Festivals Of India 2 — RRB NTPC Static GK

• Given: State and Festival matching.

• Solution:
Step 1: Nuakhai is a major harvest festival of Odisha (new rice).
Step 2: Wangala, known as the '100 Drums Festival', is celebrated by the Garo tribe in Meghalaya.
Step 3: Chapchar Kut is a prominent spring festival celebrated in Mizoram.
Step 4: Losar is a Tibetan New Year festival celebrated in regions like Ladakh, Arunachal Pradesh, and Sikkim, not Tripura.

• Exam Trick: Remember root words: 'Kut' mostly implies Mizoram; 'Khai' (food/eating) points to Odisha; 'Losar' relates to Tibetan Buddhist areas in the Himalayas.

• Final Answer: Meghalaya - Wangala (Option 2)

• Given: Identify the Gregorian overlap for the Hindu month of Chaitra.

• Solution:
Step 1: The Hindu calendar (Saka Samvat and traditional Vikram Samvat) begins its year with the month of Chaitra.
Step 2: Chaitra typically spans from mid-March to mid-April in the Gregorian calendar.
Step 3: This period marks the onset of spring and includes major New Year festivals like Ugadi, Gudi Padwa, and Chaitra Navratri.

• Exam Trick: Remember the sequence: Chaitra (March-April), Vaishakha (April-May). Financial year starts in April, traditional Hindu year starts in March-April.

• Final Answer: March - April (Option 2)

• Given: Identify the New Year festival of Kashmiri Pandits.

• Solution:
Step 1: Navroz is the Parsi (Zoroastrian) New Year.
Step 2: Puthandu is the Tamil New Year.
Step 3: Gudi Padwa is the traditional New Year for Maharashtrians and Konkanis.
Step 4: Navreh is the lunar New Year celebrated in Kashmir by the Kashmiri Pandit community, falling on the first day of the Chaitra Navratri.

• Exam Trick: Do not confuse Navroz (Parsis/Iran) with Navreh (Kashmir). 'Reh' sounds like 'Valley' (Kashmir region).

• Final Answer: Navreh (Option 2)

• Given: Duration of the Chhath Puja festival.

• Solution:
Step 1: Chhath Puja is an ancient Hindu Vedic festival historically native to the Indian subcontinent (especially Bihar, Jharkhand, UP).
Step 2: It spans exactly 4 days.
Step 3: The days are: Day 1 (Nahay Khay), Day 2 (Kharna), Day 3 (Sandhya Arghya - offering to the setting sun), and Day 4 (Usha Arghya - offering to the rising sun).

• Exam Trick: Chhath = 4 letters in Hindi (छ-ठ-पू-जा), though technically a stretch, it helps remember the 4 days. Remember the start (Nahay Khay) and end (Usha Arghya).

• Final Answer: 4 days (Option 3)

• Given: Identify the tribe that celebrates Wangala.

• Solution:
Step 1: Wangala is a post-harvest festival.
Step 2: It is famously known as the '100 Drums Festival' because a large number of long oval-shaped drums are beaten together during the celebration.
Step 3: This festival is native to Meghalaya and is primarily celebrated by the Garo tribe to honor Saljong (the Sun God of fertility).

• Exam Trick: Meghalaya = Khasi, Jaintia, Garo hills. Wangala = Garo tribe.

• Final Answer: Garo (Option 3)

• Given: Identify the festival that is not a harvest festival from the options.

• Solution:
Step 1: Baisakhi (Punjab) is a spring harvest festival.
Step 2: Makar Sankranti marks the end of winter and the beginning of the harvest season (sun moving to Capricorn).
Step 3: Magh Bihu (Assam) is the winter harvest festival.
Step 4: Gudi Padwa is the traditional New Year for Maharashtrians, celebrated in Chaitra (spring), marking the start of the lunar year, not specifically a harvest completion.

• Exam Trick: Gudi Padwa, Ugadi, Navreh, and Puthandu are specifically classified as New Year festivals, while Pongal, Baisakhi, Magh Bihu, and Makar Sankranti are harvest festivals.

• Final Answer: Gudi Padwa (Option 4)

• Given: Identify the animal used in the Kambala race of Karnataka.

• Solution:
Step 1: Kambala is a traditional event sponsored by local Tuluva landlords in the coastal districts of Karnataka.
Step 2: The track used is a slushy paddy field.
Step 3: The participants race with a pair of buffaloes tied to a plough, guided by a farmer.

• Exam Trick: Jallikattu (Tamil Nadu) = Bulls. Kambala (Karnataka) = Buffaloes. Vallam Kali (Kerala) = Boats.

• Final Answer: Buffalo (Option 2)

• Given: Identify the Islamic month of fasting.

• Solution:
Step 1: The Islamic (Hijri) calendar is lunar.
Step 2: The ninth month of this calendar is Ramadan.
Step 3: It is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting (Sawm), prayer, reflection, and community.
Step 4: The festival of Eid-ul-Fitr marks the end of this month.

• Exam Trick: Ramadan = 9th month of Hijri calendar = Fasting month. Eid-ul-Fitr = Festival of breaking the fast (1st day of Shawwal).

• Final Answer: Ramadan (Option 3)

• Given: Find the number of deities worshipped in Kharchi Puja.

• Solution:
Step 1: Kharchi Puja is a prominent Hindu festival of Tripura.
Step 2: The word 'Kharchi' is derived from 'Khya' (earth). It involves the worship of the earth and the dynasty deities of the Tripuri people.
Step 3: Specifically, it is the worship of the 'Chaturdasha Devata', which translates to Fourteen Gods.

• Exam Trick: Kharchi = Tripura = 14 Gods (Chaturdasha). It is celebrated in July at Old Agartala.

• Final Answer: 14 (Option 4)

• Given: The time gap for the Maha Kumbh Mela.

• Solution:
Step 1: A Purna Kumbh (Full Kumbh) is held every 12 years at one of the four sites (Prayagraj, Haridwar, Ujjain, Nashik).
Step 2: An Ardh Kumbh (Half Kumbh) is held every 6 years at Prayagraj and Haridwar.
Step 3: The Maha Kumbh Mela occurs after 12 'Purna Kumbh Melas', which is $12 \times 12 = 144$ years.
Step 4: It is held exclusively at Prayagraj (Sangam). The last one was scheduled for 2013, but the sequence indicates it happens periodically over centuries.

• Exam Trick: Ardh = 6. Purna = 12. Maha = $12 \times 12 = 144$ .

• Final Answer: 144 years (Option 4)