Armas Méndez Lucero 3 “A” Ing.

Química Ingles Básico 3

INDIA CELEBRATIONS
Traditional festivals and festivals: at the service of the gods
Celebrations in India Among the most emblematic traditional festivals in India, the
following are outstanding. The order of appearance is determined by the time of the
year in which they take place.
New Year: Heritage of the colonial era, is celebrated on January 1 throughout the
country.
Bikaner Festival: Every January, the Government of Rajasthan organizes this
exotic festival, which has the camel as an undisputed star. This one, carefully
decorated for the occasion, participates in races and musical and dance shows that
attract more and more tourists from all over the world.
Makar Sankranti Festival: It takes place every January 14, especially in the
northern part of Punjab (between the states of Haryana and Himachal Pradesh).
Besides serving to worship the sun, the northern areas of the country also
accommodate a colorful comet competition.
Republic Day: Every January 26, the country attends the National Day celebrations,
coinciding with the date when the Indian Constitution (1950) came into force. Among
the commemorative events is the military parade that takes place in the capital, New
Delhi, between Raisina Hill (near the presidential palace) and Red Fort. Likewise,
this event is usually attended by a prime minister or head of state from other
countries.
Beneshwar Festival: By mid-February, the states of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan
and Gujarat are hosting this holiday in honor of the god Shiva (Baneshwar
Mahadev). In addition to the traditional offerings to this unit, musical, folkloric and
magic shows take place over four days.
Elephants Festival: Every year, the city of Jaipur (Rajasthan) hosts this festival
(usually in the month of March). As its name indicates, the main protagonists of the
celebrations are the elephants. Decorated for the occasion, pachyderms take part in
activities such as parades, races and polo tournaments.
Festival of Colors (Holi): This festival, which serves to welcome the winter and
welcome the arrival of spring, is especially rooted in the northern half of the country,
and especially in the city of Mathura (Uttar Pradesh) . On the eve of the Holi, families
gather around a bonfire and prepare for the festive day. Along the same the
organizers, from a van, throw dusts of strident colors and water on the passers-by.
Gangur: Typical of the state of Rajasthan, this festival pays homage to the Hindu
deities Shiva and Parvathi, protectors of marriage. It starts the day after the Holi, and
lasts approximately two weeks. One of its strong dishes is a ritual act consisting of
planting seeds, a symbol of fertility. On the seventh day of the festivities, there is a
procession followed by single girls, less colorful, however, than the one that closes
the festival of Gangur, and in which various decorated carriages and animals
participate.
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Baisakhi Festival: This celebration, which takes place on 13 or 14 April, marks the
beginning of the solar year. It is especially rooted in the north of the country and in
the Punjab region, where various processions and popular shows take place. This
date, nevertheless, acquires a special meaning for the followers of the Sikh religion,
since it commemorates the creation of the order of Khalsa at the hands of the
spiritual leader Gobind Singh Ji (1699).
Buddha Purnima (or Jayanti Buddha): It takes place in the Vaishakha month of
the Hindu calendar (between April and May), and commemorates the birth of Prince
Siddhartha Gautama, initiator of the Buddhist religion. The scene of this celebration
is the city of Bodh Gaya, 96 km from Patna, in the state of Bihar (located to the east
of the country). Thousands of pilgrims arrive to participate in collective prayers and
multitudinous processions presided over by a Buddha statue. Undoubtedly, the
Buddha Purnima is the most important holiday for Buddhists.
Summer Festival: Each month in June, Mount Abu (Rajasthan) becomes a stage
for musical shows that combine traditional Indian music performances with other
performances that feature popular melodies.
Naga Panchami: This festival, dedicated to the god Ananta (the cobra, one of the
incarnations of Vishnu) is celebrated in much of the country during Shraavana, tenth
month of the Hindu calendar (between July and August). The making of offerings in
honor of this deity in the most significant feature.
Narial Purnima (or Rakhi Purnima): This is a very typical holiday of the State of
Maharashtra and coincides with the fifth month of the lunar calendar: sawan
(between July and August). During the same, the fishermen and sailors offer
coconuts to the protective divinity of the seas, coinciding with the end of the mozón
(a period not conducive to navigation).
Teej Festival: The event takes place between July and August (the date varies
according to the lunar calendar) and is celebrated mainly in the north of the country
, in the Punjab region, the Haryana and Rajasthan States and some areas of Uttar
Pradesh and Bihar. Targeted especially at women, the Teej festival is dedicated to
the union of the goddess Parvathi with Shiva. Through various religious processions
and dance shows, the participants pay tribute to the longevity and well-being of the
husband and children.
Indian Independence Day: It is celebrated on August 15, and serves to remember
that on that same date, in 1947, the Indian people declared themselves independent
of Britain to the cry of Jai Hind ('Victory for India').
Onam Festival: Closely tied to the harvest season, this is the most celebrated
festival in the southern state of Kerala. It takes place every year during the month of
Chingam (between August and September), and includes parades, music and dance
shows and decorated boat races.
Ganesh Chaturthi: During the month of Bhaadrapada (between August and
September), the State of Maharashtra commemorates the birth of the Ghanaian god,
the elephant-headed deity born of the union of Shiva and Parvathi. The festival lasts
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for about 10 days, and there are many religious services. Also during the
celebrations it is necessary to taste the traditional modak, a sweet made with rice,
wheat and coconut.
Festival of Dussehra: Between September and October, enclaves such as
Calcutta, Mysore and Ahmadabad host this spectacular festival, of nine days of
duration, reminiscent of Prince Rama's victory over the fearsome devil Ravana.
Anniversary of Gandhi's birth: Every October 2, the country pays tribute to India's
chief independence leader, the pacifist leader Mahatma Gandhi, through religious
services and floral offerings at his tomb in New Delhi. In recognition of its figure, the
UN declared this day as the International Day of Nonviolence.
Pushkar Livestock Fair: Also known as the Camel Fair, is celebrated coinciding
with the month of kartik (between October and November), in the Pushkar
(Rajasthan).
Festival of Lights (or Dwali): The festival, the most important of the country, is
celebrated throughout the Indian territory on the fifteenth day of the dark fortnight of
the month karttika (between October and November). In it is worshiped the gods
Lakshmi (consort of the god Vishnu and protector of fortune) and Kali, as well as
King Bali. This festival also commemorates the return of Prince Rama to his reign of
Ashoka after spending 14 years in exile. During the Dwali, city streets are filled with
lights and host spectacular pyrotechnic demonstrations.
Advent and Christmas: Between 8 and 25 December, coinciding with the peak of
tourist arrivals, the streets of Goa full of luminaries and processions seconded by
children carrying candles and singing Advent songs. In turn, the doors of the houses
are decorated with silver stars.
The festivals in India are celebrated with spiritual, scientific, logical as well as
methodological reasons; A couple of reasons behind celebrating the holidays is for
the well being of oneself and tune the body according to geographical conditions.

DAY OF THE
HOLIDAY MONTH & DATE WEEK

Epiphany(Feast of
the Magi) 6-Jan Friday

Republic Day 26-Jan Thursday

Holi 13-Mar Monday

Mahavir Jayanti 9-Apr Sunday

Good Friday 14-Apr Friday

Armas Méndez Lucero 3 “A” Ing. Química Ingles Básico 3

DAY OF THE
HOLIDAY MONTH & DATE WEEK

Day of Madrid 2-May Tuesday

Buddha Purnima 10-May Wednesday

Independence Day 15-Aug Tuesday

Id-ul-Juha (Bakrid) 2-Sep Saturday

Vijayadashmi
(Dussehra) 30-Sep Saturday

Muharram 1-Oct Sunday

Mahatma Gandhi’s
Birthday 2-Oct Monday

Hispanic Day 12-Oct Thursday

Diwali(Deepavali) 19-Oct Thursday

Guru Nanak´s
Birthday 4-Nov Saturday

Milad-un-Nabi
(Birthday of
Prophet
Mohammad) 2-Dec Saturday

Christmas Day 25-Dec Monday