The azure sky with fluffy white clouds and a nip in the air marks the advent of autumn. It is time for Bengal's most popular festival – Durga Puja or the worship of the Goddess Durga. Actually the festival is celebrated twice a year – once in the month of March or April (Basant), and again in the month of September or October (Ashwin), during the moonlit fortnight. On both occasions, the puja is a nine-day affair with the last day coinciding with Rama Navmi and Dussehra respectively. The Mother Goddess is venerated in one form or the other all over India, though she is most popular among the Bengalis.

Janmashtami is celebrated every year on the 8th day of the dark fortnight that is also known as the Krishna Paksh, in the Hindu month of bhadon (around July-August). The period usually coincides with the rainy season.
The festival celebrates the birth of Lord Krishna – the black God. Krishna is the eighth and most important incarnation of Vishnu (Preserver in the Hindu Holy Trinity of Creator-Preserver-Destroyer of the Universe).

Holi is celebrated at a time of the year when everyone's had enough of the chilly winter and looks forward to the warmth of the sun. Trees get fresh new leaves that are at their glossiest best, and flowers begin to pop open and claim their share of fun in the sun.
Even grandmothers abandon their knitting for the glorious sunny days. They know that it's time to give in to good cheer, for the harsh Indian summers are just round the corner.

Karva Chauth is a very significant festival for the women of North Indian. Traditionally the Indian woman was expected to uphold family honour and repute. and in order to do that, she was compared to myriad goddesses and heroines in Hindu mythology whose personal and spiritual achievements thus set the way of life for every Indian woman who, in turn, was expected to emulate them. As a child she submitted to the dictates of the paterfamilias – the father, and after marriage to those of the husband. Her failure to do so supposedly brought doom and dishonor upon the concerned families and their genealogical ramifications.

Deepawali or the Festival of Lights is perhaps the most popular of all Hindu festivals. Religious fervour paralleled with ample fun and merry-making marks the festival. Deepawali is celebrated in most parts of the country with equal enthusiasm and fervour. Like most festivals, Diwali, as it is more popularly known, comes with its own bagful of mythological and historical references.

Basant Panchami has a specific meaning, Basant means Spring, whereas Panchami means the fifth day of the spring. It falls on Panchami - on the Waxing Moon. The festival lies in the month of January-February.
The young girls dressed in the diverse shades of yellow magnify the splendor of nature. Kite flying, a popular sport in India, is associated with the Basant Panchami day. It is a day for young crowd - no routine work, no studies, only merry making.

Rakhi or Raksha Bhandan is a festival, celebrated to honor the emotional bond between brother and sister. Sister ties a holy thread around her brother's wrist and takes a commitment from her brother that he will always be there beside her in hour of need. This thread, which vibrates with sisterly love and virtuous sentiments, is rightly called the 'Rakhi'. A "bond of protection".

Bhai-Dooj festival symbolizes the brother and sister eternal love for each other. Whereas sister prays for the long and prosper life of her brother by applying tilak on his forehead and in return brother promises to provide a life long protection to her sister. The festival falls on the second day after Diwali and is celebrated all over the country

This hugely popular festival falls on the 10th day of the waxing moon during the Hindu month of Ashvin (around September or October). There is a fascinating array of myths and legends associated with Dussehra. On this day, Rama (the god-king and the hero of the great Hindu epicRamayana) vanquished the evil Ravana – the 10-headed demon-king of Lanka who had abducted Rama's wife Sita.

Festivals in India epitomise the religious, cultural and social aspirations of the people, and are occasions to reaffirm one's gratitude and allegiance to one's family. Most Hindu festivals are a soul-purifying experience for the believer. and festivals are instrumental in diluting the humdrum of everyday life by adding their special touch to it.
The Navratri festival is dedicated to the Mother Goddess. Known by other names such as Durga, Devi, she occupies a special place in the Hindu pantheon. She represents Shakti, the cosmic energy that animates all beings, and is also considered to be prakriti (nature), the counterpart of purusha. Together, they are responsible for the creation of the world according to the Puranas and Vedas (ancient Hindu Scriptures).

Eid Ul Fitar is the biggest Muslim festival. Eid is derived from the Arabic word 'oud' or 'the coming back' to signify the return of Eid each year. The festival is significant as much for its timing as for its religious implications. It is celebrated after the month of Ramzan (the month of fasting and the ninth month of the Muslim year), on the first day of Shavval – a month in the Hijri year (Muslim year). It is believed that the Koran was revealed to Prophet Mohammed in the month of Ramzan.