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| India is
a land of great diversity which is uncomparable
to any part of the world. The Indian calendar
is a long procession of festivals; if you
can find yourself in the right place at the
right time, it is possible to go through your
visit with a festival each day. You can witness
and participate in many festivals throughout
the year. Some are celebrated all over India
and some are celebrated in different States
of India. Different festivals are celebrated
in different colourful costumes and traditions.
Some of the most popular festivals amongst
westerners are Nagaur Fair, Pushkar Fair,
Desert Festival in Jaisalmer and Elephant
Polo in Jaipur Rajasthan. Kullu Dusshera in
Kullu Manali and Almora Dusshera in Uttaranchal.
Snake Boat Race in Kerala backwaters. Some
of the Festivals like Deepawali and Raksha
Bandhan are celebrated throughout the country.
Every region, every religion has something
to celebrate. Below is a selection of the
major ones – |
| January-
February Fairs & Festivals |
Sankranti
/ Pongal: Mainly Tamil Nadu, Andhra
Pradesh and Karnataka. 3 days and colourful:
Tamil harvest festival
Republic
Day: National: establishment of
Republic 1950. 26th January. Grand Military
Parade and Procession of dancers etc. Delhi
.
Vasant Panchami: National
(Mainly in the Eastern region): Hindu - dedicated
to Saraswati the beautiful Goddess of Learning.
Women wear yellow saris.
Floating
Festival: Madurai : Birthday of local
17th century ruler; elaborately illuminated
barge carrying decorated temple deities at
the Mariamman Teppakulam Pool amidst chanting
hymns. |
| February-March
Fairs & Festivals |
Shivaratri:
National: Solemn worship of Hindu
deity, Lord Shiva. Fasting and chanting. Special
celebrations at Chidambarum, Kalahasti, Khajuraho,
Varanasi and Bombay.
Holi:
Mainly northern, popularly called the festival
of colors. Advent of Spring. Lively and much
throwing of coloured water and powders. Public
Holiday.
Mardi Gras: Goa
: Mainly three days during lent. Unique celebrations
at this carnival.
Ramnavami:
National: Birth of Rama, incarnation
of Vishnu. No processions. Plays and folk
theaters.
Mahavir Jayanti: National:
Jain festival; birth of Mahavira, the 24th
and last Tirthankara. Easter: Good Friday
/ Easter Sunday National. |
| March-April
Fairs & Festivals |
| Kumbh
Mela: The oldest and most important
of the Hindu festivals. It takes place every
three years, at one of the four great holy
cities; Nasik in Maharashtra , Ujjain (MP),
Prayag ( Allahabad ) and Hardwar (both in
UP). It is attended by Kumbh Mela: The oldest
and most important of the Hindu festivals.
It takes place every three years, at one of
the four great holy cities; Nasik in Maharashtra
, Ujjain (MP), Prayag ( Allahabad ) and Hardwar
(both in UP). It is attended by millions of
pilgrims who take a holy dip in the sacred
Ganges River . |
| April-May
Fairs & Festivals |
Baisakhi:
Northern India , West Bengal and
Tamil Nadu; Hindu Solar New Year. Bhangra
dancing. Women wear yellow saris.
Pooram:
Trichur: New Moon. Spectactular
sight of large number of elephants carrying
ceremonial umbrellas going round the temple;
midnight fireworks display.
Id-Ul-Zuha
(Bakrid): Muslim, National: The
most celebrated Islamic festival in India
, commemorating the sacrifice of Abraham.
Id-Ul-Fitr (Ramzan Id):
Muslim, National: Celebration to mark the
end of the month of Ramadan. Meenakshi Kalyanam:
Madurai . Marriage of Meenakshi with Lord
Shiva. Colourful temple festival. Deities
borne by colossal chariot. Ten day festival.
Fair: Rajasthan: Urs Ajmer
Sharif. Ajmer , 6 days. Religious cultural
and commercial extravaganza dedicated to the
Sufi. Music; no procession. |
| June-July
Fairs & Festivals |
| Rath
Yatra: Mainly Orissa. Greatest temple
festival in honour of Lord Jagannath (Lord
of the Universe). Three colossal chariots
drawn from Puri temple by thousands of pilgrims.
Similar festivals, on a smaller scale, take
place at Ramnagar (near Varanasi ), Serampore
(near Calcutta ) and Jagannathpur (near Ranchi
) |
| July-August
Fairs & Festivals |
Teej:
Rajasthan- Particularly Jaipur:
Procession of the Goddess Parvati to welcome
monsoon; elephants, camels, dancers etc. Women
wear green saris. Colourful.
Raksha
Bandhan: Northern and Western India
. Legendary reenactment, girls tie rakhis
or talisman to men's wrists. Colourful build
up.
Naag Panchami:
Mainly Jodphur, Rajasthan and Maharashtra
. Dedicated to the green thousand-headed mythical
serpent called Sesha. The day is also observed
in many other parts of Western and Eastern
India.
Amarnath Yatra:
Hindu: Lidder Valley , Kashmir at full moon.
Pilgrims visit the place where Lord Shiva
explained the secret of salvation to his consort
Parvati. |
| August-September
Fairs & Festivals |
Independence
Day: (15th August). National: Independence
Day. Prime Minister delivers address from
Delhi 's Red Fort.
Janmashtami:
National, particularly Agra , Bombay
and Mathura ; Lord Krishna's birthday. Onam:
Kerala's Harvest Festival; spectacular snake
boat races in many parts of Kerala.
Ganesh
Chaturthi: Mainly Pune, Orissa,
Bombay , Madras , dedicated to the elephant-headed
God Ganesh. Giant models of the deity processed
and immersed in water. Colourful, and a particularly
worth visiting on the Day of immersion at
Bombay. |
| September-october
Fairs & Festivals |
Dussehra:
National: The most popular festival
in the country, celebrated in different ways
in different parts of the country. In the
north and particularly in Delhi (where it
is known as Ram Lila), plays and music recall
the life of Rama; in Kulu, the festival is
also very colourful celebrated. In Bengal
and many parts of Eastern India it is known
as Durga Puja, and in the South as Navaratri.
Fair, Himachal Pradesh: Kulu
Valley to coincide with Dussehra (10 days).
Gandhi Jayanti: National: Mahatma Gandhi's
birthday. No processions.
Diwali:
National: One of the most lively
and colourful festivals in India . In some
parts, it marks the start of the Hindu New
Year. In Eastern India , the goddess Kali
is particularly worshipped; elsewhere, it
is Lakshmi, the goddess of prosperity, who
is venerated. Everywhere there are magnificent
illuminations and fireworks.
Gurpurab:
Mainly in northern India . Anniversaries
of ten gurus, spiritual teachers or preceptors
of Sikhism. No procession. |
| November
Fairs & Festivals |
Muharram:
Muslim. Commemoration of Imam Hussain's
martyrdom. Tiger dancers lead processions
of colourful replicas of martyr's tomb. Colourful,
particularly at Lucknow.
Bihar
: Largest cattle
fair in the world; 1 month Sonepur, Patna
; on banks of the Ganges.
Pushkar
Mela: Pushkar, near Ajmer , Rajasthan.
Important and colourful. Camel and cattle
fair, attended by Rajputs from miles around.
Camel races and acrobatics etc. |
| December
Fairs & Festivals |
Christmas
Day: National: Most exuberantly
celebrated in Goa , Bombay and Tamil Nadu.
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