In this essay we are going to talk about the Festivals. After hearing the word festival our minds fill with joy. India is famous for its different festivals and occasions. People celebrate different kinds of festivals either seasonal, national or religious. The population of India is very high. Different kinds of people live together. Not only do they celebrate different festivals but also make good bonding with each other.
Short Essay On Festivals
Festivals means gathering of people, interaction between people either known or unknown. Exchange of love and affection among people is done in the festival. It helps people to get relaxed from their daily busy schedule. There are a huge number of Gods and Goddesses. Evenmore, many people in India also worship nature such as trees, rock, sun, moon etc. and the creatures of nature like snakes, cows etc. It does not matter where you live either in India or out of India. Festivals are very special for everyone rather I say every country in the world. People of all ages eagerly wait for festivals. Children especially look more excited than others. Before starting any occasion they started enjoying themselves. Children think they will get new clothes, new shoes and exclusive things in festivals time, and become happy after that. We enjoy seeing them.
Different types of festivals
There is a myth that Bengalis have thirteen festivals in twelve months. There are different kinds of festivals celebrated by the people. Among them the main important types of festivals come under the national, religious and the seasonal festivals. People coming from different places are always welcome in the festivals. Under national festivals there are different types of occasions such as Independence Day, Republic Day, Gandhi jayanti, Rabindrajayanti Good Friday etc. Where Durja Puja, Kali puja, Janmastami, Christmas Eid, onam, lohri, karwa chauth, bihu etc, varius different rituals based on various ceremonial activities Comes under the specific religious type of festivals. Makar sankranti, New year, etc are considered as seasonal festivals.
1. Different types of National festivals
National festivals are celebrated with respect and honor by all people. It is celebrated in all the institutions as well as in the society. In the starting of the year there comes Republic Day which is celebrated on 26th January by all the people in India. National songs are sung on that day.
The second important national festival is the Independence Day celebrated on 15th August. On that day our country became free from the British rules. The great heroes of our country who contributed to get independence are honored on Independence Day. The Indian flag is hoisted on the day and celebrated by singing our national song and anthem.
Next comes Gandhi Jayanti, celebrated on 2nd October. Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday is celebrated on that day. Like Gandhi jayanti there are Ravines jayanti, nazrul jayanti etc and all the festivals are celebrated in academic institutions, clubs or in colonies. In school chocolates and biscuits are given to the children as tiffin.
2. Different types of Religious Festivals
India is a mixture of all religions. People from different cultures and religions live in India. Among all the religious festivals Durga Puja is the most important and widely celebrated festival. Everybody waits for a whole year for those four days. It is considered as the main festival of Bengalis. Not only in India people across the world celebrate Durga Puja. New clothes are bought at this time for all. People visit different pandals to see maa Durga.
After Durga Puja Diwali comes with lots of lights, crackers and good luck for us. It is the win of light over the dark that is the evil thing in our lives. Diwali is celebrated in the memory of Ramchandra who defeated Ravana, the king of evil. It teaches us how to fight against our deep dark sides, that is the evil side of us and we have to wins over it.
Christmas is mainly the festival of Christian people. But it is celebrated all over the world by all religions people. Jesus Christ’s birthday is celebrated on that particular day. Children enjoy a lot by eating cakes and get many gifts from their parents which they believe Santa Clause has given them.
Eid is the festival of Muslim religious people. According to them eid is like Durja Puja. They buy new clothes, make different kinds of foods and desserts and arrange various cultural programmes. People visit relative’s houses on that day.
Mahavir jayanti is also a religious festival celebrated by the Jain cultures of people. They take bath lord Mahavira and decorate beautifully. Lord Mahavir’s birthday is celebrated on that day.
Karva Chauth is one of the important festivals celebrated by married women. They take fast for the whole day and after seeing the moon they drink water from their husband’s hand. Women believe that if they do this fast their relationship will be stronger and long lasting.
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3. Different types of Seasonal Festivals
Seasonal festivals are celebrated according to the season. There are six seasons in one year. But we can feel mainly four seasons that are the summer, Rainy, Winter and Autumn. Seasonal and religious festivals are almost the same but there is little difference between them. Seasonal festivals can also be considered as religious festivals. At the start of the year the festival comes under seasonal festivals called the Makar Sankranti. There are twelve sankranthi in twelve months, among them the most important one is the Makar Sankranti. In this festival, people wake up very early to go for a bath in Ganga which is known as makar snan. It is celebrated in Winter. In rural areas women of the homes use to make pithepulis in Winter.
Next festival celebrated as a seasonal festival is onam. It is the famous festival of Kerala. People of Kerala celebrate that day to show honor to their king. They decorate the place with flowers and arrange dances, songs and different programmes. They eat the dessert known as payesh. People from different corners participate in this festival.
New year is the most widely celebrated festival in the world. People from different places of the world celebrate the new year. Everybody waits for the new year’s eve for the whole year. New year brings happiness, prosperity to all.
Importance of festivals
The importance of festivals varies among people. The way of thinking is different from one to another. To a child every Sunday is a festival as it is a holiday. Some people like to stay in a room and feel the vibes of festivals while some people go outside and visit different places. Festival is very important for us. Here we will discuss the importance of festivals in life.
- Festivals means happiness, enjoyment and lots of food. People are working like robots everyday. If this happens continuously one day people will be robots in real life or else they will get mad.
- Festivals make us free from our tension, stress and worry. If anyone for one day by attending any occasion or festival, for sure he or she can definitely forget all his or her mental pressures and enjoy the life..
- Space is critical for a child also. The regular homework and study can make them mad and they never will to study properly. For example, I saw my cousins who always tell me they will not read today. But if there are any festivals celebrated in their homes, the next day they study with concentration
- Festivals make the relationships stronger. On any occasion when people visit their relative’s houses they come together. If an unknown person meets with other people and a bond is made automatically.
- Festivals influence the learning or adoption procedure. A person interacts with other people with various cultures, different ways of thinking and talking by which he/she can learn their languages and cultures.
- Festivals not only provide happiness to us but also provide money to the people. For example, in Durga puja big pandals are made and various shops and stalls are made which give the finance to the workers and the owners of the business. Children buy toys, balloons etc from the shops. And other people buy household things, cosmetics, jewellery by which the shopkeepers earn a good amount of money through the festivals.
Conclusion
Except national, religious and seasonal festivals there are different festivals which are celebrated by the people. Marriage ceremony, ring ceremony, kite fight, Puja in homes etc are also celebrated as the personal festivals. Nowadays most people celebrate birthdays and throw grand parties. Bengalis celebrate everyday as a festival day. Not only in our country but also in other countries people celebrate festivals such as tomato festivals, snow star festival, white night festival, mud festival of Boryeong etc. In the case of a tomato festival, a truck full of tomatoes is out in the road and everybody throws tomatoes on others and celebrates that day. Thousands of people participate in snow star festival in Russia.
Moreover, one can celebrate any day as a festival as per your convenience. The value of festivals differs from person to person. Festival is the medium of learning different cultures and norms. In festivals people from different cultures, caste and creed unite together and participate in that. It is all about giving a scope yourself to cheer up. It is boring to continuously work and study. Life need some spice that is fulfilled by participating in various occasions, enjoying the moment and moreover make others happy.