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The 26th of January marks as one of the most important days in the yearly calendar for every Indian. Celebrated as the Republic Day of India, it was on 26th January, 1950 that the country truly became a sovereign nation. Its significance in our daily lives is more than it being just a holiday. In fact, it wouldn't be wrong to say that this day is the reason for whatever we are today. Everything we have as a free-state today is because of this red-letter day. If today we have certain rights as citizens of India, it is because of the Constitution that was formed with utmost care. We might want to blame government for everything that goes wrong, but the Constitution remains flawless. It is the backbone of the country that holds it together. As such, Republic Day is celebrated with a lot of national fervor, zeal and enthusiasm.  History Although we officially received independence from the British Raj by 1947, we had still no rules to live by. It was necessary to lay down certain laws

The birth anniversary of Lord Rama is known as Ramnavami. Ram is also known to be the seventh incarnation of Lord Vishnu. India is the only country which has majority of Hindus, so the celebrations are primarily in India. However, this does not mean the festival is not celebrated in other places. With Indians spread all over the world, the festival of Ramnavami is celebrated almost everywhere in the world! It is considered as one of the five, most sacred festivals of the Hindu religion. Even those who do not celebrate would have definitely heard of famous 'Ram Leela'. It is a musical dance drama that depicts the life of Ram. Temples and idols of Ram are beautifully decorated. Some of the devotees observe rigorous fasts for all the nine days and eat only fruit and milk once a day. They believe fasting will please the gods and bring blessings upon them.  History Lord Ram is one of the most important Gods of the Hindu religion, and as such, the day holds great significance. As the

Raksha Bandhan is the festival meant to tighten the knot of relation between a brother and a sister. It is celebrated on the full moon day in the month of Shravan (month according to Hindi calendar) which comes in the month of August. Raksha Bandhan is also known as 'Rakhi'. In this festival, sisters tie an auspicious thread on the wrist of their brothers. Raksha Bandhan means 'Bond of Protection'. This festival is celebrated to protect brothers from evil things and sisters also pray to God for the well-being and long life of their brothers. On this day, girls wear new clothes and don't eat anything before tying the rakhi on their brothers' wrist. They put red vermillion (tika) on their brothers' forehead, give them sweets to eat and tie the rakhi on their wrist. Brothers, on the other hand, give  gifts on Rakhi  as the token of love and blessings to their sisters. This festival sweetens the relation of brother and sister. History of Rakhi There are many sto

Pongal is the harvest festival of Tamil Nadu which is celebrated every year in the month of January (from 13th January to 16th January). It goes on for four days. Each day has its own significance and religious value. First day is known as 'Bhogi', on this day people make beautiful designs of Kolam in front of their houses and worship Lord Indra and their agricultural tools that are used to cut the crops. 'Surya Pongal' is considered as the second day of the Tamil calendar 'Thai'. On this day, Sun is worshipped and new rice is cooked in an earthen vessel. Third day is known as 'Mattu Pongal'. On this day cows and bulls are decorated and worshipped. 'Kannum Pongal' is the fourth day and on this day people visit their near and dear ones and convey them Pongal wishes. This festival is celebrated to thank nature for blessing the people with plentiful crops. Earlier, Pongal was celebrated by the farmers but now days it is celebrated by everyone. Histo

Onam is one of the most popular regional festivals of Kerala. It is celebrated by all Keralites regardless of their caste or religion. People rejoice the return of King Mahabali, the kind demon king who once ruled the land.The festival is celebrated every year for ten days which comes in the Malayalam month of Chingam (end of August and start of September) and is celebrated with pomp and joy. This festival is also a harvest festival. People decorate their homes with fresh flower mats known as 'Pookalam' to welcome the King Mahabali. They wear new dresses; go to the temples to worship God and perform traditional dances such as Thiruvathirakali and Thumbi Tullal. There is a grand lunch called 'Sadya' on the Thiruonam, the tenth day of Onam, which is considered very important and absolutely essential. These ten days are meant for feasting, indulging in boat racing, music and dancing to welcome their king. Delicious homely food served on banana leaves and the sweet Payasam

Mahavir Jayanti is the most important Jain festival. It celebrates the birth of Saint Mahavir in a small town called Vaishali. The importance of the festival owes to the fact that Saint Mahavir was the founder of Jainism as a religion. It is a peaceful religion that cherishes simplicity. Their core values are such that they do not believe in killing even an insect. The mood of this festival is also without any kind of drama, just a quite celebration with respect to their saint. There are dominantly four types of Jains: Digambars and Svetambaras, Deravasis and Sthanakvasis. The worship rituals of Jains are not very elaborate or striking as their leader Mahavir was against idol worship in its ideal sense. Out of the four sects only Deravasis go to temples, while the others regard their ideal faith to be purest when internalized.  History/Significance Mahavir Jain was born in the 5th century B.C. He was born in a palace of Vaishali to King Siddhartha and Queen Trisala. During the pregnanc