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Welcome to Lost Paddle Adventure (P)Ltd.
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| INDIA >> Festivals
& 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. |
January-
Feburary |
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Sankranti / Pongal
: Tamil harvest festival.
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Republic Day :
establishment of Republic 1950. 26th January.
Grand Military Parade and Procession of dancers
etc. Delhi.
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Vasant Panchami :
Hindu – dedicated to Saraswati the beautiful
Goddess of Learning. Women wear yellow saris.
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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.
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 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.
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Ramnavami : Birth
of Rama, incarnation of Vishnu. No processions.
Plays and folk theaters.
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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 |
- 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 |
- 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 |
- 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 |
- 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 |
- 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 |
- 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 |
- 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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| Dember |
- Christmas Day : Most exuberantly celebrated
in Goa, Bombay and Tamil Nadu.
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