Introduction
- Festivals are occasions that offer people a chance to celebrate together. Complete the given web chart by writing the names of the festivals (national and international), celebrated during the first six months of the year.
Here’s a completed web chart with major festivals celebrated in the first six months of the year:
📅 January
- New Year’s Day (International – Jan 1)
- Lohri (India – Jan 13)
- Makar Sankranti / Pongal (India – Jan 14/15)
- Republic Day (India – Jan 26)
- Chinese New Year (varies, often Jan/Feb)
📅 February
- Vasant Panchami (India)
- Maha Shivratri (India – varies)
- Valentine’s Day (International – Feb 14)
- Losar (Tibetan New Year)
📅 March
- Holi (India)
- International Women’s Day (Mar 8)
- Ramadan (start varies; sometimes March)
- Hina Matsuri (Japan – Mar 3)
📅 April
- Good Friday / Easter (Christian festivals – vary)
- Baisakhi (India – Apr 13/14)
- Ram Navami (India)
- Hanuman Jayanti (India)
- Earth Day (Apr 22)
📅 May
- Eid-ul-Fitr (Islamic – date varies)
- Buddha Purnima (India)
- Labour Day (May 1 – International)
📅 June
- World Environment Day (June 5)
- Rath Yatra (India – Odisha)
- Father’s Day (3rd Sunday of June – International)
Summary: Hina Matsuri (Japan)
- Hina Matsuri (also called Doll Festival or Girls’ Day) is celebrated on March 3 in Japan.
- It is dedicated entirely to girls.
- Japanese families display special dolls that represent values like calmness and dignity.
- A purification ceremony is held, where people transfer illness or bad luck to the dolls.
- At Awashima Shrine, the ceremony of Nagashi-Bina is held: dolls are placed in boats and floated out to sea after prayers, believed to carry away misfortunes.
Beliefs Associated with Hina Matsuri (Fill-in Ideas)
Complete this based on the passage:
- Illness or misfortune can be transferred to dolls.
- Dolls are used to set an example of ideal values (like dignity).
- Floating the dolls away in boats symbolizes purification and sending misfortune away to the “country of the gods.”