This document summarizes several famous festivals celebrated in India and highlights important dishes associated with each one. Some of the major festivals mentioned include Holi, Pongal, Sankranti, Diwali, Dussehra, Durga Puja, Ganesh Chaturthi, and Janmashtami. Festivals are celebrated with community gatherings and special foods like karjnis, malpua, pongal, ladoos, anarasa, payasa, bhog, kichri, labra, modaks, kheer, and naivedya are traditionally prepared.

1. FAMOUS FESTIVALS OF INDIA AND
IMPORTANT DISHES
India seems to be in a perpetual state of celebration. There’s always some community
celebrating a harvest, special god’s birthday or an auspicious date in the Hindu calendar.
Personal celebrations like birthdays take a back seat in the pantheon of occasions and the
most important events are those shared by the whole community, young and old, rich and
poor.
HOLI:
Festival’s of color. It is celebrated in the month of March.
Karanjis is prepared. It is crescent shaped flour parcels stuffed with sweet khoya and nuts.
Malpua is very commonly prepared. It is wheat pancake dipped in syrup.
PONGAL:
Pongal is the major harvest festivals of the south and takes place on or around 14th
January
each year.
Pongal is prepared with the season’s first rice, along with jaggery, nuts, raisins and spices.
SANKRANTI:
This is the northern version of Pongal and takes place on the same date.
Ladoos are made, with sweet meat and usually balls shaped.
DIWALI:
Diwali, The festival of light, is the most widely celebrated national festivals and takes place
in the month of October or November.
Anarasa is particularly prepared on Diwali. It is rice flour cookies.
DUSSEHRA:
It is another fascinating festival celebrated in different ways through out country but always
lasting for 10 days around September and October.
Payasa is famous, made of banana, milk, jaggery, sugar and ghee.
DURGA PUJA:
In west Bengal Dussehra takes the form of Durga puja.
The most typical durga puja food is bhog. Kichri is rice cooked with dal. Labra is a spicy
mixed vegetables dish.
GANESH CHATURTHI:
The smiling elephant headed god, Ganesh, is most popular deity and his festivals( In
September) is celebrated with cheer throughout the country.

2. Modak is very famous. It is sweet rice flour dumpling filled with a delicious paste of
coconut, condensed milk, sugar and cardamom.
Kheer (rice pudding) is prepared.
JANMASHTAMI:
This festival commemorates the birth of Krishna, who was popular with Hindus of all caste.
Naivedya (a sweet made with puffed rice, milk, curd and sugar) is famous.