India celebrates innumerable fairs &
festivals throughout the year. Some of the major festival are :
January :-
»
Republic Day - 26th January (national holiday)
» Makar Sankranti - Both Makar Sankranti and Pongal
falls in the same. Makar Sankranti is a harvest festival and generally
celebrated in almost all the parts of India in various ways with various
names. In Tamil Nadu it is known as Pongal and celebrated for 4 days
continuously. Makar Sankranti is celebrated on the 14th & 15th of
January every year.
February :-
» Goa Carnival - One of the most popular festivals
of India, the Goa carnival is a three-day fest. This festival of Goa usually
starts off on Sabado Gordo (Fat Saturday) and concludes on Shrove Tuesday
(Fat Tuesday)-the eve of Ash Wednesday, which is the first day of the season
of Lent. Mid feb
March :-
Holi & Mahashivratri is generally celebrated in the month of Falgun of
the Hindu Calendar, that from mid February to mid March of English Calendar.
» Holi - Holi is the festival of colours, in which
people all over India play with abir (colours) and throw colours at each
other and also apply some on each others face. This is one of the major
festivals in India
» Mahashivaratri - In Mahashivaratri people
celebrates Lord Shiva's marriage with Goddess Parvati. This festival is
celebrated throughout India, mostly north, east and west.
April :-
»
Baishakhi - Baishakhi is celebrated all over India, but in different
ways. Basically, Baisakhi is a harvest festival and at some parts of India
it is also celebrated as a New Year.
May :-
» Buddha Purnima - Ladakh celebrates numerous
festivals in its various monasteries and gompas throughout the year. But
Buddha Purnima is celebrated in the month of May every year here. As this
was the Day of Lord Buddha's Birth, Enlightenment and Mahaparinirvana, it is
the most auspicious day for the Buddhists and is celebrated all over the
world. Buddha Purnima is also very auspicious day for the Hindus, as Lord
Buddha is also believed to be the reincarnation of one of the Hindu
trinities - Lord Vishnu.
June :-
» Hemis Tse-chu and Lamayuru Kab-gyat Festivals - 14
days - June - July, both are celebrated in Ladakh.
July :-
» Hemis Tse-chu and Lamayuru Kab-gyat Festivals in
Ladakh - 14 days - June - July
» Karsha Gu-stor Festivals in Ladakh - 15 days -
July
» Korzok Gu-stor Festival in Ladakh - 15 days -
July - August
» Rath Yatra - Rath Yatra or Car Festival though
celebrated all over India, it originated in Jagannath Puri on the eastern
coast. of India. Every year the deities of Jagannath Mandir - Lord Krishna,
Balaram and Subhadra - are traditionally installed on huge and heavily
decorated chariots. Devotees in large numbers from all the parts of the
globe come here to pull the chariots in a yatra (procession) through the
streets to the Gundicha Temple, known as the home of Lord Krishna's aunt.
August :-
»
Independence Day - 15th August
» Korzok Gu-stor Festival in Ladakh - for 15 days -
July or August at Ladakh
» Amarnath Yatra - Continues for one month in the
month of Sravan (mid July to mid August) of the Hindu Calendar. The trip
(yatra) starts from Delhi to Amarnath Caves and then back to Delhi. Devotees
take this yatra to pay obeisance at the Ice Shiva Linga in the Caves of
Amarnath.
» Teej - Teej is celebrated in many part of India
and specially in north India, but it is best celebrated in Rajasthan. The
festival is celebrated in the first week of August.
September :-
» Ladakh Festival - 17 days - September
» Onam - Onam is the most important harvest
festival of Kerala. It is celebrated in the Malayalam month Chingam (ending
of August and beginning of September).
» Ganesh Chatturthi - Ganesh Chatturthi is the
birthday of Lord Ganesh, the son of Shiva & Parvati. Mostly celebrated
in the state of Maharashtra.
October :-
» Durga Puja - Durga Puja is generally celebrated
in the eastern part of India. This festival is celebrated by the Bengalis
all over India, and largely celebrated in the state of West Bengal. Durga
Puja is continuously celebrated for 9 days and the last five days are
celebrated with much fun and fair. All the nine days are observed as
Navratra all over India and the last day or the 10th day is celebrated as
Vijaya Dashmi in West Bengal and as Dussera in the rest of India.
November :-
» Deepawali - This is the festival of lights and
celebrated all over the country, when people decorate their houses with
lights and burst crackers all throughout the night.
» Pushkar Fair - This is the largest cattle fair in
the world celebrated in the Pushkar in Rajasthan during the full moon day of
the month of November. This festival is celebrated for a week and numerous
cultural and regional events takes place to entertain the visitors. Hindu
devotees visit Pushkar to take a holy dip in the sacred Pushkar lake and
also to pay obeisance at the only temple of Lord Brahma in the world located
at Pushkar.
» Guru Nanak Jayanti - The Sikhs commemorate the
birth of the founder of their religion, Guru Nanak, according to the Indian
lunar calendar. The celebrations last three days, with processions, music
and long prayer sessions in the Gurdwaras, the Sikh temples.
December :-
» Xmas - During the Xmas or Christmas, Christians
all over the country commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ, who was born on
this day.
» New Year Eve - The New Year's Eve is celebrated
with fun and frolic on the night of 31st December every year, which
continues till the arrival of the 1st day of the next year.
