The profusion of legends and the contradictions inherent in them is reflected in festivals too. Travel around the country, and you will hear people tell you a variety of legends involving different gods behind a single festival. Besides, you will also find versions of the same festival being celebrated under different names in different regions.

All this adds that facet of unending novelty and constant change to the strikingly colourful kaleidoscope that is India. You might end up thinking the thought: "The more things change, the more they remain the same", which is something often said about India and its magical agelessness.

With so many holy days and more than 20 major hindu festivals, the calendar should be liberally sprinkled with them. But it isn't so. There is a distinct festival season, which runs from late August through December. This is when there is a fever of celebrations, with a string of important festivals following one another in a rush.

But the major festivals are not the only ones that the people celebrate. Browse through the Hindu almanac, and you will find a mention of holiness or sacredness against almost every day of the year. Most of the lesser festivals are lesser because they have a private rather than public face. There are rituals for phases of the moon, solar and lunar eclipses, days of the week, a person's auspicious star or zodiac sign.

Festival Dates - 2009
Here's a date-wise list of Hindu festivals and religious occasions for 2009 (Saka Era: 1930-31 / Vikram Era: 2065-66).

January
• Lohri: Tuesday, 13-01-2009
• Makarsankranti / Pongal / Tamil New Year / Magha Bihu: Wednesday, 14-01-2009
• Thiruvalluvar Day : Thursday, 15-01-2009
• Mauni Amavasya: Monday, 26-01-2009
• Vasant Panchami / Saraswati Puja: Saturday, 31-01-2009

February
• Thaipusam: Sunday, 08-02-2009
• Maha Shivaratri: Monday, 23-02-2009

March
• Holi: Wednesday, 11-03-2009
• Spring / Vasanta / Chaitra Navaratri begins: Friday, 27-03-2009
• Hindi New Year (Saka Era 1931): Friday, 27-03-2009
• Telugu New Year/ Ugadi / Gudi Padwa/ Cheti Chand: Friday, 27-03-2009

April
• Ramanavami: Friday, 03-04-2009
• Mahavir Jayanti: Tuesday, 07-04-2009
• Hanuman Jayanti: Thursday, 09-04-2009
• Baisakhi / Vishu: Tuesday, 13-04-2009
• Bengali New Year / Bohag Bihu: Wednesday, 15-04-2009
• Akshaya Tritiya: Monday, 27-04-2009

May
• Buddha Purnima / Vaisakhi Purnima: Friday, 08-05-2009

June
• Ganga Dashami / Dussehra: Tuesday, 02-06-2009
• Rath Yatra: Wednesday, 24-06-2009

July
• Guru Purnima / Asadha Purnima: Tuesday, 07-07-2009

August
• Raksha-Bandhan: Wednesday, 05-08-2009
• Krishna Janmashtami: Friday, 14-08-2009
• Indian Independence Day: Saturday, 15-08-2009
• Ganesh/Vinayak Chaturthi: Sunday, 23-08-2009

September
• Onam: Wednesday, 02-09-2009
• Shikshak Divas / Teacher's Day: Saturday, 05-09-2009
• Pitr-Paksha begins: Saturday, 05-09-2009
• Vishwakarma Puja: Thursday, 17-09-2009
• Mahalaya: Friday, 18-09-2009
• Pitr-Paksha ends: Friday, 18-09-2009
• Navaratri begins: Saturday, 19-09-2009
• Durga Puja begins (Maha Saptami): Friday, 25-09-2009
• Navaratri ends: Sunday, 27-09-2009
• Vijaya Dashami/Dusshera: Monday, 28-09-2009

October
• Gandhi Jayanti: Friday, 02-10-2009
• Lakshmi Puja / Sharad Purnima: Saturday, 03-10-2009
• Valmiki Jayanti: Sunday, 04-10-2009
• Karwa Chauth: Thursday, 08-10-2009
• Dhanteras: Thursday, 15-10-2009
• Chhoti Diwali: Friday, 16-10-2009
• Diwali: Saturday, 17-10-2009
• Kali Puja: Saturday, 17-10-2009
• Naraka Chaturdasi: Saturday, 17-10-2009
• Govardhan Puja: Sunday, 18-10-2009
• Vikram New Year 2066: Sunday, 18-10-2009
• Bhai Dooj / Bhai Phota / Bhav-Bij: Monday, 19-10-2009
• Chhat Puja: Saturday, 24-10-2009

November
• Guru Nanak Jayanti: Monday, 02-11-2009