India, a secular democracy, having the popultaion of more than 100 crores is a multicultural and multireligious society. The people of different faiths and religions celebrate festivals all through the year. In the larger Indian society, a major role of the festivals is to promote unity in diversity, with emphasis on communal harmony. Every community - Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians,Buddhists, Jains and others have their own festivals and they celebrate the same with great fervor. Festivals are also celebrated to mark changes in the season, such as the advent of spring or the beginning of a rainy spell. Then there are national holidays and celebrations like Independence Day, Republic Day and Gandhi Jayanti. These are the days which are celebrated by members of all communities. In addition to these there are many regional festivals and celebrations which are specific to regional locations and communities.