Festivals

Festivals are the periods of celebration and are an important part of life of Indian people. When religion intervened to invest the festivals with spiritual meaning, this joy came to be identified with the joy of worship.

The Festivals of India are still associated with religion and participation in the productive activities and with the seasons of the year.

The harvesting festivals, the spring festivals, the sowing festivals, during the rainy season are all associated with man’s relation with nature.

Even our Durga Puja and Diwali are Autumn festival and the festival of lights welcoming the winter or harvesting season.

The folk-culture behind these festivals has their roots in the age-old folk-traditions and the impulses of the common man. Of course, as in primitive society social relations corresponded simply with forces of production, the festivals then revealed the harmony of communal living without any veils.

But later in our society, the relations grew complex and the festivals, on many occasions lost their folk traditions.

However, in many regions such as north-eastern India, the festivals still show folk-characteristics and include folk dramas, folk-songs, folk-dances and the rituals associated with folk-beliefs.

The regional festivals differ from one state to another. The manner in which they are observed and celebrated are also different.

But even though the festivals today have lost much of their significance in the changed perspective, they still have a definite role to play in keeping off the forces of disintegration in our society today.

The Indian Society has been divided into various classes and groups is quite antagonistic, so much so that they are often found involved in conflicting quarrels which are only exercises in futility.

Festivals, without class-hatred, can bring about the harmony in our Indian society.

Also read: Major Festivals of India (National, Religious, Harvest and Seasonal)