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Hindu festivals are times of joy for all the family.

Festivals

Discover Hindu festivals in this quiz, from colourful celebrations like Diwali and Holi to quieter temple events filled with prayer, music, and offerings.

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Fascinating Fact:

Maha Shivaratri is dedicated to Shiva, when many Hindus keep vigil at night, meditate, and offer water, milk, and leaves to Shiva lingams.

In Specialist Religions Hinduism, festivals mark important stories, seasons, and deities. Learners explore how events such as Diwali, Holi, and Navaratri combine worship, storytelling, food, music, and family traditions.

Key Terms

Festival: A special time of worship and celebration, often linked to a story, season, or deity.
Murti: A sacred image or statue used to focus worship on a particular deity.
Prasad: Food or other offerings first presented to a deity and then shared with worshippers as a blessing.

Frequently Asked Questions (Click to see answers)

What are Hindu festivals and why are they celebrated?

Hindu festivals are special days that remember deities, stories, or natural cycles. They are celebrated to show devotion, teach important values, and bring families and communities together.

How do Hindu families celebrate festivals at home?

Families may clean and decorate the house, light lamps or candles, prepare sweets, perform puja to a deity, tell stories, sing songs, and share food with relatives and neighbours.

What might I see at a Hindu festival in a temple?

In a temple you might see colourful decorations, murtis dressed with flowers, priests leading puja, people offering prasad, music, chanting, and sometimes processions around or outside the building.

Try These Related Quizzes

1 .

The beginning of the year in January marks the celebration of the Sankranti or Pongal festival. What does this festival celebrate?

The beginning of spring

The New Year

The end of autumn

The harvest

One of the first festivals in the Hindu religion, falling in the month of January (usually on January 14th or 15th), is the festival of Sankranti or Pongal. This festival is celebrated to mark the harvesting of crops by farmers. It is also celebrated to mark the change in direction of the sun, from 'Dakshinayana' (South) to 'Uttarayana' (North). The Sun God is worshipped on this occasion

2 .

One of the most important festivals is Holi. Which of these best describes the festival?

A celebration of the creation of the universe

A festival of colours

A celebration of the continuation of the universe

A festival of sounds

The festival of 'Holi' is celebrated as the festival of colours. According to legend, Lord Krishna killed a demoness named Holika and the festival is celebrated to mark this occasion. It takes place on the occasion of the full moon and is celebrated by playing with colours

3 .

Which one of the Hindu festivals is celebrated by fasting throughout the day and staying awake at night in prayer?

Mahalakshmi Pooja

Gurupoornima

Mahashivarathri

Ananthapadmanabha Vratha

'Mahashivarathri' (meaning the night of Shiva) is a festival dedicated to Lord Shiva, the destroyer in the Hindu trinity of Gods (the other two gods in the trinity being Brahma the creator and Vishnu the preserver). This festival is celebrated by offering prayers to Lord Shiva and by observing fasting. Devotees do not sleep at night and instead spend time praying to the Lord. Devotees break their fast the next day after offering prayers at a Shiva temple

4 .

While the 1st of January is New Year's Day according to the Gregorian Calendar, in the Hindu calendar the beginning of a new year usually falls in the month of April. What is the name of the Hindu New Year Festival?

Yugadi

Buddha Poornima

Chhath

Vasant Panchami

Yugadi (which means start of an era), or Ugadi as it is also called, is the New Year festival. The first month in the Hindu calendar is called 'Chaitra' and the first day of this month is celebrated as New Year. People celebrate this festival by reading out the 'Panchanga' (calendar) and by visiting temples and having a sumptuous repast. In some parts of India it is celebrated as 'Gudi Padwa'

5 .

Onam is an important festival celebrated mostly in which Indian state?

Bihar

Andhra Pradesh

Kerala

Maharashtra

Onam is a festival celebrated primarily in the state of Kerala. The people of Kerala regard a legendary character, Bali, as their King. According to legend, Bali was banished to the netherworlds by Lord Vishnu (in the avatar of Vamana). The festival of Onam is celebrated to mark the return of King Bali. The people of Kerala celebrate the festival by visiting temples and preparing a special meal (known as 'Onamsadhya'). In some parts of Kerala, the festival is celebrated by having boat races, which are a popular tourist attraction

6 .

Ramanavami is another important Hindu festival dedicated to the god Rama. Why is this festival celebrated?

To mark the birth of Lord Rama

To mark the marriage of Lord Rama to Sita

To mark the victory of Lord Rama over Ravana

To mark the coronation of Lord Rama as King

'Ramanavami' is celebrated to mark the birth of Lord Rama, who is considered an avatar (incarnation) of Lord Vishnu. Navami is the ninth day of the month and Rama is supposed to have been born on a Navami. Ramanavami is celebrated by preparing Panaka (a juice prepared with jiggery (cane sugar) and musk melon) and Kosambri (a salad made from cucumber). People visit the temple of Rama and offer prayers to celebrate this day

7 .

Janmashtami is a popular festival celebrated to mark the birth of which Hindu God?

Yama

Surya

Rama

Krishna

The birth of Lord Krishna is celebrated as 'Janmashtami'. This festival takes place during the month of Shravana. According to legend, Lord Krishna was born on the eighth day of the month of Shravana after the full moon. People celebrate the occasion by visiting the temple of Lord Krishna

8 .

One of the popular festivals in September/October is celebrated for nine nights and ten days. By what two names is this festival known in Mysore?

Ananthapadmanabha and Vratha

Navarathri and Dussehra

Vasant and Panchami

Andhra and Pradesh

Dussehra (Dasara) or Navarathri is celebrated to mark the victory of good over evil. The goddess Shakti is worshipped in many forms during this festival. The ninth day of the festival is celebrated as 'Mahanvami' to mark the killing of the demon Mahisha by the goddess Durga. It is also celebrated as 'Ayudha Pooja', during which day weapons are worshipped. The tenth day of the festival is celebrated as 'Vijayadashami' to mark the killing of the demon Ravana by Lord Rama

9 .

Ganesh Chaturthi is an important festival dedicated to Lord Ganesha. This is one of the most important Hindu festivals and is celebrated by preparing which sweet dish?

Cake

Rasagolla

Kheer

Modaka

Lord Ganesha is considered to be the first of all gods and is worshipped as 'Vigneshwara' or the remover of obstacles. The festival of Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated on the fourth day of the month of Bhadrapada. This festival is celebrated in a grand manner, with people installing statues of Lord Ganesha and performing poojas (rituals) and praying to the Lord.

Modaka is a sweet dish made of flour with a sweet filling in it. The dish is supposed to be a favourite of Lord Ganesha and is prepared during the festival. The festival is especially popular in Mumbai. Bal Gangadha Tilak, a famous Indian leader, started the practice of public celebration of this festival as a method of uniting people against the British during the time of British rule

10 .

Pancha Ganapati is a five day festival which takes place between the 21st and the 25th of December. To which god is the festival in honour?

Shiva

Vishnu

Brahma

Ganesha

Pancha Ganapati is a modern festival created in 1985 as a Hindu alternative to Christmas. It is not very popular in India, being founded by a Western convert Sivaya Subramuniyaswami (Robert Hansen) who was based in Hawaii

Author: Siddarth Bhattacharjee (Respected Hindu Scholar and Educator)