Religionwise Festivals - One India many Religions

India is considered to be a spiritual and holy land where several religions are followed and many deities are worshipped. In India, Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism and Jainism are the main religions which are rigorously practiced and followed. The other native Indian religions include Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, and Parsism.
But in modern era, Hinduism is mainly practiced and obeyed. The other natively Indian religions include Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism. More than nine-tenths of Indian state holds priority where religion plays very important role.
Moreover, Hinduism is considered to be the largest religion in India. Then comes Islam, which is a monotheistic religion centered around the belief in one God and following the example of Muhammad, then falls Christianity, which is centered on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in the New Testament. Then comes, Buddhism which is a , nontheistic religion and philosophy. Buddhists form majority populations in the Indian states of Arunachal Pradesh, and the Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir.
Then comes Jainism, which revolves as a nontheistic dharmic religion and philosophical system originating in Iron Age India. Sikhism which commenced in early 16th century in North India acquiring all the teachings of Nanak. Then finally comes Parsis religion which is quite popular.

1. Hindu Festivals
2. Muslim Festivals
3. Sikhs Festivals
4. Jains Festivals
5. Christian Festivals
6. Buddhists Festivals
7. Sindhis Festivals
8. Parsi Festivals

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Guru Gobind Singh Jayanti

Celebrated by the Sikhs, the birthday of their tenth and last guru, this day witnesses’ large processions and special prayer gatherings at all Gurudwaras.
Background
Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Nanak (Sikh Guru), was born at Patna Sahib on December 22, 1666, (Poh Sudi Saptmi). His birthday generally falls in December or January or sometimes twice within a year as it is calculated according to Hindu Bikrami Calendar, which is based on the lunar calendar. According to the Nanakshahi Calendar, the birthday of Guru Gobind Singh Sahib falls annually on January 5.

Guru Gobind Singh Jayanti : An overview of Guru Gobind Singh's life
Guru Gobind Singh (1666-1708 C.E.) lived during an extremely dangerous time. His father, Guru Tegh Bahadur, had sacrificed his life to protect the freedom of worship by Hindus, who were being threatened with conversion or death by zealous Muslim rulers. Abduction of women and pillage of goods were rampant, but the people were too timid and terrorized to resist. In the midst of this political situation, Guru GobindSingh gained great stature as both Saint and soldier a leader of firm spiritual principles and intense devotion to God, and at the same time, fearless dedication to protecting all people from oppression and injustice through the practice of Kshatradharma.
Guru Gobind Singh Jayanti
In 1699, He dramatically initiated five men from the lower castes as His Five Beloveds, blessing them with great courage as well as nearness to God. They became models for the Khalsa, the Order of the Pure, which Guru GobindSingh created to stand on the front line against injustice. The Khalsa were held to a very strict moral and spiritual discipline and under Guru Gobind Singh's courageous inspiration, helped to turn the tide against Mughal oppression in India.
In addition to his spiritual and military leadership, Guru Gobind Singh was a gifted intellectual and had many poets in his court. He was inspired to write many powerful spiritual compositions that infused a martial spirit in the people.
This included the Jaap Sahib, but He did not include them in the Sikh scripture, the Guru Granth Sahib. His writings have instead been collected in a separate volume, called the Dasam Granth. Upon His passing away, He instructed his Sikhs to regard the Guru Granth Sahib as their teacher. 'Granth' literally means 'volume' (especially, a Holy volume). 'Sahib' is a term of reverence used for anything sacred. The Guru Granth Sahib is the perpetual guru of the Sikhs today.
The prasad of Ugadi/Gudi Padwa is the bitter leaves of the neem tree with jaggery. There are special foods prepared for this festival. In the southern states, puligore-a sour tamarind rice dish, bobbatlu, holige- sweet stuffed bread and Ugadi Pachadi made of jagerry, raw mango pieces, neem flowers and tamarind is prepared. In Maharastra, shrikhand -a fragrant yogurt dessert, with poori-a fried puffy bread is prepared.

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