Who doesn't love samosas and groups of friends? Hindi Indian festivals, especially Navaratri and Diwali, are built upon these yearly traditions of inviting families and friends for food and celebration, and the sense of community that this time of year brings to everyone is amazing. To celebrate the start of the festival season for Indians around the world, here are 11 things that any Indian can relate to during this time of year!

1. You can't eat a lot of food at each house you visit.

If you do, you won't have enough room for dinner! The last house of the day is usually in the evening, and it's considered the place where you have dinner for the night. Every auntie will want you to eat her food when you come over, so to make sure that you're being fair to everyone, you only have half a roti or only two scoops of rice!

2. If you can sing, you're required to sing.

Singing is something Indians love to do — even when they're not good at it. The people at the party will constantly tell you that because you're blessed with superior vocal cords, you have to use them! It's still always fun to sing because you can show off what you've worked hard for, and you're guaranteed to grab everyone's attention while doing so.

3. You have to have a whole closet of clothes ready.

Every day is a new party when Navaratri rolls around, and those nine days seem like the most stressful time of your life. Your mother will constantly nag you to put on nice clothes, so to avoid the scolding beforehand, you come prepared. Good for you! At least you can spend more time lounging around before actually getting ready to go out.

4. Half the people you meet are strangers who you have to pretend to know.

It turns out that the guy you just talked to was your second cousin, and you didn't even know you had one! You have to be careful when strangers approach you because the first thing they'll ask is, "Do you remember me?" Say "yes!" You don't have to know who they are, but at least you won't have to say anything afterward when they immediately begin to talk about how they knew you when you were a baby.

5. The crowds can be suffocating at times.

They're suffocating in a good way, though. You have to navigate your way carefully through the room to reach the other end with all of your limbs still intact, and you'll definitely stop halfway through your journey to say "hi" to some auntie that claims to have seen you somewhere but can't remember. Just breathe when you get to the restroom so that you can survive the rest of the night.

6. The neighbors hate you during this time of year.

Your neighbors are probably not Indian, so they'll hate you when the festival season begins. With the endless line of cars outside the house and the loud noise coming from inside, they'll be itching to barge in and complain. That's their problem because these people and noise are not going away anytime soon.

7. Finding good parking is never possible.

Going from house to house throughout the night during Navaratri means you're not going to be the first person there each time, and no Indian comes on time to a Diwali celebration. When it comes time to head over, you'll be the last person there. It's a nightmare to park properly in a good spot because the cars don't seem to go away. Eventually, you find yourself parking on the other side of the neighborhood.

8. You only look forward to the gifts at the end.

You get a brown paper bag with gifts inside that include some time of toy or stationary and lots of candy. The candy is the best part, but it's also fun to see what gift you got. Most of the time it's disappointing, but when the present is thoughtful, you fall in love with it.

9. Schoolwork no longer is your first priority — festivals are.

You don't want to go home because it means having to do your schoolwork before the next school day starts. It's not like you're going to do it with how busy you are anyway, so why even worry? You just put it off until the last minute.

10. It's impossible not to compare others' houses to your own.

Is her Navaratri display better than mine? Are people having more fun here than they have at my house? What if everyone hates my party? It's completely natural to assume the worst when you see a great house, but people always have fun when they come over. There's nothing to worry about because your party will also be wonderful.

11. No matter what you say, people will be late.

You're not Indian if you don't come late to a party. This is why you have to tell people to come at five when the party starts at six; they'll always come an hour later than they're told. Don't be worried if people don't show up within the first hour because they're still sitting at home and watching TV until it's mandatory to get ready.