Essay on My Favourite Festival for Students (10 Lines, Short and Long Essays)

Eid ul-Fitr is the festival I wait for all year. It comes at the end of Ramzan, the month in which Muslims fast from dawn to sunset. When the thin new moon is seen in the sky, everyone hugs and says Eid Mubarak.

In the morning, my friend Ayaan and his father wear new white kurtas and go for Eid prayers. They also give food and money to the poor. Later, their home fills with guests. His mother serves sheer khurma and sewaiyan, and the children get Eidi from elders. Eid teaches kindness and sharing.

Of all the festivals in our calendar, I like Holi best. It usually arrives in March, just as the winter cold disappears and the mango trees begin to flower.

The fun starts a day early. On the evening before, our colony gathers around a big pile of wood and lights it. We clap, sing and watch the sparks fly into the dark sky. My grandfather says the fire burns away all that is bad.

Next morning, I put on my oldest T-shirt and run out with a bucket of coloured water. Within minutes, my friends turn pink, blue and green. Even our strict maths teacher, who lives next door, smiles when we put a little gulal on his forehead.

After a long bath, we eat my aunt's crisp gujiya and drink cold thandai. Holi is my favourite festival because it makes everyone laugh, forgive and play together like one big family.

Kerala has many festivals, but none is as loved as Onam. It is a ten-day harvest festival that falls in the Malayalam month of Chingam, around August or September, when the monsoon rains ease and the paddy fields turn green and gold. Onam is celebrated by people of every community in the state.

The festival is linked to an old legend about a kind and generous king whose rule was so fair that nobody was poor or unhappy. People believe he comes back once a year to see his subjects, and Onam is their way of welcoming him.

Every morning during the festival, girls and women make a pookalam, a round carpet of fresh flower petals, in front of the house. The design grows bigger each day. On Thiruvonam, the main day, families wear new clothes, often cream sarees and mundus with golden borders.

The highlight is the Onasadya, a grand lunch of more than twenty dishes served on a banana leaf, ending with sweet payasam. Snake boat races on the backwaters, the Pulikali tiger dance and the graceful Thiruvathira dance add to the joy. Onam truly celebrates equality and togetherness.

A calendar in an Indian home is never short of red circles. Hardly a month passes without some festival, and that is why India is often called a land of festivals. With so many religions, languages and regions living side by side, our festivals are as varied as our food and clothes.

Indian festivals can be grouped in a simple way. Some are religious festivals, such as Diwali, Eid, Christmas, Navratri and Gurpurab. Some are harvest festivals, like Pongal in Tamil Nadu, Onam in Kerala, Bihu in Assam, Lohri and Baisakhi in Punjab and Makar Sankranti in many states. A third group is our national festivals: Republic Day, Independence Day and Gandhi Jayanti.

Though each festival has its own story, most of them share the same spirit. Houses are cleaned and decorated. People wear new clothes, prepare special dishes and visit relatives. Fairs, music and dance fill the streets. Many festivals also follow the farming year, thanking nature for rain, sunshine and a good crop.

Festivals are important because they bring a break from routine and give families a reason to come together. They keep our arts, crafts and recipes alive, and they give work to potters, tailors, sweet makers and flower sellers. Most of all, they teach respect for one another, since neighbours of different faiths often celebrate together.

We must also celebrate wisely, without noise, waste or harm to the environment. Then every Indian festival becomes a true festival of joy.

Most festivals belong to a particular faith or region, but a few belong to every Indian equally. These are our national festivals: Independence Day, Republic Day and Gandhi Jayanti. On these days, offices, schools and banks remain closed, and the whole nation celebrates as one family.

Independence Day falls on 15 August. On this date in 1947, India became free after nearly two hundred years of British rule. Every year, the Prime Minister hoists the national flag at the Red Fort in Delhi and speaks to the nation. In schools, students sing patriotic songs, perform skits about the freedom struggle and receive sweets after the flag is raised.

Republic Day is celebrated on 26 January. It was on this date in 1950 that our Constitution took effect, making India a republic. A grand parade is held in New Delhi, where the President takes the salute. Soldiers march in step, and colourful tableaux show the culture of different states. Awards for bravery are announced on the eve of the day.

Gandhi Jayanti, on 2 October, marks the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi. Born at Porbandar in Gujarat in 1869, he went on to lead the freedom struggle with truth and non-violence. On this day, people pay tribute at Raj Ghat, sing his favourite bhajans and take part in cleanliness drives.

National festivals are not about sweets and holidays alone. They remind us of the sacrifices made by freedom fighters and the values written in our Constitution: justice, liberty, equality and fraternity. They unite people of all religions, languages and states under one tricolour.

As students, we can celebrate these days by learning about our history, respecting the flag and keeping our surroundings clean. A good citizen is the best gift we can give the nation.

Introduction

Some festivals are loud, some are quiet, and some are simply full of light. For me, the festival that feels like home is Diwali. Each autumn, on the dark new moon night of the month of Kartik, millions of small flames turn the whole country golden. I have celebrated many festivals with friends from different communities, yet none fills my heart quite like Diwali.

Why Diwali Is Celebrated

Diwali, or Deepavali, means a row of lamps. Many families link it to an old story from the epics about a prince who returned home after fourteen years of exile, while the people lit lamps to welcome him. In other regions, it marks the start of a new business year or the end of the harvest. Jains and Sikhs also observe the day for their own reasons. Whatever the story, the meaning is the same: light wins over darkness, and good wins over evil.

Getting Ready

In our house, Diwali begins almost a month early. Old newspapers are sold, cupboards are emptied and the walls get a fresh coat of paint. My mother makes a list of relatives to visit, and my father brings home new curtains. A few days before the festival, the market near our street is so crowded that you can hardly walk. Stalls sell clay diyas, paper lanterns, marigold garlands and heaps of dry fruits.

The kitchen is my favourite place at this time. My grandmother fries chakli and shankarpali, and the smell of ghee and cardamom fills the house. I am allowed to shape the karanji, though mine never look as neat as hers.

The Day of Lights

On the evening of Diwali, we all bathe early and put on new clothes. My sister and I make a large rangoli at the entrance with powder colours and flower petals. As the sun sets, the family sits together for a prayer at home. Then comes the moment I love most: lighting the diyas one by one and placing them on the windows, the stairs and the boundary wall. When I look down from our terrace, the whole lane seems to be smiling.

Later, we walk to our neighbours' houses with plates of sweets. Nobody leaves empty-handed. Even the watchman, the milkman and the lady who helps my mother receive gifts and greetings.

A Greener Diwali

A few years ago, our class learnt how firecrackers fill the air with smoke and frighten birds and street dogs. Since then, my family celebrates with lamps, lanterns and music instead. We also buy diyas from local potters, so that their families have a happy Diwali too.

Conclusion

Diwali is my favourite festival because it is about more than light. It teaches me to clean not only my house but also my mind, to share what I have, and to keep hope alive even on the darkest night.