Click the 'Play' button to read out loud this webpage content
According to the Gregorian calendar, the ninth month of the year, September heralds the beginning of the autumn season in the Northern hemisphere. It is spring in the Southern hemisphere. Extracted from the Latin word ‘Septem’ meaning seven, it was originally the seventh month in the oldest of Roman calendars called the calendar of Romulus. September marks the Autumn Equinox in the Northern hemisphere while it is the Vernal Equinox in the Southern hemisphere, heralding the spring season.
India is a country with a divergent population comprising of numerous religions, cultures, communities, languages, traditions, and customs. The festivals celebrated across the country are diverse and reflect the rich and vibrant culture, history, and traditions of the country.
In accordance with the Hindu calendar, most festivals are celebrated based on the position of the Sun and the Moon. The festivals also defer according to the region and have different time zones. Most festivals include some significant days of fasting.
Some Indian festivals generally start around the month of August but can swing into September as it depends whether the calendar chooses the New Moon or Full Moon day as the last day of the month, that corresponds with August or September in the Gregorian calendar, as in Janmashtami, Ganesh Chaturthi, and Onam. Navratri, the grand nine-day festival dedicated to Goddess Durga, commences on the first day and ends on the tenth day of Ashwin (during the bright half of the lunar month), and can fall between September and October.