What are the holidays and festivals in Hinduism?

What are the holidays and festivals in Hinduism?

      It has been said that Hindus have a holiday for every day of the year, but even that may be an understatement! Exactly how many Hindu festivals are celebrated is not known, but one scholar of Hinduism has listed more than a thousand different Hindu festivals. {1}

As in most ancient religions, many of the Hindu holidays are based on the cycle of nature. They mark the change of seasons, celebrate the harvest, and encourage fertility of the land. Others are dedicated to a particular deity, such as Shiva or Ganesh. Still other popular holidays commemorate events in the lives of Rama or Krishna. In addition to the major Hindu festivals that are celebrated throughout India, many regional festivals are also held in honor of various deities.

In general, Hindu festivals "are intended to purify, avert malicious influences, renew society, bridge over critical moments, and stimulate or resuscitate the vital powers of nature." They include a wide variety of rituals, including worship, prayer, processions, magical acts, music, dancing, lovemaking, eating, drinking, and feeding the poor. {2}

Major festivals likely to be observed by most Hindus are:

• Holi - festival of colors and spring (February-March)
• Mahashivaratri (Shiva Ratri) - night sacred to Shiva (February-March)
• Rama Navami - birthday of Lord Rama (April)
• Krishna Jayanti - birthday of Lord Krishna (July-August)
• Raksābandhana - renewing bonds between brothers and sisters (July-August)
• Kumbh Mela - pilgrimage every 12 years to four cities in India (July-August; last one 2003)
• Ganesha-Chaturthi (Ganesha Utsava) - festival of Ganesh (August-September)
• Dassera - victory of Rama over demon king Ravana (September-October)
• Navaratri - festival of Shakti (in Bengal) or Rama's victory over Ravana (South India) (September-October)
• Diwali - festival of lights and Laksmi (September-October)

The entire link from which this subject is taken can be found at:  http://www.religionfacts.com/hinduism/holidays.htm

As a Marine it is important to recognize the holidays of such a big chunk of the human population, especially when religion is involved.

The island of Bali in the Indonesian archipelago is such an example of a primarily Hindu island as history has sorted out.