The Most Important Festivals in Hinduism

India is truly called a land of diverse cultures and religions. You will find that there is no dearth of occasions when it comes to festivities, and there is no end to celebrations in this land. The most beautiful aspect of our nation is that each season brings its colours and vibrancy. People following different religions such as Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Sikhism, Buddhism etc have lived and shared their festive occasions with each other for so many generations. This is the most unique aspect of our land and there is unity in diversity. These festivals only form the foundation of close bonds and ties with different cultures. Moreover, all these cultures and festivals are an infusion of colours, and vibrancy and share a sense of togetherness.

Let’s now take a look at the major Hindu festivals where people from all walks of life, diverse cultures and diverse ethnic backgrounds etc take part in and enjoy the festive environment.

Holi

This is one of the most popular festivals of colours in India. This is one of the major Hindu festivals that is eagerly awaited by people in March. According to Hindu legends, ‘Prahlada’ was a devotee of ‘Lord Vishnu’, which was a source of consternation and wrath of ‘Hirnyakishapu’, father of ‘Prahlada’. So he ordered his sister demoness ‘Holika’, who had a boon that she will not get burnt, to take ‘Prahlada’ in her lap and enter into a funeral pyre. It was meant to burn ‘Prahlada’, however, ‘Holika’ got burnt in the process and ‘Prahlada’ emerged from the flames unscathed. From that day, the tradition of burning effigies of ‘Holika’ on the day before Holi is followed all across India. Holi is celebrated as a festival of colours and energy. People enjoy playing with colours and applying colours to others’ faces. There is also a tradition of sharing sweets and drinking the famous ‘Bhaang’ on that day.

In the early morning only, people start going out in groups and start playing Holi by spraying coloured water or bursting water balloons on other people. Holi is also unique in the way that different parts of the country celebrate it in their different ways. It is even celebrated internationally with the same vibrancy, energy and happiness. This Hindu festival is truly representative of the unity and diversity of India as it is celebrated by people from all walks of life, background etc and it does not discriminate against anyone.

Maha Shivratri:

‘Maha Shivratri’ is one of the most significant and grand festivals of the Hindu religion that is celebrated in India. It is celebrated in February and March. According to legend, this was the day it is believed that ‘Lord Shiva’ got married to ‘Goddess Parvati’. According to Hindu mythological legends, this is also celebrated as the ‘Night of Shiva’. During this festival, all devotees of ‘Lord Shiva’ abstain from food throughout the day, and only break their fast the following morning after a night of worship. The devotees offer milk, honey, water and the leaves of a wood apple tree while worshipping ‘Lord Shiva’. The most unique aspect of this grand Hindu festival is that all the temples dedicated to ‘Lord Shiva’ are decorated beautifully all across the country. It is also a grand spectacle during the evening and night time to see all these temples throwing an aura of light everywhere.

Janmashtami:

‘Janmashtami’ is also known as ‘Krishna Janmashtami’ and this festival is dedicated to marking the birth anniversary of ‘Lord Krishna’. This is one of the major festivals of Hindus celebrated with great pomp and show all across the country. According to Hindu scriptures, ‘Lord Krishna’ is the ‘eighth avatar’ of ‘Lord Vishnu’ and it is observed on the ‘eighth tithi of the Krishna Paksha of Shravan Masa’. It is considered a very important festival for the Hindus and dance-drama re-enactments of ‘Lord Krishna’s life takes place during the day. ‘Lord Krishna’ as per Hindu traditions is believed to be the son of ‘mother Devaki and father Vasudeva’. He is also considered the supreme personality of the Godhead.

‘Lord Krishna’ is believed to have been born in ‘Mathura’ at a time when chaos was rampant. His greatest threat to his survival was his uncle, the demon king ‘Kansa’. ‘Kansa’ was known to be an evil tyrant who ruthlessly persecuted his subjects and is believed to have killed seven of his sister’s earlier children. ‘Lord Krishna’ is revered throughout the world as he is believed to have rid the world of all evil by slaying his uncle, ‘Kansa’. He is also believed to have picked up the ‘Govardhan Mountain’ on his little finger at a time when ‘Mathura’ was suffering from a ferocious onslaught of winds and rain. This is why he is also referred to as ‘Govardhan’ by some devotees.

Janmashtami is celebrated differently in different parts of the country. The most beautiful aspect of this festival is that ‘Mathura’ and ‘Vrindavan’, two places associated with ‘Lord Krishna’ are decorated most beautifully throughout the day and even during the night. ‘Lord Krishna’ is also known as the person who gave us the tenets of ‘Geeta’ and is also remembered and worshipped as the messenger of love.

Ganesh Chaturthi:

This is another of the major Hindu festivals that are celebrated all across India. However, it is celebrated on a grand scale and most elaborately in Maharashtra, Telangana, Karnataka and Hyderabad. This festival is dedicated to ‘Lord Ganesha’ and also to observe the birth anniversary of ‘Lord Ganesha’. According to Hindu legends, ‘Lord Ganesha’ is the elephant-headed son of ‘Lord Shiva’ and ‘Goddess Parvati’. The festival of ‘Ganesh Chaturthi’ is celebrated as ‘Lord Ganesha’ and is believed to be the remover of all kinds of obstacles and hurdles from our lives. This is the reason ‘Lord Ganesha’ is also revered as Lord Siddhi Vinayaka’. On this day, people welcome ‘Lord Ganesha’ with a lot of reverence and happiness by installing his idol in their homes in the days before the actual festival commences. The favourite food of ‘Lord Ganesha’ is ‘Modak’, which is prepared as a wheat flour pastry stuffed with coconut jaggery. This festival is all the more unique because people dance with joy and reverence in the streets for as many days as the festival is celebrated. They forget all their sorrows, and differences and people from different cultures are also invited to join and enjoy this festival.

Makar Sankranti:

This is also one of the major Hindu festivals that are celebrated with great reverence. This festival is celebrated to worship the Sun, as he is also called ‘Surya Deva’ in Hindu mythology. It is believed that the day of ‘Makar Sankranti’ is observed when the Sun transits from ‘Dhanu Rashi’ to ‘Makar Rashi’. It is also believed that this auspicious day falls on the first day of the tenth solar month in most Hindu calendars. Now, there are numerous rituals which are followed during this festival.

For instance, a ritualistic bonfire is lit a day before ‘Makar Sankranti’, worshipping the rising ‘Surya Deva’ on the day, taking a dip in the holy waters etc. This festival is significant as it is celebrated differently in different parts of the country, each with its rituals and customs.

Rama Navami:

This is believed to be one of the most important festivals of all Hindu festivals celebrated in the country. According to legends, this was the day when ‘Lord Rama’ was born. Also according to Hindu mythology, ‘Lord Rama’ is considered the “Seventh Incarnation” of Lord “Vishnu”. It is believed to be a very significant day and devotees of ‘Lord Rama’ a day of fast and worship all through the day. It is also believed that ‘Lord Rama’ was born in the ‘Treta Yuga’ around a million years ago. It is a wonderful sight for the eyes to see all the temples dedicated to ‘Lord Rama’ being lit up beautifully during Ram Navami. The upcoming temple at ‘Ayodhya’ is especially dedicated to ‘Lord Rama’ and his victory over the demon king ‘Ravana’. ‘Lord Rama’, apart from being worshipped and revered, is also believed to be the representation of our Hindu cultural heritage and past.

Onam:

This is a significant Hindu festival celebrated in the southern part of India, especially Kerala. This is considered a major annual festival and is celebrated on a grand scale and most elaborately by both the people and government in Kerala. This is also celebrated as the annual harvest festival of Kerala. According to Hindu legends, the festival of ‘Onam’ is celebrated as a remembrance of the good governance of the demon king ‘Mahabali’. Also according to legends, the ‘devas’ became so envious of his good governance and prosperity; that they asked ‘Lord ‘Vishnu’ to do something about it. ‘Lord Vishnu’ then came in the ‘avatar’ of ‘Vamana’, a Brahmin, and asked ‘Mahabali’ to give him space. ‘Mahabali’ in his arrogance did not recognize the Lord. When ‘Mahabali’ finally realized his arrogance and bowed to ‘Lord ‘Vishnu’, it was then ‘Lord ‘Vishnu’ placed his foot on ‘Mahabali’s head and gave him ‘Moksha’. However, ‘Lord Vishnu’, seeing the piousness of ‘Mahabali’ granted him one boon that he could visit his kingdom once a year. It is since then that ‘Onam’ is being celebrated as an annual event in Kerala.

Navratri:

This is the grandest and most elaborately celebrated festival in all major Hindu festivals. It is celebrated in reverence of ‘Goddess Durga’ and it spans a period of “Nine nights and Ten days”. It is believed according to sacred Hindu texts, the festival falls twice or four times a year. Out of these the ‘Sharada Navratri’, near the autumn equinox is the most celebrated in all parts of India. The other significant part is ‘Vasanta Navratri’, which falls in the spring equinox and is celebrated around during March and April in a year. According to legends, this festival has special significance as it was during this period that ‘Goddess Durga slew the demon king ‘Mahishasura’. It is also believed that ‘Goddess Durga’ appears in 9 ‘avatars’ or forms during these days in front of her devotees and worshippers. The major significant aspect of this festival is the significance of the victory of ‘good over evil’. Devotees keep a fast for nine days during this festival. That is they don’t consume any non-vegetarian food, garlic, or onion and neither they consume any alcoholic beverages during the duration of this festival. All the temples across the country are beautifully decorated and it becomes a breathtaking spectacle during the night to see all the temples dazzlingly lit up.

Dussehra or Vijay Dashami:

This is another of the major Hindu festival and it is celebrated after the end of ‘Navratri’ celebrations. According to Hindu legends, it is celebrated on the tenth day of ‘Navratri’. It is celebrated differently in different parts of India. For instance, in the southern, eastern, north-eastern, and some parts of northern India, ‘Dussehra’ or ‘Vijayadashami’ is celebrated remembering ‘Goddess Durga’s victory over the demon king, ‘Mahishasura’. On the other hand, in the western, central and other parts of northern India, it is celebrated as the day when ‘Lord Rama’ got victory over ‘Ravana’. People celebrate this day with great pomp and show. This is also considered very auspicious for starting something new venture or for buying purposes.

Diwali or Deepawali:

This Hindu festival is the most significant of all festivals and is celebrated on a grand scale all across the country and abroad also. This is a festival that continues over five or six days. It has great significance in Hinduism as it signifies and symbolizes the spiritual victory of “good over evil”. Also according to legends, this was the day when ‘Lord Rama’ returned to ‘Ayodhya’ after spending fourteen years in exile and after defeating ‘Ravana’. So this festival has a very special significance for Hindus all across the world. This festival is also associated with the worshipping of ‘Goddess ‘Lakshmi’, the goddess of prosperity and ‘Lord Ganesha’, the remover of all obstacles from life. People clean their houses, properties, shops and businesses before the commencement of this festival. They also decorate their homes with beautiful ‘Rangolis’, ‘Diyas’ and dazzling lights which sparkle up and brighten the whole atmosphere.

People also wear clean clothes, worship ‘Goddess Lakshmi’ and ‘Lord Ganesha’ and share sweets with friends, neighbours and families. It is especially a momentous sight to see different kinds of firecrackers, rockets etc lighting up the night sky. It is also celebrated as a special moment when people can catch up with their friends, families and relatives and share their joys and happiness with them. This festival is also unique that it does not discriminate against anyone and welcomes people from all religions and cultures to come to participate and share their happiness with them.

Raksha Bandhan:

This is a traditional and very popular annual Hindu festival that is celebrated on an elaborate scale all across India. This day is significant for all Hindus as sisters of Hindu men of all ages tie an amulet or talisman called ‘Rakhi’ around the wrists of their brothers. This is symbolic of the promise given by the brothers that they will protect their sisters throughout their lives. In this festival, traditionally sisters get up early and get dressed in beautiful clothes and wait for their brothers. The brothers, on the other hand, get dressed up and bring gifts for their sisters. Earlier according to Hindu legends, this custom was done by priests by tying a sacred talisman or amulet around people’s wrists. In return, they used to get gifts. This festival is celebrated in all parts of India and it’s even celebrated in certain countries that have been deeply influenced by this unique festival.