Hinduism almost certainly has a longer list of festivals than any other religious tradition, and there are considerable regional and denominational variations.

The pages for Festivals on Hold Days on Hinduismgyan are shown separately (for easier navigation of contents on this website) as follows:

1. monthly Hindu Calendar showing festivals for each month
2. pictorials of each festival on a month showing the date(s) of the festival, the background for observing the festival, and the observances that behold each festival.

Purposes of Festivals

Festivals are generally times for celebration and remembrance. Other purposes are:

1. To create a special atmosphere, diverting the mind from worldly concerns and joyfully focusing on spiritual matters.
2. To invoke the soul’s natural qualities by creating an environment replete with auspiciousness and the abundant gifts of nature.
3. To give people spiritual impetus and inspiration, which helps them perform their daily duties.
4. To dovetail the natural tendency for celebration with spiritual goals.
5. To forge a healthy sense of belonging by peacefully bringing together individuals, families, and communities.

Main Practices During Festivals

1. Fasting and feasting
2. Distribution of food (especially prasad)
3. Giving in charity (to temples, saints, the poor, etc)
4. Visiting the temple
5. Visiting relatives
6. Glorification of God (kirtan, bhajan, story recitals, dance, drama)
7. Manufacture and worship of temporary deities
8. Taking temple deities in procession
9. Wearing new clothes
10. Decorating houses, streets, and temples with fruits, flowers, leaves, and banana leaves

Types of Festivals

There are three main types of festivals:

1. Celebrating a significant event in the life of a deity e.g. Janmashtami is Krishna’s birthday.
2. Celebrating a significant event in the life of a holy person e.g. the birthday of a particular guru.
3. Seasonal festivities or customs, e.g. spring festivals like Holi.

Festivals in the first category have become more universal and widely celebrated; the most important ones are Indian public holidays. Festivals in the third category are often exclusively regional, or regional variations of broader festivals e.g. Pongal in Tamil Nadu, which marks Makara Sankranti. Others, such as Holi, are celebrated internationally. Special days within the second category are often relevant only to a particular group (sampradaya) for whom the particular saint has significant relevance.