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Festivals
in Agra |
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A joyful Festival of Colour - Holi
is one of the most vibrant festival of India. The
festival is celebrated with extreme joy and enthusiasm
by Hindus located anywhere in the world. The two-days-long
Holi festival comes in the bloom of spring and falls
on the full moon day in the month of Phalgun which
is the month of March according to Gregorian calendar.
While there is a tradition of holding a puja ceremony
on the first day, the second and the most important
day of the festival is full of fun and frolic. People
go wild playing with colours and enjoy to the hilt.
Diwali :
It falls in between October and November according
to English calendar and exactly twenty days after
Dussehra. According to the beliefs of the people
in north India, the festival is celebrated the return
of Ram back to his kingdom, Ayodhya after an exile
of 14 years in the forests. According to the epic
Ramayana, all the nooks and corners of the city
of Ayodhya were lighted with diyas on the return
of Ram with his brother Lakshman and wife Sita.
The festival signifies the victory of good over
evil, truth over falsehood and light over darkness.
Eid ul Fitr : Celebrated
to mark the end of Ramzan - the month of prayers
and fasting according to the Muslim calendar. It
is an occasion for feasting and rejoicing. The faithful
gather in mosques to pray; friends and relatives
meet to exchange greetings. The Id is celebrated
according to the first sighting of the moon after
the arduous month-long fasting period. This day
marks a very beautiful significance. A certain
percentage of earnings is donated to the less
fortunate in terms of food, clothes and money.
Fitr is derived from the word fatar meaning 'breaking'.
Another connotation suggests that it is derived
from fitrah or 'alms'Celebrated on the first day
of the new moon in Shawwal, it marks the end of
Ramzan. In the morning everyone bathes, wears
new or clean clothes, applies perfume, eats dates
or some other sweet before walking to the mosque
for Eid prayers. Men wear white clothes because
white symbolizes purity and austerity. On this
day, according to the Quran, Allah has ordained
a dole for every Muslim who is free and is in
possession of alms worthy capital. This charitable
gift, called Sadaqah Fitr, is a dole to break
the fast. It is to be given to a needy person
as thanksgiving.
The Taj Mahotsav : The Taj Mahotsav
is a non-stop 10 day carnival held annually at
Shilpgram, near Tajmahal. With the wondrous Taj
Mahal serving as the backdrop for the annual festival,
the Taj Mahotsav is celebrated in the month of
February. The Taj festival is a culturally vibrant
platform that brings together the finest Indian
crafts and cultural nuances. The impressive festival
commences with a spectacular procession inspired
by Mughal splendor. Bedecked elephants and camels,
drum beaters, folk artists and master craftsmen
together recreate the glorious past of the Mughals.
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