Indian Festivals
India is a land of fairs and festivals. Many festivals are celebrated every year. Holi, Diwali, Dushehra and Raksha Bandhan are the great festivals of the people who follow Hindu religion. Though Diwali is celebrated by all the Hindus, it has a special significance for Vaish community. Holi is generally celebrated during the month of March every year. It is a festival of colours which people enjoy a lot. Dushehra is celebrated during October every year on the occasion of victory of lord Rama over Ravana. Raksha Bandhan is a festival of sister and brother. It indicates love and promise among the two. It is a festival of sentiment and moral assurance.
A number of other festivals are also celebrated by Hindus. Shiv-ratri, Ram Navmi, Janmashtami, Durgapuja, Ganeshpuja, Bihoo, Onam, and Pongal are celebrated in different parts of the country. Our society has a great faith in these festivals. Every festival has its own importance and significance.
In India the festivals are celebrated in the honour of gods and goddesses. Before the festivals are celebrated we keep our houses neat and clean. A proper white wash is carried out. The houses are decorated with appropriate lighting arrangements. It is believed that the Gods and Goddesses bless those who celebrate the festivals whole-heartedly.
There are so many other communities who are living in our country. Christians, Muslims, Sikhs, Jains and Buddists are the main communities of India. All celebrate their own festivals with deep faith and enthusiasm. X-Mas is celebrated by the Christians on 25 December every year with joy and romance. The Id-ul-Fiter is the most important festival which is celebrated by all the Muslims. The people of Sikh community celebrate the birth day of Guru Nanak all over the country enthusiastically. The Jain community celebrates the day of Nirvan, which was achieved by lord Mahavir. It is celebrated with great enthusiasm. Lord Buddha was a great soul who preached about numerous ideals and morality. It was followed by the people gracefully for getting their thoughts purified. The followers of Lord Buddha celebrate Buddha Purnima every year in the month of April.
There is a great change in the attitude of Indian society for celebrating the festivals. The festivals are being celebrated now in an ostentatious manner. The main aim of celebrating the festival today is entertainment rather than religious faith. People spend a lot of money in celebrating the festivals. There is no doubt that the people enjoy themselves much more these days through various programmes, which are being arranged during the process of celebration of the festival.
In the olden day’s people were celebrated the festivals in a simple manner by incurring little amount merely for meeting the essential requirements. If we see today, there is a big competition in laying out the idols. The standard and size of idols is advancing day-by-day and has become a costly affair for the common people. If we take an example of Durga puja in West Bengal and Ganesh puja in Maharashtra, we find that the people are wasting the money in the idols and in the method of celebration. These are the reasons why the poor care generally facing financial hardship after the festivals.
Festivals have given a commercial look to the people of the country. There is a big demand of idols in the country as well as abroad where Indians and Non-Resident Indians are quite in big numbers. The manufacturers are earning good amount of foreign currency by exporting the goods outside. That has created employment opportunities for thousands and thousands of people. It is also fulfilling the interest of the nation by getting the revenue out of it. If this work is given a grade of industry by providing possible assistance to the craftsmen, it will be more profitable for both the people and the country.
The festivals are good means of entertainment particularly for the people of rural India who have the limited sources of entertainment in the villages. The festivals are helpful for strengthening the neighbour-hood and unity amongst the people.
India is a vast country. All the people, irrespective of their religion, castes, sub-caste, regions, are living together and are celebrating all the social functions unitedly. Indians have always shown oneness during the festivals. People give equal regard to all the religions and follow the ideals need fully.
Our festivals carry a rich value. All the festivals are being celebrated with big preparation. The foreign tourists visit different places to witness the celebration of some important festivals. People from domestic areas as well as outside go to enjoy the functions of important festivals like Bihoo of Assam, Rath Yatra of Jagannath Puri in Orissa, Holi of Rajasthan and Vrindavan, Durga and Kali puja of West Bengal, Boat rowing in Kerala on the occasion of Onam festival, Mahakumbh of Haridwar and Prayagraj (Allahabad) and Carnival of Goa. These functions always attract the domestic and the foreign tourists. There is a scope to make these functions more artistic and colourful to attract the tourists more. There is a need to give a thought for giving the festivals a modernized shape and make the things more fashionable.
The festivals also have certain disadvantages. We celebrate some festivals on a large scale by decorating houses and shops with varieties of lights, mainly on the occasion of Diwali, Durga puja, Ganesh puja, Dushehra and so on. Sometime fire breaks out as a result of negligence. It is traditional to gamble on the occasion of Diwali and many people lose the money. No festival gives moral advice for gambling on that holy occasion. People drink liquor on certain festivals and sometime create nuisance. It exercises a very bad impact upon the children. We should not pass on such examples to the new generation.
The advantages of all the festivals are greater. They fulfill the spiritual needs of the people. It is the best means of entertainment. All the festivals are celebrated unitedly irrespective of the religion they belong to, which strengthens the unity and brotherhood among the people. The ideals of all the religions which are expressed through respective festivals influence one’s character. Many people follow these ideals in terms of spiritual enlightenment. It is advisable that we in India should celebrate all the festivals with faith, joy and romance.
