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India ›› Festivals
and Events |
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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. The
harvest festivals of the south, the immersion of Ganesh
in Bombay, the car Festival of Puri, snake-boat races
in Kerala, Republic Day in Delhi... every region, every
religion has something to celebrate. Below is a selection
of the major ones, but there are countless others; enquire
at local Government of India Tourist Offices for details. |
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Janauary- Feburary |
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- Sankranti / Pongal : Tamil harvest festival.
- Republic Day : establishment of Republic 1950.
26th January. Grand Military Parade and Procession
of dancers etc. Delhi.
- Vasant Panchami : Hindu – dedicated to Saraswati
the beautiful Goddess of Learning. Women wear yellow
saris.
- Floating Festival : Birthday of local 17th century
ruler; elaborately illuminated barge carrying decorated
temple deities at the Mariamman Teppakulam Pool arnid
chanting hymns.
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Feburary- March |
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- Shivaratri : 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:Mainly three days during lent.
Unique celebrations at this carnival.
- Ramnavami : 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.
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March- April |
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- 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.
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April- May |
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- Baisakhi : Northern India, West
Bengal and Tamil Nadu; Hindu Solar New Year. Bhangra
dancing. Women wear yellow saris.
- Pooram : New Moon. Spectactular
sight of large number of elephants carrying ceremonial
umbrellas going round the temple; midnight fireworks
display.
- Id-Ul-Zuha (Bakrid) : 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 :Urs Ajmer Sharif. Ajmer,
6 days. Religious cultural and commercial extravaganza
dedicated to the Sufi. Music; no procession.
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June- July |
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- 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 (nr Varanasi),
Serampore (nr Calcutta) and Jagannathpur (nr Ranchi).
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July- August |
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- Teej : 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 talismen 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 : Lidder Valley, Kashmir at full moon.
Pilgrims visit the place where Lord Shiva explained
the secret of salvation to his consort Parvati.
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August- September |
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- Independence Day : Prime Minister
delivers address from Delhi’s Red Fort.
- Janmastami : 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 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.
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September- October |
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- Dussehra : 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 : Mahatmas Gandhi’s
birthday. No processions.
- Diwali National : One of the most
lively andcolourful 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.
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November |
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- 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.
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December |
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- Christmas Day : Most exuberantly
celebrated in Goa, Bombay and Tamil Nadu
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