| Festival | Season | Lifestyle Essence | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | | Oct-Nov | The "Christmas of India." Homes are deep-cleaned, lit with diyas , and loud with firecrackers. It symbolizes light over darkness. | | Holi | March | The festival of colors. Strangers become friends by throwing powdered color and water. It breaks all social barriers of class and caste. | | Eid-ul-Fitr | Variable | Marking the end of Ramadan. Families wear new clothes (often traditional sherwanis and salwar kameez ) and feast on sheer khurma (sweet milk & dates). | | Pongal/Onam | Jan/Aug-Sep | Harvest festivals of the south. The Pongal dish (sweet rice boiled in a pot until it overflows) symbolizes prosperity. |