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India
Travel Guide
Indian Holidays
There are three national holidays (Republic
Day, Independence Day, and Gandhi Jayanti) which occur on
the same day every year. Most other religious holidays occur
on different days, because the Hindu and Islamic festivals
are based on their respective calendars and not on the Gregorian
calendar. Here is a list of important holidays. The dates
given are correct for 2006. Not all holidays are celebrated
with equal fervour, or celebrated at all in all regions of
the country. Different regions might give somewhat different
names to the same festival.
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January 26 - Republic Day -Celebrates the
adoption of the constitution and the day India became a republic
March 15 - Holi - The festival of color.
Stay away from the streets unless you want to be drenched
in water and showered with colored powder. Mostly friendly...
April 14 - Good Friday.
May 1st - Martyrs Day / Labour Day
August 9 - Raksha Bandhan. Sisters tie the
rakhi or the sacred thread of love on their brothers' wrists
and the brothers give gifts and promises of protection in
return.
August 15 - Independence Day - Celebrates
the birth of independent India
August 16 - Krishna Janmashtami/Gokulashtami
- Celebrates the birth of Lord Krishna
September - Vinayaka (Ganesha) Chathurthi
- Celebrates the birth of Lord Ganesha. The most important
festival in Maharashtra. Festivities go on for 10 days during
which the idol of Ganesha (or Ganpati) is worshipped at homes
and every street corner. On the tenth day (or earlier in some
cases) it is ceremonially immersed in the sea or a lake after
being taken out in a lavish procession. A sight to watch,
but traffic is disrupted for those days in cities like Bombay
and Pune.
October 2 - Gandhi Jayanti - birthday of
Mahatma Gandhi
October 2 - Dussera/Ayudha pooja - locals
worship the deity Durga and perform pooja for their objects
of daily use. Workers are given sweets, cash bonuses, gifts,
new clothes etc. It is also new year for businessmen, when
they are supposed to start new account books. The nine nights
of Navratri before this comprise the second most important
festival in India. In some places like West Bengal, it is
the most important festival. There Goddess Durga gets the
same treatment that Ganesha gets in Maharashtra (see above).
In the north Ram Lila celebrations take place and the slaying
of Ravana by Lord Rama is ceremonially reenacted.
October 20-23 - Deepawali (or Diwali) - Festival
of lights, celebrates the slaying of the demon Narakasura.
Probably the most lavish festival in the country, reminiscent
(to US travellers at least) of Thanksgiving (the food) and
Christmas (the shopping and gifts) combined. This is by far
the most spectacular festival of all: houses are decorated,
there is glitter everywhere, and if you wander the streets
on Deepawali night, there will be firecrackers going off everywhere
including sometimes under your feet.
October 25 - Ramzan-Id/Id-ul-Fitr
December 25 - Christmas
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