We respect and honour our Indian culture a lot. India is a famous country all over the world for its culture and tradition. It is the land of various culture and tradition. It is the country of oldest civilizations in the world. The vital components of the Indian culture are good manners, etiquette, civilized communication, rituals, beliefs, values, etc. Even after the life styles of everyone has been modernized, Indian people have not changed their traditions and values. The property of togetherness among people of various cultures and traditions has made India, a unique country. People here live peacefully in India by following their own culture and traditions.
People beliefs and follow various customs and traditions according to their own religions. We celebrate our festivals according to our own rituals, keep fast, take bath in holy water of Ganga, worship and pray to God, sing ritual songs, dance, eat delicious dinner, wear colourful dresses and other lots of activities. We also celebrate some National festivals by getting together such as Republic Day, Independence Day, Gandhi Jayanti, including various social events. People of different religions celebrate their festivals in various parts of the country with great zeal and enthusiasm without interfering each other.
Variety of eras came and gone but no one was so powerful to change the influence of our real culture. The culture of younger generations is still connected to older generations through umbilical cord. Our ethnic culture always teaches us to behave well, respect elders, care helpless people and always help the needy and poor people. It is our religious culture that we should keep fast, do worship, offer Gange Jal, do Surya Namaskar, touch feet of elder in family, do yoga and meditation on daily basis, give food and water to the hungry and disabled people. There is great culture of our nation that we should always welcome our guests like a God very happily, that’s why India is famous for a common saying like “Atithi Devo Bhava”. The basic roots of our great culture are humanity and spiritual practices.
Festivals play an important role in Indian culture and tradition. People from different religions celebrate different festivals in India. Popular festivals like Diwali, Dussehra, Navratri, Janmashtami, Shivratri, Ganesh Chaturthi, etc. are celebrated by Hindu people in India. Whereas Eid-ul-Fitr, Bakrid, Muharram, etc. festivals are celebrated by Islamic people in India. Other than this, many harvest festivals like Makar Sankranti, Chapchar kut, Pongal, Sohrai, etc. are celebrated by farmers.
However, Christians also celebrate Christmas, Good Friday, etc. festivals in India. There also exist different regional festivals in each state of India like Teej, Onam, Ugadi, Saraswati Puja, Panna Sankranti, Chhath Pooja, Pongal, Lohri, and so forth.
Indian Costumes are different for the different states of India. It varies depending on the origin, climate, and heritage of the place. Indian culture still follows traditional costumes. In eastern states such as Odisha, West Bengal and southern states like Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, women wear saree as the authentic clothing. It is a single and long fabric piece draped around the body.
In a similar way, men wear Dhoti-Kurta or Kurta-Pyjama as the authentic clothing in eastern states. In northern states like Punjab, women wear salwar kameez and Kurti as traditional clothing. Whereas men wear headgear or turban known as the Dastar as the traditional clothing. In India, all the married Women wear Sindoor, a vermilion powder in the parting of their hair. They also wear bindi, Mehendi, bangles, and earrings as part of their attire.
India is a land of rich culture and tradition which teaches people kindness, generosity, and tolerance. Indian culture differs from place to place as it is a multilingual, multicultural, and multi-ethnic society. Indian culture is a unique blend of modern western culture and historical traditions. India is a country of great legends where many great people were born and remembered forever due to their sacrifice for the nation. People across the world come to enjoy and feel the culture and tradition of India. India is well known for its “UNITY IN DIVERSITY “, across the world. That means India is a diverse nation where many people live together peacefully having there own different cultures.
Tag: #festivals
Floral festival – a cultural tradition
Bathukamma is Telangana’s floral festival celebrated by the Hindu women of Telangana and neighbouring states in India. Every year this festival is celebrated as per Telugu version of Hindu calendar in the Bhadrapada Amavasya, also known as Mahalaya Amavasya, usually in September–October of Gregorian calendar. Bathukamma is celebrated for nine days during Durga Navratri. It starts on the day of Mahalaya Amavasya and the 9-day festivities will culminate on “Saddula Bathukamma” or “Pedda Bathukamma” festival on Ashwayuja Ashtami, popularly known as Durgashtami which is two days before Dussehra.
Bathukamma is followed by Boddemma, which is a 7-day festival. Boddemma festival that marks the ending of rainy season whereas Bathukamma festival indicates the beginning of winter season. Bathukamma represents cultural spirit of Telangana. Bathukamma is a beautiful flower stack, arranged with different unique seasonal flowers most of them with medicinal values, in seven concentric layers in the shape of temple gopuram. In Telugu, ‘Bathukamma’ means ‘Mother Goddess come Alive’ and Goddess Maha Gauri-‘Life Giver’ is worshipped in the form of Bathukamma – the patron goddess of womanhood, Maha Gauri Devi It is the festival for feminine felicitation. On this special occasion women dress up in the traditional sari combining it with jewels and other accessories. Preparation on first five days women will clean their courtyard, cow dung mixed with water is spread in the courtyard as a ground-base, decorate the ground-base with rangoli made of rice flour. For the first five days Batukamma is prepared with cow dung. Five small lumps in cone shape are arranged in the courtyard. Men in the house gather flowers from the wild plains like Celosia, Senna, Marigold, Chrysanthemum, Indian Lotus, Cucurbita leaves & flowers, Cucumis Sativus leaves & flowers, Memecylon edule, Tridax procumbens, Trachyspermum ammi, Katla, Teku Flowers, etc., which bloom in this season in various vibrant colors all across the uncultivated and barren plains of the region. Preparing a Bathukamma is a folk art. Women start preparing Bathukamma from the afternoon. They cut the flowers leaving the little length base, some dip Gunugu (Celosia) flowers in various vibrant colours, some scented and arrange them on a wide plate called Thambalam spread with big leaves, and stack them up in a conical mound, filling the cone with leaves and stems of the flower stalks, decorated with a Lotus or Pumpkin Flower on top of the stack along with Gouramma (a symbolic idol of Gowri made of turmeric). One interesting aspect of the preparation of the flower arrangement is that the arrangement usually floats in water for sometime, and the arrangement is not disassembled until it drowns in water.
Makar Sankranti – Sweets and Fun
Makar Sankranti is a festival in the Hindu calendar dedicated to the Sun God- Surya. Makar Sankranti is one of the few ancient Indian festivals that has been observed according to solar cycles. Makar Sankranti is set by the solar cycle of the Hindu lunisolar calendar, and is observed on a day which usually falls on 14 January of the Gregorian calendar, but sometimes on 15 January. This festival signifies the arrival of longer days. As per a legend, Lord Surya forgave his son Shani and his son visited him on Sankranti. And that’s why people distribute everyone sweets and urge them to let go of any negative or angry feelings
Every twelve years, Hindus organize the kumbh mela on makar sankranti which is one of the world’s largest pilgrimages, with about 40 to 100 million people attending it(too crowded right? Do not get lost!). At this event, they pray to the sun god and bathe in the ganga river.
The festivities associated with Makar Sankranti are known by various names such as Magh Bihu in Assam, Maghi in Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh, popular amongst both the Hindus and Sikhs, Sukarat in central India, Pongal in Tamil Nadu, Uttarayan in Gujarat, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh, Ghughuti in Uttarakhand, Makar Sankranti in Odisha, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Goa, West Bengal, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh or as Sankranthi in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
Celebrations:
On makar sankranti people conduct various social festivities such as decorating houses, singing songs in rural areas, organizing fairs(melas), performing dances, kite flying(my favourite) and feasts. Children go house to house distributing sweets.
In Maharashtra on Makar Sankranti, people exchange multicoloured halwa (those yummy sugar granules coated in sugar syrup) and til-gul laddoos. Puran poli with pure ghee is also cooked . While exchanging til-gul as tokens of goodwill people greet each other. Married women invite friends and neighbours and celebrate Haldi-Kunku. Guests are given til-gul and some small gifts, as a part of the ritual. While distributing sweets, the famous line “til gul ghya aani god god bola” (which means eat sweet and speak sweet words) is used in Maharashtra.
My experience:
I remember dressing up in new clothes and then going to each and every house asking for sweets, receiving chocolates and laddoos. My friends and I would wish everyone with “tilgul ghya aani gol gol bola” and it worked, just for a few days, after which the same old bitter quarrels began. Anyways, flying kites was certainly the best part. You can cut others’ kites and avenge yourself(or just have some good fun). You can compete with your neighbours to see who can fly the kite better. However, be careful with those deadly strings. They are truly fatal if you mess with them. Once my friends and I competed to see who could get the most candies, and whoever won would get the candies collected by others. It definitely did not go that well for us except my clever friend who won(she was kind and did not take our candies so phew). Makar sankranti is all about fun!
I would love to know your experiences in the comments below!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sankranthi
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Makar_Sankranti
Inconic Festivals Around the World
Festivals happen all over the world and exploring them can be an extraordinary experience for anyone who enjoys culture and art. The following list includes some of the most colourful, amazing festivals which are celebrated in different places around the world.
THE YI PENG LANTERN FESTIVAL, THAILAND
The Yi Peng lantern festival is a very unique kind of festival celebrated in Northern Thailand during a full moon light. It was traditionally celebrated as a festival to mark the end of the monsoon season. It is a spectacular sight to see thousands of sky lanterns floating in the sky and beautiful flowers floating on the Ping river.
HOLI, INDIA
Holi, also known as the festival of colours, is mostly celebrated by Indians during Spring. During the festival people play with colours and engage in dance, music and festivities. It also represents the arrival of ‘Basanta’ or Spring. The traditional festival includes fun filled games and water gun fights.
WINTER LIGHTS FESTIVAL, JAPAN
This is one of the illumination festivals which one must attend. The incredible Winter Light festival takes place in a park in Kuwana City of Japan during November to March. Attracting thousands of tourists, the festival is one of Japan’s finest illuminations. The park also has a variety of restaurants.
GOLDEN RETRIEVER FESTIVAL, SCOTLAND
Known as one of the happiest places on Earth, the Golden Retriever Festival is organized by the Golden Retriever Club of Scotland. It is a mass gathering of Golden Retrievers along with dog lovers in the ancestral home of the breed in a Scottish Village. In 2018, the celebration of the 150th anniversary of the breed was done with the gathering of about 360 Retrievers.
ALBUQUERQUE BALLOON FIESTA, USA
The biggest hot air balloon festival in the world, Albuquerque balloon fiesta is a nine day long event held in New Mexico during early October. Guests have the rare opportunity of seeing the inflation and take off of around 600 colourful hot air balloons. It is the most photographed event in the world.
LA TOMATINA FESTIVAL, SPAIN
The La Tomatina Festival is held on the last wednesday of August on the streets of Bunol town in Spain. It is a fun event where participants from all around the world throw squashed tomatoes at each other. The week long festival is also famous for its parades, fireworks, music and dance. The tomatoes are provided to the participants before the start of the event. In order to maintain safety participants are encouraged to wear goggles and water trucks are placed across streets.
FLORIDA KEYS UNDERWATER MUSIC FESTIVAL, USA
The festival is usually celebrated to draw attention to the conservation of the coral reef. It is a wonderful festival for divers and music lovers. The festival takes place in a sand area near the coral reef. Hundreds of divers and underwater musicians play songs on the theme of Ocean. It is being celebrated every year for the last 25 years.
ICE AND SNOW SCULPTURE FESTIVAL, CHINA
The Harbin ice and snow festival takes place during the month of January in Harbin of Heilongjiang province of China. Attracting thousands of tourists it features an international competition of ice sculptures and illuminated snow block buildings. Multicoloured lights illuminate the ice and snow formations creating a spectacular sight at night. Artists who construct the ice sculptures use ice from the frozen Songhua river.
OKTOBERFEST, GERMANY
The largest funfair in the world, Oktoberfest takes place from the end of September to beginning of October in Munich City of Germany. The festival attracting around 6 million people around the world includes amusement rides and traditional food. 6 breweries around Munich serve around 7 million litres of beer every year.
Ganesh chaturthi
Ganesh Chaturthi is one of the most prominent festivals of India. People of India wait the whole year for this festival eagerly. Although it is celebrated all over the country, in the state of Maharashtra it is celebrated with the most enthusiasm. Ganesh Chaturthi is a Hindu festival which holds utmost importance in the religion. This festival is celebrated following the Hindu Mythology which says that Ganesh Chaturthi is the birthday of the Lord Ganesha. Hindus refer to Lord Ganesha as the remover of all obstacles. People believe that Lord Ganesha comes every year with prosperity and success. Furthermore, they welcome Lord Ganesha in their homes with this festival with the belief that he will remove all their sufferings. Ganesh Chaturthi sparks joy all over the country and unties people with celebrations.
The specialty of Ganesha Chaturthi
Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated for a whole 11 days. It begins on the Chaturthi when people install the statue of Lord Ganesha in their homes and temples. This festival ends on Anant Chaturdashi with Ganesh Visarjan. The devotees of the Lord Ganesha offer their prayers to God. They sing devotional songs for him and recited various mantras in his praise. They perform aartis in favour of the lord and seek his blessings on them.
Most importantly, they offer Lord Ganesha sweets. Ganesha Chaturthi especially calls for Modak. Devotees offer Lord Ganesha with Modak, which is the lord’s favorite dessert. Modaks are sweet dumplings which people make with a filling of coconut and jaggery. They either fry them or steam them. People at homes and sweet shops make this sweet delicacy. They are seen around Ganesha Chaturthi mostly and are a huge hit amongst children
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Celebrations of Ganesh Chaturthi
This 11-day long festival begins with people getting up in the morning and bathing. They buy new clothes for this festival and wear these clean clothes in the morning after bathing. They follow the traditional rituals of chanting mantras and songs. Early on, Ganesh Chaturthi was celebrated in a few families. Later on, it spread all over and thus began the installation of idols and immersion in the water. This marked the beginning of making Ganesh Chaturthi a larger than life festival. In other words, the idol immersion denotes freedom from evil and sufferings. People set up pandals make glorious statues of Lord Ganesha. Towards the end of the festival when the visarjan is about to take place, people carry out a full-fledged procession. People come out in hundreds and thousands and dance their way to the rivers and oceans.
When Ganesh Chaturthi ends, they pray for the return of Lord Ganesha every year. They look forward to this festival every year. The final immersion of Lord Ganesha’s statue in the river or ocean marks the end of Ganesh Chaturthi.
In short, Ganesh Chaturthi is a fun-filled festival in honour of Lord Ganesha. People all over India thoroughly enjoy it. All the devotees of Lord Ganesha come together irrespective of their differences of caste and colour. Ganesh Chaturthi spreads joy and unites people all over.
Small Business, Big Trouble: The Viral Times
The outbreak of coronavirus has taken back happiness from our lives, at least for some time. It has forcefully changed our long habits. Lot of people from different walks of life are at the receiving end of our changed habits. One important segment is the small traders, shopkeepers and hawkers. Apart from their everyday sale they also depend on major festivals for huge sales. The demand for new clothes and other consumer items usually ensure good profit for them. But no more going out for shopping in crowded markets. It is a difficult situation for them.
The virus has already stopped the celebrations of the Bengali New Year, Eid ul-Fitr and Rath Yatra. The same fate awaits many more. Shopkeepers who sell essential commodities are in a little more comfortable position than the rest. The official notification only permitted opening of shops selling essential goods in the lockdown. In the Unlockdown 1.0 only some non-essential shops have been allowed to open. Still people are afraid to go and buy because of the fear of infection. Hawkers face the worst situation. According to the National Hawker Federation, there are around four crore hawkers in the country. They have incurred a huge loss of Rs. 48,960 crore out of total turnover of Rs. 2,88,000 crores within April. What has happened to them in this lockdown? How much loss have they incurred personally? We do not know clearly. Let us discuss few instances.
Poila Baisakh or Bengali New Year is celebrated in a big way in West Bengal. It is one of the very special days for Bengalis. Each year the markets in Kolkata offer Chaitra Sale, annual shopping festival, from 14 March to 14 April. It ensures a huge sale of new clothes, shoes, earrings and many more items. The markets are kept open till midnight and for a month they remain very crowded. During this time in a month hawkers make about 35% of their total annual profit. The sale attracts around fifty to sixty lakh customers. But this year all those vibrant scenes were missing. The markets and pavements were all empty day and night for the first time in decades. It came as a huge blow to thousands of hawkers. They do not even know how the business will get back to normal.
Eid ul-Fitr is a much celebrated national holiday after one month of Ramadan. This is a special day for Muslims and they buy new clothes and other items to celebrate with their families. The profit from this festival sale is always more than the normal sale in the market. But in this lockdown the usual hustle and bustle was missing in the streets. It turned out to be a low-key affair this year.
The Jama Masjid in Delhi saw the lowest attendance in prayers for the first time. According to the meat vendors and livestock traders, transportation of Eid special meat was held up in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. The poultry farms have also lowered the production due to their heavy loss in April. The supply chain has been broken by serious restrictions followed during the pandemic. Thus all the vendors have faced huge loss in Eid. Some families are out of work for over two months and almost are out of savings. The rise in price and low supply meant that meat was beyond reach for many families.
Rath Yatra is a week-long festival for devotees of Lord Jagannath and his family. In Puri the event draws around five to ten lakh devotees in a week in June. All of them are seen outside the iconic Puri temple where three chariots remain ready to move. It not only attracts devotees but also small street vendors from Puri and other places to earn extra money. The hotels, restaurants and other business establishments wait eagerly for Rath Yatra to have large footfalls. The religious festival has a major economic dimension. But this year because of the coronavirus the Supreme Court had initially banned Rath Yatra. This had led to great disappointment to those who were waiting to recover some losses. Then the Supreme Court allowed it but imposed severe restrictions, including curfew, to prevent people from attending the festival. The shutdown of airports, railway stations and bus terminuses for nine days has deprived small traders and hawkers of Odisha from the large customer base they expect during the festival time.
We do not know yet how many festivals will be celebrated without shopping. Small time traders and hawkers in the country are facing tremendous loss even after the Unlockdown 1.0. No one can undermine the importance of safety in such times and no one is arguing that we should crowd the markets as before but the fact remains that they are paying a heavy cost because of the pandemic.
Eduindex News 
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