Page 233 - New Medley 3 Semester 2

The main religious festivals celebrated in our country are Dussehra, Durga

Puja, Diwali, Shivratri, Gurpurab, Ratha Yatra, Christmas, Eid-ul-Fitr,
Navroz, Ganesh Chaturthi, etc. Let us know about some of them in detail.

Dussehra

It is believed that on the day of Dussehra, Lord Rama killed the demon

king, Ravana. Thus, Dussehra is celebrated as the victory of good over
evil. Ram Lila is staged for 10 days. On the tenth day, huge effigies of
Ravana, Kumbhkarana and Meghnad are burnt. In West Bengal and in

some other States, Dussehra is celebrated as Durga Puja.

Diwali

On this day, houses are cleaned and decorated to welcome the Goddess
of wealth, Lakshmi. It is the festival of lights. Gifts are exchanged with

friends and relatives. At night, the Goddess Lakshmi is worshipped and
diyas (earthen lamps) are lit. Diwali marks the beginning of the winter

season in North India.

Gurpurab
The birthdays of the ten Sikh Gurus are celebrated as Gurpurab. Prayers

are held and processions are taken out from the gurudwaras. Free meals
are distributed to all during langars (community kitchen). The main

function is held at the Golden Temple in Amritsar, Punjab. The holy
book of the Sikhs, the Guru Granth Sahib, is read on this day.

Christmas

The birthday of Jesus Christ is on 25 December. Therefore, this day is

celebrated as Christmas all over the world by the Christians. Special prayers
are held in the churches. At homes, Christmas trees are decorated. Gifts
are exchanged with friends and relatives. The children wait to receive

gifts from Santa Claus.

Eid-ul-Fitr

Eid is the main festival of Muslims. It is celebrated after a month of
fasting, called Ramzan. Devotees go to mosques to offer Namaz. Sewain,

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