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Festivals of India
The spirit of India comes alive in its festivals. We can divide festivals into three classes :
national festivals , religious festivals and social festivals .
National Festivals
Three main national festivals are : Independence Day (15 August), Republic Day
(26 January) and Gandhi Jayanti (2 October).
Religious Festivals
People of different religions celebrate different religious festivals. The important ones
are the following :
Hindus : Diwali, Holi, Dussehra, Ganesh Chaturthi, Janmashtami, Navratri, Basant
Panchami, Pongal, Onam, Durga Puja and many more.
Muslims : Eid-ul-Fitr, Eid-ul-Zuha etc.
Sikhs : Gurupurabs, Baisakhi etc.
Jains : Mahavir Jayanti.
Buddhists : Buddha Purnima.
Christians : Christmas, Good Friday etc.
Social Festivals
Social festivals are celebrated by all people together, such as New Year, Teacher’s Day,
Mother’s Day, Earth Day etc. Several religious festivals have also taken the form of
social festivals, such as Lohri, Baisakhi, Christmas etc.
India : Culture 99
