Views on Valentines Day Celebrations

There are conflicting views on the celebration of Valentine's Day.

Some people still recognise it as a Christian festival. And thus, do not even acknowledge its presence as an event to be marked in a calender year. The people who are critical of Valentines Day have two reasons to back their approach. One is the distinct religious leanings of this celebration. The other is that some people simply find this celebration silly, frivolous and impractical.

Then there are those who are not bothered about the origins of this festival and associate it with rediscovering love and romance. It is to this group of Valentine Day lovers that this day owes its popularity to.

Valentine's Day has also undergone a transformation from a quiet, unassuming observance to a loud commercialized affair. There are different takes on this aspect among the world population. Some people celebrate this day with pomp and gaiety whereas others keep it a private affair.

This approach to festivities of Valentines Day depends on two factors, one of which is the cultural and familial influences, the other is the age factor. There is an age and stage for these celebrations, but then some people never lose their innocent approach to love and life.

Harvest Festivals of India

India is a land that thrives on its primary occupation, agriculture. It is also the backbone of the Indian economy and of the social structure of our country. An agriculturist is dependent on the seasonal changes and the natural reservoir of resources to get a bountiful harvest every season. Thus new beginnings, occasions to celebrate have always been marked around these seasonal climatic changes only.

If we talk with respect to the farming community, the time of harvest is for leisure for the farmers, a time to be spent celebrating a good season gone by or an excellent produce. There are various festivals in India that are marked around the harvest season. Some of these are,

The midwinter festival known as Lohri is celebrated in north India, in Assam it is called Bhogali Bihu, in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar it is known as Sankranti whereas in Andhra Pradesh it is celebrated as Bhogi, when each household puts on display its collection of dolls. Holi in Eastern India is a springtime harvest festival which has more of a religious flavour than in other parts of the country. In Kerala the harvest festival which comes in after the rainy season is called Onam. Pongal is a midwinter harvest festival celebrated by the people of Tamil Nadu.

Though all these festivals have cultural differences, but they do have something in common. All of them signify peace, prosperity and progress. They are also a time for communal celebrations and for family gatherings.