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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.
Festivals & Fairs
| Jan | Feb
| Mar | April |
May | June | July
| August | Sep
| Oct | Nov | Dec
|
JANUARY / FEBRUARY
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 arnid chanting hymns. |
|
FEBRUARY/MARCH
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. |
|
FEBRUARY / APRIL
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
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
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).
JULY / AUGUST
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 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:
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
Independence Day:
(15th August). National: 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.
SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER
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:
Mahatmas 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
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
Christmas Day:
National: Most exuberantly celebrated in Goa, Bombay and
Tamil Nadu.
Note:
Besides the above festivals there are hundreds of festivals
and fairs which are of regional significance, celebrated
with equal pomp and colour. The most authentic of these
are the following: (1) The Temple Festival in South India,
a list of which if often available at Govt. of India Tourist
Offices, (2) The many festivals at Ladakh in Kashmir. (3)
The many festivals in Rajasthan at a time when a festival
of some kind is either in Progress or about to take place.
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