Among the reasons: There's less competition, the season puts people in a receptive mood, and all those parties and family gatherings overflow with networking opportunities.

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When the property is a "compound" consisting of one big home and a few smaller ones, siblings often set aside the larger property for family gatherings.

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First, the problems: a midweek 4th makes it harder for working folks to travel to take part in family gatherings.

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This tradition is still a part of everyday life and festive occasions, including wedding ceremonies, community and family gatherings and religious services.

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ALLAHABAD, India (AP) Anxious relatives were searching for missing family members Monday in a northern India city that is home to one of the world's largest religious gatherings, unsure if their loved ones were caught in a stampede that killed 36 people or had simply gotten lost among the tens of millions of pilgrims.

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