The Interplay of Religious Festivals Diwali and Eid in Shaping National and Ethnic Identity Concepts of the Indian Society

Enayatullah Dadman; Anjali  Patel

doi:10.55927/ijcs.v2i1.11996

Authors

Enayatullah Dadman Education Faculty, History Department, Kandahar University
Anjali Patel Department of Cultural Anthropology Institute of Social and Cultural Studies, Anthropological Research and Cultural Heritage

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.55927/ijcs.v2i1.11996

Keywords:

Diwali, Ethnic Identity, Eid, Festivals, National Identity

Abstract

This study explores the interplay of religious festivals, specifically Diwali and Eid, in shaping national and ethnic identity concepts within Indian society. The objective of this research was to analyse how Diwali, predominantly celebrated by Hindus, and Eid, central to the Muslim community, contribute to both national unity and ethnic distinctiveness in India. Using a qualitative comparative study approach, archival research and media content analysis were conducted to examine the broader socio-political narratives surrounding these festivals. Findings revealed that Diwali is closely tied to the construction of Hindu identity and is often intertwined with Indian national identity, promoting a sense of unity. Eid, on the other hand, reinforced ethnic and religious identity among Muslims, fostering community cohesion while simultaneously highlighting the complexities of belonging within the larger national framework. The study concludes that both Diwali and Eid play critical yet contrasting roles in shaping India’s multi-layered identity, with Diwali promoting a homogenizing national identity and Eid emphasizing religious distinctiveness.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Andersson, T. D., & Lundberg, E. (2013). Commensurability and sustainability: Triple impact assessments of a tourism event. Tourism Management, 37, 99–109. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2012.12.015

Arcodia, C., & Whitford, M. (2006). Festival attendance and the development of social capital. Journal of Convention and Event Tourism, 8(2), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1300/J452v08n02_01

Ahmed, S. (2014). Muslim Identity in India: The Case of Eid Celebrations. Journal of South Asian Studies, 14(2), 115-130.

Ballantyne, J., Ballantyne, R., & Packer, J. (2014). Designing and managing music festival experiences to enhance attendees’ psychological and social benefits. Musicae Scientiae, 18(1), 65–83. https://doi.org/10.1177/1029864913511845

Bhargava, R. (2015). Hinduism and the Indian National Identity. Social Sciences Review, 22(4), 234-250.

Cheng, H., Liu, Q., & Bi, J. W. (2021). Perceived crowding and festival experience: The moderating effect of visitor-to-visitor interaction. Tourism Management Perspectives, 40(August), 100888. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tmp.2021.100888

Choudrie, J., Junio, C., & Mckenna, B. (2018). Citation for published version : Document Version : This is the Accepted Manuscript version . Copyright and Reuse : 47(September), 0–64.

Dragin-Jensen, C., Kwiatkowski, G., Hannevik Lien, V., Ossowska, L., Janiszewska, D., Kloskowski, D., & Strzelecka, M. (2022). Event innovation in times of uncertainty. International Journal of Event and Festival Management, 13(4), 387–405. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJEFM-07-2021-0063

Desai, R. (2016). Pluralism and National Identity: A Study of Religious Festivals in India. Indian Journal of Cultural Studies, 5(3), 89-101.

Fatima, S. (2019). The Politics of Eid in India: A Reflection of Muslim Identity. Muslim World Journal, 8(1), 22-40.

Guha, R. (2007). India After Gandhi: The History of the World's Largest Democracy. HarperCollins Publishers.

Haji Ishak, M. S. (2010). Cultural and Religious Festivals: the Malaysian Experience. Journal of Southeast Asian Studies (JATI), 15(1), 97–111. http://irep.iium.edu.my/5412/

Hirshleifer, J., Glazer, A., & Hirshleifer, D. (2012). The Nature and Scope of Economics. Price Theory and Applications, 5(1), 3–26. https://doi.org/10.1017/cbo9780511813382.002

Jong, D. (2020). Http://Eprints.Gla.Ac.Uk/212469/. 11(March), 277–295.

Lee, I., Arcodia, C., & Lee, T. J. (2012). Benefits of visiting a multicultural festival: The case of South Korea. Tourism Management, 33(2), 334–340. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2011.04.001

Menon, R. (2017). Festivals as National Symbols: The Case of Diwali in Modern India. Journal of Political Culture, 12(1), 73-88

Ninan, J. (2018). Religion and Community Identity in India: A Focus on Festivities. South Asian Religious Studies Review, 20(2), 150-170.

Parkes, R., Graham-Kevan;, Nicola;, & Bryce, J. (2007). Central Lancashire Online Knowledge (CLoK). 49, 277–289. https://clok.uclan.ac.uk/25304/

Quinn, B., Colombo, A., Lindström, K., McGillivray, D., & Smith, A. (2021). Festivals, public space and cultural inclusion: public policy insights. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 29(11–12), 1875–1893. https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2020.1858090

Qureshi, M. (2021). Eid and Secularism in India: Politics of Religious Celebrations. Political Identity Journal, 17(4), 102-118.

Raghavan, R. (2018). Nationalism and Pluralism: The Role of Religious Festivals in Indian Society. Indian Journal of Political Science, 31(2), 134-145.

Robertson, M., Yeoman, I., Smith, K. A., & Mcmahon-Beattie, U. (2015). Technology, society, and visioning the future of music festivals. Event Management, 19(4), 567–587. https://doi.org/10.3727/152599515X14465748774001

Singh, R. (2011). Diwali: The Festival of Hindu Identity in Contemporary India. Journal of Religious and Cultural Studies, 29(3), 192-205.

Specified, N. (2014). Open Research Online. Choice Reviews Online, 51(06), 51-2973-51–2973. https://doi.org/10.5860/choice.51-2973

Stevenson, N. (2016). Local festivals, social capital and sustainable destination development: experiences in East London. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 24(7), 990–1006. https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2015.1128943

Tanford, S., & Jung, S. (2017). Festival attributes and perceptions: A meta-analysis of relationships with satisfaction and loyalty. Tourism Management, 61, 209–220. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2017.02.005

Ummah, M. S. (2019). No 主観的健康感を中心とした在宅高齢者における健康関連指標に関する共分散構造分析Title. Sustainability (Switzerland), 11(1), 1–14. http://scioteca.caf.com/bitstream/handle/123456789/1091/RED2017-Eng-8ene.pdf?

Weber, K., Yolal, M., Woo, E., Cetinel, F., & Uysal, M. (2012). Comparative research of motivations across different festival products. International Journal of Event and Festival Management, 3(1), 66–80. https://doi.org/10.1108/17582951211210942

Zhang, Y., Xiong, Y., Lee, T. J., Ye, M., & Nunkoo, R. (2021). Sociocultural Sustainability and the Formation of Social Capital from Community-based Tourism. Journal of Travel Research, 60(3), 656–669. https://doi.org/10.1177/0047287520933673