India is a cultural rich country where festivals are round-the-year vibrant occasions that help in breaking the mundane routine of life. The same festival, though celebrated differently in various parts of the country, depict an eternal harmony of spirit of the Indian culture and every season brings along new festivals.

There is a time for prayers, pageantry and processions. Every little occasion, from harvesting crops, welcoming spring or rain, to seeing the full moon lends itself to celebrations splashed with colours, music, folk dances and songs.

India also sees a large number of festivals, mainly because of the prevalence of diverse religions and groups. The Muslims celebrate Eid, the Christians have Christmas and good Friday, the Sikhs have Baisakhi (harvesting of crop), and the birthdays of their Gurus and the Hindus have Diwali, Holi, Makar Sakranti, the Jains have Mahavir Jayanti, the Buddhists celebrate the Buddha’s birthday on Buddha Poornima, and quite honestly, the number is endless read more option.

Folk dances and music are integral to many celebrations. For example, people celebrate Navratri in Gujarat by dressing up in magnetic finery to whirl the night away in entrancing garba or dandiya rasa dances.

Some unique regional festivals include the Ellora festival in Maharashtra, the Rath Yatra in Orissa, snake boat race in Kerala, camel festival in Bikaner, Hornbill in Nagaland and the International Kite Festival that is held in Gujarat.

Festivals are the occasions when people of a community come together to celebrate and create unforgettable memories. Indian festivals are an outstanding example and it evolved from being simple affairs to grand public occasions. People from various fields come together to organise these events on a large scale, from the decorators, to artisans, to event managers, the entire colony or locality gets together to make the celebrations a success.

Being a highly spiritual country, festivals are at the heart of people’s lives in India and it will always remain in same way.