OUR INDIA HAS MANY FESTIVALS THAT DEPICT OUR CULTURE AND TRADITION. OUR FESTIVALS ARE UNIQUE AND CELEBRATED BY ALL OTHER RELIGIONS, CASTES AND CULTURES. OUR MAIN FESTIVALS ARE:

• DEEPAWALI•DUSSEHRA

•INDEPENDENCE DAY•REPUBLIC DAY•GANDHI JAYANTI

•HOLI•RAKSHA BANDHAN •EID MUBARAK

Deepawali or Diwali is certainly the biggest and the brightest of all Hindu festivals. It literally illumines the country with its brilliance, and dazzles all with its joy. Each of the four days in the festival of Diwali is separated by a different tradition, but what remains true and constant is the celebration of life, its enjoyment and goodness.Some believe it to be the celebration of the marriage of Goddess Lakshmi with Lord Vishnu. Lord Ganesha, the elephant-headed God, the symbol of auspiciousness and wisdom, and is also worshiped in most Hindu homes on this day.

Dussehra festival is one of the longest festivals of India, which is celebrated with full zeal, love and honour all over the country. Dussehra festival has its own importance in Hindus.Dussehra has been formed from a Sanskrit word-’Dashahara’ whose meaning is directly related to the

Lord Ram’s win over the evil ten headed Lankan king Ravan. So, that is why Dussehra is celebrated in whole India with the burning of the Ravan’s clones. Dussehrafestival has other names such as Dasara, VijayaDashmi, Dashain and Durgotsav.

The 15th of August is a very important day in the history of our country - India.It was on this day in 1947 that India became independent. We won freedom after a hard struggle. On this day our first Prime Minister Pundit Jawaharlal Nehru unfurled The National Flag at The Red Fort for the first time.All the people irrespective of their caste, look and creed celebrate this day every year amidst great rejoicing. It is declared a public holiday. On this day we take a pledge to defend our freedom with all our might.The Independence Day is celebrated all over India with great joy. People hold meetings. Fly the tricolor and sing the national anthem. There are great enthusiasms among them.

26 January is one of the most important dates in the Indian history. It is celebrated as the Republic Day of India. On this day, India declared itself as the Republic country.The Republic Day is celebrated in India with special parade on Rajpath Bhawan on January 26, every year. Grand parade is the main event of Republic Day three day event, and ends on January 29th.Before the start of parade, the Prime Minister of India lays a flower on theAmar Jawan Jyoti memorial, located in the capital city Delhi.Amar Jawan Jyoti is a memorial, dedicated to the Indian soldiers, who have lost their lives during the Independence Day and different wars.Prime Minister of India along with other important VIP’s, keeps two minutes silence for the unknown soldiers who died for the country during the freedom fight.

The festival of Gandhi Jayanti is

observed in India, on October 2nd the birth

anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, the father

of the nation, with reverence all over the

country. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi,

also known as 'Bapu' or 'Father of the

nation', the apostle of peace was born on 2

October 1869 at Porbandar in Gujarat.

Mahatma Gandhi was a national icon who

led the struggle for India's independence from

British colonial rule, empowered by tens of

millions of common Indians. He was a man

who did what he said and led an exemplary

and a transparent life.

•HOLI - Festival of colors

The festival of Holi is celebrated on the day after the full moon in early March every year.Originally a festival to celebrate good harvests and fertility of the land, Holi is now a symbolic commemoration of a legend from Hindu Mythology.

This exuberant festival is also associated with the immortal love of Krishna and Radha, and hence, Holi is spread over 16 days in Vrindavan as well as Mathura - the two cities with which Lord Krishna shared a deep affiliation. Apart from the usual fun with coloured powder and water, Holi is marked by vibrant processions which are accompanied by folk songs, dances and a general sense of abandoned vitality.

•RAKSHA

BANDHANRaksha Bandhan is the Hindu festival that celebrates brotherhood and love between brothers and sisters. It is celebrated on the full moon in the month of Shraavana in the lunar calendar. The sister ties a knot of love and care on the wrist of his brother, where the brother promises to protect his sister throughout his life. The word Raksha means protection, whilst Bandhan is the verb to tie.

Muslims wish each other "Eid Mubarak" after performing

the EID prayer. The celebration continues until the end of the day

for Eid ul-Fitr and continues a further three days for Eid ul-Adha.

However, in the social sense people usually celebrate Eid ul-Fitr

after Ramdan and Eid-ul-Adha in the month of Dhul Haj (12th and

Final Islamic month), visiting family and exchanging greetings such

as "Eid Mubarak". This exchange of greetings is a cultural tradition

and not part of any religious obligation.