patriotism and religion.
from the daily hectic
positivity.
work life.
To forget about their Festivals are also

sorrows and celebrate celebrated to teach us
life in the true sense of the value of unity and
the word. family.
History of Festivals
• Epigraphical evidences prove that festivals have been celebrated in India since Vedic
times.
• The tribal people started festival celebrations to honour deities, rivers, trees,
mountains, serpents, the advent of monsoon, the end of winter or the spring.
• Apart from fasting and prayers, there used to be dramatic performances, music
congregations, dances, chariot races, boat races and animal fights.
• There were Yajnas (sacrificial fires).
• Festivals to please Goddesses associated with diseases like smallpox,
• women, who immolated themselves on the funeral pyres of their husbands and
became satis, were worshipped as devis
• Regular festivals were held to honour them, to seek their protection or give thanks for
the favours received.
• It could be that people needed a break from the monotony of daily chores, and that the
festivals were occasions when they wore their best clothes, jewellery and flowers,
sang, danced and feasted.and enjoy.
Diwali
• Diwali is the biggest and the brightest religious Hindu festival.
• Diwali as a Harvest Festival Diwali was initially celebrated as the festival
of harvest. It is the time when farmers in India reap their harvest and
worship the goddess Lakshmi (goddess of prosperity & wealth) by
offering her portions from fresh harvest
• It is the festival of lights. Deepavali means row of diyas (earthern
lamps).
• The Diwali festival occurs in late October or early November. It falls on
the 15th day of the Hindu month of Kartik, so it varies every year.
• Marks victory of light over darkness, triumph of knowledge over
ignorance, and conquest of good over evil force.
• Celebrated for five days
• Day 1 – Dhanteras
• Day 2- Choti Diwali
• Day 3 – Lakshmi Puja/Kali Puja
• Day 4 – Govardhan Puja
• Day 5 – Bhai Dooj/Vishwakarma Puja
Historic
Significance
Why do we celebrate Diwali ?
• Diwali celebrates the return of Rama and Sita, in the story from the
Ramayana. The story shows how good wins over evil.
• Prince Rama and his wife, Sita, are banished from their home in
Ayodhya by their father the King. Rama’s brother, Lakshmana, goes
with them to live in a forest. They are banished for fourteen years.
• After many happy years, Sita is kidnapped by the ten-headed demon

Ravana. He takes Sita to his island of Lanka. With the help of the
monkey warrior, Hanuman, Rama rescues his wife.
• The people of Ayodhya light divas (oil lamps) in rows to guide Rama
and Sita back from the forest to Ayodhya. On their return Rama is
crowned king.
Historic Significance
Why Goddess Lakshmi and lord Ganesha
both are worshipped during Diwali?
When Mata Laxmi was preoccupied with

vanity about her divinity of wealth and she
was realised about her incompleteness due to
lack of motherhood . She pleaded Goddess
Parvati to let her adopt her son Ganesha .
And so Ganesha was granted a boon to be
worshipped first during Diwali.
Thank You

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Festivals of India

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By Arsha Gupta

National Religious Harvest

an excuse for relaxing,

To forget about their Festivals are also

• After many happy years, Sita is kidnapped by the ten-headed demon

When Mata Laxmi was preoccupied with

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