India is very rich in terms of culture and a multinational state. Therefore, a huge number of holidays of different cultures, traditions, beliefs are celebrated on the territory of the country. Annually there are multi-day festivals and colorful Indian folk festivals.
National Indian Holidays
If we talk about state public holidays, which do not belong to any particular nationality, but are celebrated throughout the country, there are only three in India. Independence Day of India is celebrated annually on August 15. The second national holiday is Republic Day . It is celebrated on 26 January. Gandhi's birthday is celebrated all over the country on October 2.
In addition, various provinces of the country celebrate holidays of different religions, beliefs and nationalities. The most popular and numerous are the holidays of the Hindu religion. The largest of them - Diwali , is marked by a multi-day festival of lights (the very name of the celebration is translated from Sanskrit as "a fiery bunch"). Numerous festivities signify the victory of light on the darkness and are accompanied by carnival processions, fireworks, songs and dances. Diwali is usually celebrated in October or November and lasts five days.
Among other major Indian celebrations, mention should be made of the "holiday of colors" - Holi (floating date). It has already become known throughout the world and is celebrated in many of its corners. Other Hindu festivals: Pongal (holiday of gratitude for the harvest, January 15), Rama-navami (the day of the appearance of Rama, April 13), K rishna-janmashtami (the day of the appearance of Krishna, August 24).
Indian Holidays and Rituals
India is also one of the countries where the share of the Muslim population is very high. Muslim holidays are the second in the number of markers. The dates of the celebrations in this religion are tied to the lunar calendar (Hijra), and therefore change from year to year. Among the most important Muslim holidays celebrated in India, one should mention the holiday of Uraza-Bairam , which marks the end of the month's fast of Ramadan, as well as the feast of Kurban-Bayram sacrifice.
