Mahaparv in Bihar (Chhath Pooja)

Chhath Pooja is the most important festival in Bihar, dedicated to the Sun and his wife Usha in order to thank them for bestowing the bounties of life on earth and to request the granting of certain wishes.Chhath Pooja is unique in its own way.This is the only festival that celebrates and acknowledges setting of sun.There is no idol worship and is purely dedicated towards nature.The festival emphasises on cleanliness at home and surroundings, preserving rivers and nature and purification of body and mind. It can be celebrated by everyone irrespective of gender or religion.

MAKARSANKRANTI

It marks the first day of sun's transit into the Makara (Capricorn), marking the end of the winter solstice and the start of longer days.

BASANT PANCHAMI

Basant Panchami is the festival dedicated to goddess Saraswati who is ancient goddess of knowledge, language, music and all arts.She is the energy of Brahma, and she symbolizes creative energy and power in all its form. The season and festival also reflects the agricultural fields which are ripening with yellow flowers of mustard crop, which Hindus associate with Saraswati's favorite color. People dress in yellow saris/attire or accessories, share yellow colored snacks and sweets. Some add saffron to their rice then eat cooked yellow rice as a part of an elaborate feast.

MAHASHIVARATRI

Maha Shivaratri a Hindu festival celebrated annually in honour of the god Shiva. There is a Shivaratri in every luni-solar month of the Hindu calendar, on the month's 13th night/14th day, but once a year in late winter (February/March, or Phalguna) and before the arrival of Summer, marks Maha Shivaratri which means "the Great Night of Shiva".

HOLI

The Holi, also known as the "festival of colours", is an Indian spring festival celebrated all across the Indian subcontinent. It signifies the victory of good over evil, the arrival of spring, end of winter, and for many a festive day to meet others, play and laugh, forget and forgive.

GOOD FRIDAY

Good Friday is a Christian holiday commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his death at Calvary. It is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum on the Friday preceding Easter Sunday, and may coincide with the Jewish observance of Passover.

RAMNAVMI

The Rama Navami is a spring Hindu festival that celebrates the birthday of god Rama. He is particularly important to the Vaishnavism tradition of Hinduism, as the seventh avatar of Vishnu. The festival is a part of the spring Navratri, and falls on the ninth day of the bright half (Shukla Paksha) in the Hindu calendar month of Chaitra. This typically occurs in the Gregorian months of March or April every year.

JANAKI NAVAMI

Janaki Navami is celebrated as birth anniversary of Goddess Sita. This day is also known as Sita Jayanti. Married women keep fast on Sita Navami day and pray to seek long lives of their husbands. Sita Jayanti is celebrated on Navami Tithi during Shukla Paksha of Vaishakha month. It is believed that Goddess Sita was born on Tuesday in Pushya Nakshatra. Goddess Sita was married to Lord Rama who was also born on Navami Tithi during Shukla Paksha of Chaitra month. On Hindu calendar Sita Jayanti falls after one month of Rama Navami. Mata Sita is also known as Janaki as she was the adopted daughter of King Janaka of Mithila. Hence this day is also known as Janaki Navami. According to Hindu mythology, when King Janaka was ploughing the land while performing a Yajna he found a baby girl in the Golden casket. The Golden casket was found inside the field while ploughing the land. A ploughed land is called Sita hence King Janaka named the baby girl as Sita.

BUDDHA PURNIMA

Vesak (Buddha Purnima, Buddha Jayanti) is a Buddhist festival that marks Gautama Buddha's birth, enlightenment and death. It falls on the day of the full moon in May and it is a gazetted holiday in India.

SHAB E BARAT

Shab E Barat or Mid-Sha'ban is a holiday observed by various Muslim communities on the night between 14 and 15 Sha'ban. It is regarded as a night when the fortunes of men for the coming year are decided and when Allah may forgive sinners. In many regions, this is also a night when prayers are arranged for forgiveness from Allah for one's deceased ancestors. Additionally, Twelver Shia Muslims commemorate the birthday of Muhammad al-Mahdi on this date.

EID-UL-FITR

Eid Ul-Fitr, Malay "Lebaran", "feast of breaking the fast") is an important religious holiday celebrated by Muslims worldwide that marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting (sawm). This religious Eid (Muslim religious festival) is the first and only day in the month of Shawwal during which Muslims are not required to keep fast. The holiday celebrates the conclusion of the 29 or 30 days of dawn-to-sunset fasting during the entire month of Ramadan. The day of Eid, therefore, falls on the first day of the month of Shawwal. The date for the start of any lunar Hijri month varies based on the observation of new moon.

SHRI KRISHNA JANAMASHTMI

Krishna Janmashtami, also known simply as Janmashtami or Gokulashtami, is an annual Hindu festival that celebrates the birth of Krishna, the eighth avatar of Vishnu. It is observed according to Hindu luni-solar calendar, on the eighth day (Ashtami) of the Krishna Paksha (dark fortnight) in the month of Bhado or Bhadra of the Hindu Calendar, which overlaps with August and September of the Gregorian calendar.

ID-AL-ADHA (Bakreed)

Eid-al-Adha, also called the "Sacrifice Feast", is the second of two Islamic holidays celebrated worldwide each year, and considered the holier of the two. It honors the willingness of Ibrahim (Abraham) to sacrifice his son, as an act of obedience to God's command. Before Abraham sacrificed his son, God provided a lamb to sacrifice instead. In commemoration of this, an animal is sacrificed and divided into three parts: one third of the share is given to the poor and needy; another third is given to relatives, friends and neighbors; and the remaining third is retained by the family.

DURGA POOJA

Durga Puja, also called Durgotsava, is an annual Hindu festival in the Indian subcontinent that reveres the goddess Durga. It is particularly popular in West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Assam, Tripura, Bangladesh and the diaspora from this region, and also in Nepal where it is called Dashain. The festival is observed in the Hindu calendar month of Ashvin, typically September or October of the Gregorian calendar, and is a multi-day festival that features elaborate temple and stage decorations (pandals), scripture recitation, performance arts, revelry, and processions. It is a major festival in the Shaktism tradition of Hinduism across India and Shakta Hindu diaspora.

MUHARRAM

Muharram is the first month of the Islamic calendar. It is one of the four sacred months of the year. It is held to be the holiest month, Ramadan coming after. The word "Muharram" means "forbidden". Since the Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar, Muharram moves from year to year when compared with the Gregorian calendar.

DEEPAWALI

Diwali or Deepavali is the Hindu festival of lights celebrated every year in autumn in the northern hemisphere (spring in southern hemisphere). One of the most popular festivals of Hinduism, it spiritually signifies the victory of light over darkness, good over evil, knowledge over ignorance, and hope over despair. Its celebration includes millions of lights shining on housetops, outside doors and windows, around temples and other buildings in the communities and countries where it is observed. The word Diwali is used by some communities to mean all the festivities while others think of it as one festival night on the no moon day of the Hindu Lunisolar month Kartika in Bikram Sambat calendar (the month of Aippasi in Tamil Calendar). In the Gregorian calendar, Diwali falls in mid-October and mid-November.

CHITRAGUPTA POOJA/BHAI DOOJ

Every year, a day after the festival of lights Diwali, Kayastha’s all over the world celebrate Chitragupta Puja also known as Kalam-Dawaat Puja. This festival falls on the second day of the lunar day of Shukla Paksha in the Vikram Samvat calendar month of Kartik and coincides with Bhai Dooj. Devotees believe that by doing this puja they will be benefited and get to ascend to heaven as Chitragupta Maharaj keeps a record of all good and evil deeds of humans and by praying to him on this day they get absolution from all the sins. Upon the death of a human being, it is Chitragupta Maharaj who decides on heaven or hell for the person depending on their good work or bad deeds on earth. Bhai Dooj is a festival celebrated by Hindus of India and Nepal on the second lunar day of Shukla Paksha (bright fortnight) in the Vikram Samvat Hindu calendar month of Kartika.

CHEHALLUM

Arba'een, Chehllum is a Shia Muslim religious observance that occurs forty days after the Day of Ashura. It commemorates the martyrdom of Husayn ibn Ali, the grandson of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, who was killed on the 10th day of the month of Muharram. Imam Husayn ibn Ali and 72 companions were killed by Yazid I's army in the Battle of Karbala in 61 AH (680 CE).

HAJRAT MOHAMMAD SAHAB'S BIRTHDAY

Sunni Muslims observe the Prophet Muhammed's (also known as Mohammed or Muhammad) birthday on the 12th day of the Islamic month of Rabi' al-awwal, while Shi'a Muslims mark it on the 17th of this month. Muhammed is believed to be the last prophet.

CHRISTMAS

Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year, it is preceded by the season of Advent or the Nativity Fast and initiates the season of Christmastide, which historically in the West lasts twelve days and culminates on Twelfth Night; in some traditions, Christmastide includes an octave. Christmas Day is a public holiday in many of the world's nations, is celebrated religiously by a majority of Christians, as well as culturally by many non-Christians, and forms an integral part of the holiday season centered around it.

Occasions

GURU GOVIND SINGH JAYANTI

Guru Govind Singh Jayanti is celebrated in the memory of 10th Guru of Sikkh Community.

INDEPENDENCE DAY

Independence Day is annually celebrated on 15 August, as a national holiday in India commemorating the nation's independence from the United Kingdom on 15 August 1947, On 15 August 1947, the Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru unfurled the Indian national flag above the Lahori Gate of the Red Fort in Delhi. On each subsequent Independence Day, the prime minister customarily hoists the flag and gives an address the nation.

REPUBLIC DAY

Republic Day honours the date on which the Constitution of India came into effect on 26 January 1950 replacing the Government of India Act (1935) as the governing document of India.

MAHAVEER JAYANTI

Mahaveer Janma Kalyanak, is one of the most important religious festival for Jains. It celebrates the birth of Mahaveer, the twenty-fourth and last Tirthankara.

VEER KUNWAR SINGH JAYANTI

Kunwar Singh (1777 – 26 April 1858) was a notable leader during the Indian Rebellion of 1857. He belonged to a royal Ujjainiya (Panwar) Rajput house of Jagdispur, currently a part of Bhojpur district, Bihar, India. At the age of 80, he led a select band of armed soldiers & the great lohtamia rajputs against the troops under the command of the British East India Company. He was the chief organiser of the fight against the British in Bihar. He is popularly known as Veer Kunwar Singh.

KABIR JAYANTI

Sant Kabirdas (1440-1518 circa) was a famous poet, saint and social reformer of India. His writings have greatly influenced the Bhakti movement. Kabir Panth which is a religious community recognizes him as its founder and its members are known as Kabir Panthis, the followers of Saint Kabirdas. His writings include Bijak, Sakhi Granth, Kabir Granthawali and Anurag Sagar. The major part of Kabir's work was collected by the fifth Sikh Guru, Guru Arjan Dev, and incorporated into the Sikh scripture Guru Granth Sahib. The hallmark of Kabir's work consists of his two line couplets, known as Kabir Ke Dohe. The birth anniversary of Sant Kabir is observed on Jyeshtha Purnima as per Hindu lunar calendar.

MAHATMA GANDHI JAYANTI

Gandhi Jayanti is a national festival celebrated in India to mark the occasion of the birthday of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, who is also known as the "Father of the Nation". It is celebrated on 2nd October. The United Nations General Assembly announced on 15 June 2007 that it adopted a resolution which declared that 2 October will be celebrated as the International Day of Non-Violence.