Festivals Of India 1 — RRB NTPC Static GK

• Given: State and Festival matching.

• Solution:
Step 1: Nuakhai is the harvest festival of Odisha (new rice).
Step 2: Wangala, the '100 Drums Festival', is a harvest festival celebrated by the Garo tribe in Meghalaya.
Step 3: Chapchar Kut is a spring festival celebrated in Mizoram.
Step 4: Losar is a Tibetan New Year festival celebrated in regions like Ladakh, Arunachal Pradesh, and Sikkim.

• Exam Trick: Remember root words: 'Kut' mostly means Mizoram; 'Khai' (food) points to Odisha; 'Losar' relates to Tibetan Buddhist areas.

• Final Answer: Meghalaya - Wangala

• Given: Start and end days of the 10-day Onam festival.

• Solution:
Step 1: Onam is celebrated in Kerala over 10 days during the Malayalam month of Chingam.
Step 2: The festival begins with 'Atham' as the first day.
Step 3: It concludes with 'Thiruvonam' as the tenth and most important day.

• Exam Trick: Remember the alphabetical order to an extent: 'A' (Atham) comes first, and 'T' (Thiruvonam) comes towards the end.

• Final Answer: First day: Atham, Tenth day: Thiruvonam

• Given: The Islamic month associated with Eid ul-Fitr.

• Solution:
Step 1: The Islamic calendar is lunar.
Step 2: Eid ul-Fitr is celebrated to mark the end of the holy month of fasting.
Step 3: This month of fasting is Ramadan.
Step 4: Therefore, Eid ul-Fitr marks the end of Ramadan.

• Exam Trick: Eid ul-Fitr = 'Festival of Breaking the Fast', marking the end of the fasting month, Ramadan.

• Final Answer: Ramadan

• Given: An Assertion (A) about Kambala and a Reason (R) explaining its purpose.

• Solution:
Step 1: Evaluate Assertion (A): Kambala is indeed an annual buffalo race held in the southwestern state of Karnataka. So, (A) is true.
Step 2: Evaluate Reason (R): It is traditionally an agricultural festival sponsored by local Tuluva landlords and households in coastal districts. The race is part of a thanksgiving ritual to the gods for a good harvest and to protect the cattle from diseases. So, (R) is true.
Step 3: The reason correctly explains the context and purpose behind the festival mentioned in the assertion.

• Exam Trick: Link Kambala directly to Karnataka and buffaloes. Jallikattu = Tamil Nadu (bulls). Both are agrarian traditions.

• Final Answer: Both A and R are true, but R is NOT the correct explanation of A

• Given: Identification of a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage festival linked to West Bengal.

• Solution:
Step 1: Ramlila is traditional performance of the Ramayana (North India).
Step 2: Kumbh Mela is a mass Hindu pilgrimage (Prayagraj, Haridwar, Ujjain, Nashik).
Step 3: Navroz is the Parsi New Year.
Step 4: Durga Puja is a major festival in West Bengal, recognizing the victory of Goddess Durga over Mahishasura. It was inscribed on the UNESCO list in 2021.

• Exam Trick: Durga Puja is synonymous with West Bengal's cultural identity and is their most globally recognized festival.

• Final Answer: Durga Puja

• Given: A list of festivals to identify those celebrated in Nagaland.

• Solution:
Step 1: Hornbill Festival (Festival of Festivals) is the most famous state-sponsored festival of Nagaland.
Step 2: Moatsu is a festival celebrated by the Ao Naga tribe of Nagaland after the sowing season.
Step 3: Sekrenyi is a major festival of the Angami tribe in Nagaland, focused on purification.
Step 4: Therefore, all three are correct.

• Exam Trick: Remember key Nagaland tribes and their festivals: Ao (Moatsu), Angami (Sekrenyi). Hornbill represents all tribes.

• Final Answer: 1, 2, and 3

• Given: Ritual food with six tastes prepared during Ugadi.

• Solution:
Step 1: Ugadi is the New Year in Karnataka, AP, and Telangana.
Step 2: A special dish made of six ingredients (sweet, sour, salty, bitter, astringent, piquant) is prepared.
Step 3: These six tastes symbolize the different experiences/emotions of life (joy, sadness, anger, fear, disgust, surprise).
Step 4: This dish is called Ugadi Pachadi.

• Exam Trick: The name of the festival is in the dish itself: Ugadi Pachadi. Onasadya is for Onam (Kerala).

• Final Answer: Ugadi Pachadi

• Given: Festival celebrating the menstruation of a goddess and its location.

• Solution:
Step 1: The Ambubachi Mela is an annual Hindu mela held at Kamakhya Temple in Guwahati, Assam.
Step 2: It is celebrated during the monsoon season (Assamese month Ahaar) and is believed to mark the annual menstruation course of goddess Kamakhya.
Step 3: The temple remains closed for three days during this period.

• Exam Trick: Ambubachi is associated with the Kamakhya Temple in Assam, an important Shakti Peetha known for fertility rituals.

• Final Answer: Kamakhya Temple, Assam

• Given: Name of the waxing moon phase in the Hindu calendar.

• Solution:
Step 1: A lunar month consists of two Pakshas (fortnights).
Step 2: The dark fortnight, where the moon wanes (decreases in illumination) from full to new moon, is called Krishna Paksha (Krishna = dark).
Step 3: The bright fortnight, where the moon waxes (increases in illumination) from new to full moon, is called Shukla Paksha (Shukla = bright/white).

• Exam Trick: Relate 'Shukla' (white) to brightness/growing moon, and 'Krishna' (dark/black) to waning moon/darkness.

• Final Answer: Shukla Paksha

• Given: A list of four festivals, find the odd one out based on the theme (New Year).

• Solution:
Step 1: Navreh is the Kashmiri Pandit New Year.
Step 2: Gudi Padwa is the Maharashtrian New Year.
Step 3: Puthandu is the Tamil New Year.
Step 4: Wangala is a harvest festival of the Garo tribe in Meghalaya, not a New Year festival.

• Exam Trick: Identify the core theme. Three are New Years (regional), one is a harvest/tribal festival.

• Final Answer: Wangala