The festivals commemorated in India are of various kinds. Some festivals are religious; some are based on seasons and others are of national importance. The prominent religious festivals of India are the Diwali and the Dussehra, Id-ul-Fitr and Id-ul-Zuha, X-mas Day and the New Year’s Day, Mahavir Jayanti and Budha Jayanti, Jhule Lal, Guru Nanak’s Birthday and so on. These festivals are celebrated by the Hindus, the Muslims, the Christians, the Jams, the Buddhists, the Sindhis and the Sikhs respectively. Though these festivals are marked by the communities they represent, yet they are celebrated by all alike without any communal hatred or ill-will. They are, strengthening the feeling of oneness as Indians.
The important seasonal festivals are the Holi, the Baisakhi and the Vasant. The. Holi, which is the festival of colours, marks the end of the winter season. On this day, the enmities of the past are forgotten and people embrace one another with a feeling of brotherhood. They apply ‘gulal’ on the forehead and sprinkle coloured water on one another. The Baisakhi which is the seasonal festival of the Punjab, declares the end of the harvesting season. On this day people have ‘Bhangra’ dances, wrestling matches, etc. They celebrate it with great gaiety. Then comes the Vasant which heralds the arrival of spring, the season of flowers and plants, vigour and vitality. On this day, the people prefer to wear yellow clothes matched with the colour of mustard flowers growing in the fields.
Besides these, there are national festivals as well which