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The Magic of Festivals

The Magic of Festivals

India has always been touted as a culturally rich nation. Inspite of all the prevalent variations, it has come out strong and proved to be an insuperable country. The most vibrant form of India can be seen during festivals. No other country has as many festivals as India. The streets bustle with energy and people get in a celebratory mood. India is one such nation where festivity galore happens all year round. Tiffs and squabbles are forgotten. People come together and share their joys. All the good things in life like eating, drinking, dancing and making merry are inseparable parts of festival celebration. Everyone thoroughly enjoys festival season as this is the best time to give and receive gifts.

Each festival brings with it innumerable lovely memories. Hardly a day passes without a festival taking place somewhere in India. They range from small functions to week long celebrations. All festivals are mainly cultural in nature. They can also be sub-categorized as national, religious and seasonal. The purpose of each festival although still remains the same - to bring happiness to our lives and enlarge our sense of community.

National festivals help in bringing the people of a nation together. The patriotic sentiments of the people get strengthened. An added bonus is that national festivals are days when the government declares a national holiday. No wonder people by large love national festivals. Major national festivals are Independence Day, Republic Day and Gandhi Jayanti. Since India is home to quite a few religions, religious festivals are celebrated on a large scale here. These festivals help in creating unity in diversity. Most prominent religious festivals in India are Ganesh Chaturthi, Eid, Christmas, Onam, Guru Nanak Jayanti etc. Seasonal festivals are celebrated to mark the beginning or the end of a season. Seasonal changes facilitate new beginnings. People get a chance to start over. These festivals are celebrated in different ways all over the country. A few of the seasonal festivals in India are Holi, Chhath, Baisakhi, Basant Panchami and so on.

Fireworks

Festivals serve a number of purposes. Principally, they help in promoting the cultural heritage of a nation. In addition to that, festivals also assist in keeping the traditions alive through the years. They act as a good distraction from our monotonous lives. People get a chance to spend time with their loved ones, which is otherwise a rare thing to happen in our busy day-to-day lives. Nowadays, every person has a hectic life. People hardly have time to interact with each other. However, during festivals, people willingly take time off and rejoice together. Invariably, festivals may be described as pleasant agents bringing happiness and peace to people.
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Location: Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

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