Like any other cosmopolitan metropolis, Kolkata too celebrates several
festivals and occasions like Diwali, Christmas, Bakr-Id
(Id ul zoha), Rath Yatra, Guru Nanak's Birthday, Buddha
Purnima, Doljatra (Holi), Mahavir Jayanti, Nabobarsha
(Bengali New Year), Rabindra Jayanti, Kali Puja, New Year's
Day and Republic Day. Each festival or celebration has its own
characteristic - the fireworks of Diwali or Kali Puja, the
colors of Holi, the chiming church bells of Christmas, the picnics of
New Year's Day, the melodious Rabindra sangeet on Rabindra Jayanti and the
parades of the Republic Day. While many festivals celebrate joy, the
Muharram is a period when Muslims observe a period of mourning , in memory
of the tragedy of 680 AD. when Hazrat Imam Hussain, the grandson of Muhammad
the Prophet was martyred in the battle of Karbala. The tenth day, called
Ashura, is observed as the day for a public expression of their grief and
Taziahs are taken out. Id-ul-Fitr is observed to mark the end the
holy month of Ramazan. Of all the festivals if there is one festival that is
synonymous with Kolkata, then it is the Durga Puja festival.
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