1. Festivals and Celebrations By Kamber Grade 6 EXIT

2. Holi The spring festival Holi starts with people saying goodbye to the passing season. They say goodbye with huge bonfires, singing, dancing, and plays. The bonfire symbolizes the destruction from the evil spirit Holika. On the second day, it is called Color Day because everyone is splashed with colors. You throw powders and bright liquids at everyone- friends, family, and strangers! No one would go out in fancy clothing because they would get hit with many colors of powder and liquid. The colors are supposed to frighten away the evil spirits. EXIT

3. Dussehra Dussehra is a festival that starts in October on the day of the New Moon, and lasts ten nights. Each night, someone reads a part of a long poem called Ramayana. It is preformed on a stage, made by everyone in every village, town, and city in India. By the time Dussehra is over, everyone heard all 48,000 lines of Ramayana. When people listen to the poem, it is put in a play. The main character is Prince Rama, who is actually the god Vishnu. On the last night he rescues his wife from a demon call Ravana. To celebrate for what Rama did, there is an enormous model of Ravana, stuffed with straw and fire crackers. Then an actor dressed as Prince Rama shoots burning arrows at the stuffed Ravana. Soon after the people dance in the streets. EXIT

4. Diwali Diwali occurs not long after Dussehra and is the Indian New Year. It is five days long and marks the end of a monsoon season. Everyone cleans their homes on Diwali, and paints it with colorful pictures and designs. Young women create rice- flour designs for their door steps in south India. Adults try to pay off their bills by the end of the fifth day so they can start off a new year without owing any money. It is a time to put on new clothes, eat sweets, visit relatives, exchange gifts, and make offerings to the deities. The main thing about the celebrations is the Festival of Lights. They shoot out fireworks and people make small clay lamps called dipas glimmer on every rooftop and windowsill like a thousand stars. They are to welcome the goddess of wealth, Lakshmi. Merchants worship Lakshmi because they think she’ll bring prosperity. They like her so much, they set off the loudest and longest set of fire crackers. EXIT

5. Pongal Pongal is an ancient Hindu festival held every January in southern India, and is supposed to mark winter. It lasts three days and has special customs for each day. On the first day, people clean their homes and makes Pongal. Pongal can be made by mixing boiled rice, milk and brown sugar. This is offered to the sun and then shared to everyone else. On the second day everyone pays close attention to their cows and bullocks. These animals are dressed up with flowers, paint, and is fed pongal. At night, everyone sees the decorated cows. On the last day bullfights are held. In India they never really get killed. Instead, small bundles of money are tied to the horns. The people go out and try to wrestle the bulls to get the money off of the horns. EXIT

6. Hola Mohalla Hola Mohalla is a Sikh festival that comes right after the Holi festival. It is three days long. Everyone takes part in horse back ridings and athletic competitions. They draw stories from the past and the men repeat the battles using traditional weapons. After all that is done, everyone sings, dances, and has feasts. EXIT

7. In-du Fitr In-du Fitr is the Muslim festival held after the end of Ramadan. Every year it begins one week earlier from what it used to be. For Ramadan, Muslims don’t eat anything between sunrise and sunset. They do this to remember the time the prophet Muhammad fasted while waiting for Allah’s message. At the end of the month, families make feasts and everyone prays at the mosques. After leaving the mosques, people rejoice while bearing gifts of food, they go to their friends. EXIT

8. Raksha Bandhan Raksha Bandhan is a special celebration for brothers and sisters. In July, sisters either buy or make rakhi (bracelets) to give to their brothers. The bracelets can be made with colorful ribbons and thread. They give bracelets because of the god, Indra. He was in war and before he left, his wife tied a rakhi around his wrist to protect him. Now sisters do the same for their brothers for affections. EXIT

9. Information Sources: India by David Cumming India: the Culture by Bobbie Kalman EXIT