Dear friends,

I am Jyoti from India and here going to participate in this SEC 17 Week 3 contest :https://steemit.com/hive-170554/@steem4bangladesh/sec-s17w3-national-festival organised by Steem For Bangladesh community

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National Festival - Diwali

What is the national festival of your country? How did it start

India is a land of festivals and celebrations. People from different religions and communities live here and therefore, many festivals are celebrated in India every year. Indian heritage and culture can best be captured in festivals and festivals marked by dance, music, sweets etc. All festivals are celebrated with great enthusiasm and joy in a colorful atmosphere.

Some festivals are celebrated nationally while others are celebrated regionally. National festivals like Gandhi Jayanti, Independence Day and Republic Day are celebrated across the country by people of all religions. These festivals fill us with pride and remind us of the freedom fighters who sacrificed their lives to make India free from British rule. The entire nation unites to celebrate these festivals and unity, patriotism and nationalism are seen everywhere.

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There are certain religious festivals that are collectively celebrated by various communities. These include Diwali, Pongal, Onam, Dussehra, Raksha Bandhan, Eid-ul-Fitr, Eid-ul-Juha, Christmas, Ganesh Chaturthi, etc., which are accompanied by a variety of religious rituals. These traditional ceremonies have two aspects. One is worship performed according to specific religious norms. Another is mixed culture, people from any community can participate and celebrate these religious festivals.

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Among all these, the most notable festival is Diwali. Diwali is celebrated by people of all religions and all language because there are no religious rituals to be followed and it is a very happy festival that everyone can celebrate.

How is this festival celebrated? Are there any special rules for celebrating it?

Diwali, another name for Deepawali, is one of the most widely celebrated holidays in India. Houses are lit with lamps called Daapam, earthen lamps and bright lanterns to celebrate the victory of light over darkness. Families get together, have holiday parties and trade gifts. The night sky lights up with fireworks, creating a spectacular display of joy and color.

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Diwali festival falls in October/November. The word Diwali is derived from the Sanskrit words deep (lamp) and vali (array). The five-day Diwali celebrations in India begin with an oil bath before sunrise. It is considered to be similar to bathing in the Ganges. Oil is a symbol of washing away evil qualities like ego and jealousy from one. After bathing they wear new clothes and perform pooja. Houses are cleaned for the festival and decorated with rangoli, betel leaves, nuts, flowers and fruits.

Deepams, which are clay lamps, are lit to ward off evil spirits. Firecrackers are also burst to celebrate the victory of good over evil. The women in the house wear new clothes and adorn the house by placing these lamps in a row all over the house and decorate the house. Also make rangoli in front of the house and decorating it with these lamps.

Are there any special outfits or foods for celebrating your national festival?

Some of the dishes on the menu include Laddu, paalgoa, ukkarai, mysorepa, jhangri, athirasam, mixure, and murukku etc. Restaurants and sweets stalls in India are overflowing with Diwali sweets. On Diwali days, sweets are usually made and shared with each other, so they start making Diwali Sweets at home about 15 to 20 days before.

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These Sweets are served about a week in advance. On the particular day of Diwali, these sweets and a special meal are prepared. The special meals include biryani, rice sambar fries, pickles, vada payasam, waffles, etc.

As both vegetarian and non-vegetarian parties celebrate this festival, special biryani is made for non-vegetarian lovers. Especially turkey biryani, rabbit curry biryani etc. are prepared and served on that day and the restaurants here also keep this particular menu as special menu for that day.

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On that day, they dress traditionally, just as they would during the festival when they dress more opulently. On this day of Diwali in India, all the clothing stores are quite active. A lot of business is done, and most dealers make a lot of money during this month. Women especially wear rich fancy sarees, teenage girls wear clothes like lehenga, choli ,chudidar, and men wear silk dhotis, shirts , sherwan suit, kurta to celebrate this festival.

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At night, people celebrate this festival enthusiastically by lighting firecrackers, firwworks, flickers, puchattis, conch wheels, etc. For about ten days, the sound of firecrackers is heard all over the country.

Tell us about your favorite memory from celebrating your national festival.

Diwali means happiness. When we buy a calendar for the first day of the year, we first see when Diwali falls. This is because Diwali does not have a specific English date as it falls on Indian regional calendar days and depends on the new moon. Also every Diwali has its own specials. They remain in the mind throughout life.

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Generally, new clothes are best bought for children. One Diwali when I was a little girl, the fabric of my favorite dress was taken for sewing. We gave it to Tailor to sew. But he didn't stitch it till Diwali day, he was too busy and left it unstitched. When we asked him the day before Diwali, he said that he would give it tomorrow. But he did not sew till Diwali. I celebrated Diwali by wearing another dress gifted to me by my relative. That day was very sad for me. Thinking about the incident now makes me laugh and it was do funny.

Similarly, when we were children, during a Diwali celebration, my brother was holding a firecracker in his hand and it exploded in his hand and he got a serious injury in his hand. It was a very sad day, but now it makes me laugh to think about it

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@gargi
@shiftitamanna
@mdkamran99

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