The best part of living in India is the Unity in Diversity which makes our country great and unique. Being a secular country full of diversity in terms of religions, cultures, languages, and castes, we are always surrounded and involved in all the festival celebrations.

Each festival is celebrated with full enthusiasm and some are celebrated by people of all religion. This definitely binds us together and also gives us the happiness of dose from our daily routine life.

Although there are many festivals celebrated in India, below mentioned are some of the best festivals of India celebrated by everyone.

HOLI

It’s a festival of colors and happiness. Holi celebrates the victory of good over evil and the arrival of spring. On the eve of Holi, people make Holika (bonfires) and on the day of Holi, people gather in open areas and enjoy by applying dry and wet colors to each other making them look vibrant.

But do not forget to enjoy the fest by taking proper care.

READ MORE: Have A Healthy Holi 

Diwali

Also known as the festival of lights is one of the most popular festivals of India. The preparation and shopping start from almost 1-2 months before with shopping areas and lanes decorated with beautiful lights, the latest fashion, food items, and crackers.

Everywhere the festive mood can be felt, be it at work or home or the streets. We always get delicacies from our neighbors and then they get from us during Ramadan Eid, same goes with our Christian neighbors, this way we enjoy each festive food items.

Eid al Fitr ( Ramzan Eid )

Predominated by Hindus, India is also home to the world’s second-largest concentration of Muslims, after Indonesia. Hence, you can imagine that Ramadan in India is celebrated with extreme zest as in Muslim dominated countries, albeit with an Indian influence.

The best part of Ramzan in India is that even a few non-Muslims keep it for some days to practice and test their will power. During that time, it feels like we all are one, despite our different faiths. This is the extent of Ramadan’s miracle in India.
And on the day of Eid, friends, and neighbors visits their Muslim brothers and sisters and together enjoy having sweet dishes, biryani and idis (cash or gifts by the elders.)

READ MORE: Ramadan in India: Fasting, Feasting and Shopping

Christmas

Christmas is celebrated annually on 25th December to mark the birth of Jesus Christ. It is celebrated with great zeal and fervor. This is one of my favorite festivals as the decorations, cookies, Christmas tree, the jingles and the Santa Claus makes me ecstatic.

During this time, we await eagerly for Santa as he spreads happiness and sweets irrespective of caste and culture. Even at school and office, the Christmas Eve gifts are exchanged and we get a chance to become someone’s Santa.

I love Christmas and one of my wish is to celebrate it in western countries.

READ MORE: Christmas Gift Ideas

Ganesh Chaturthi

As we know this 10 days of the festival is going on which welcomes elephant-headed Lord Ganesha, we can see beautifully crafted life size idols installed in homes and pandals.

Being from Maharashtra, the state which celebrates this festival the most, I have seen enormous pandals and décor which is really fascinating. For some pandals to visit we use to spend at least 1 hour in the queue, also in every street of the state, one can find the crafted idol installed.

The last day is the day of Visarjan – immersion of an idol in a water body. Devotees across the state say Goodbye to the Lord by dhol tasha which I love the most, the groups of dhol tasha starts practicing 1 month before the festival which shows the perfectness on Visarjan day. Do visit Maharashtra during this time and you will enjoy this fest with extreme zest and gusto.

Durga Puja and Dussehra

Durga Puja is a ten-day festival during which people fast, feast and worships the goddess through cultural songs, dance, and drama. During this fest, one can visit many pandals which have beautiful Durga Maa idols.

My in-laws are from Bengal and I hope to visit and see the Durga Puja celebrations once.

These nine days, people worship the goddess and enjoy the cultural activities, and on the tenth day, Dussehra is celebrated marking the victory of Lord Ram over Ravana, by burning Ravana effigies all across the country.

Raksha Bandhan

Raksha Bandhan is a festival which celebrates the bond between brother and sister. As the name says “Raksha Bandhan – Bond of Protection” is celebrated with full vigor across the country irrespective of religions.

During this fest, sisters perform prayers and tie a sacred thread on the wrist of their brothers for his health and wellbeing. The brothers in return, promise to protect her and give her gifts. This is the best way to make the relationship strong and bind the love forever.

READ MORE: Gift Ideas for Raksha Bandhan

Navratri

Navratri is a nine-day celebration of celebrating the Goddess Amba in nine different forms. People are dressed in vibrant traditional outfits and enjoy the Garba dance and dandiya with extensive grandeur. This fest always takes me down the memory lane when I use to participate in dandiya.

Which is your favorite festival and why? Comment below: Would love to read.

Also with festivals, home and office cleaning is a must, but due to our hectic lives, this becomes a big task. So to make you relax especially if you are from Mumbai- Clean Force Housekeeping Services is the best solution as they provide professional housekeeping services. Connect with them here

*“This post is a part of #FestivalBlogTrain hosted by Jayshree of makeupandbeautyblog” . Read 10 amazing Indian festival related posts by popular bloggers of India. Come join us to celebrate this festive season with us!

**Thank you, Avin Kohli of theyellowdaal for introducing me to this amazing blog train. She is a food blogger who loves to cook and eat. Our next station is Meenu Mohanan from meenu721. She is a Mom to a 6-month-old baby boy, ex-techie and loves blogging.