Fairs and Festivals in India

India is a land of charm and colours. These colours can be best seen in its fairs and festivals in living form. They form an unbreakable part of Indian culture and always have remained a great source of Unity and integrity of the land of great diversities. One can see, the men, women and young boys and girls at its best, participating in large numbers to celebrate the festivals. The spirit of enjoyment and to live life at its best whether rich or poor is best seen at the time of festivity in India.

The vast nation gives a message of living life by enjoying every moment and to make each moment very special and memorable.

Some famous festival of India according to months is as below:

JANUARY / FEBRUARY

Makar Sankranti - is the time of the year when the Sun enters Capricorn. It's a time of great festivities throughout the nation with people taking a dip in the holy rivers and seas. In most of the areas of Gujrat and Rajasthan, people celebrate this festival by flying coloured kites. There is special cuisine of winters – the sweets prepared by Til and snacks prepared by flour of pulses/lentils.

Pongal - mainly held in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. A 3-days colourful Tamil harvest festival.

Republic Day - held on 26th January every year as a national festival to celebrate formation of Indian Republic. A grand Parade is held in Delhi at Janpath which shows live culture and arms and ammunition of Indian army with live dances and cultural shows.

Vasant Panchami - It is a Hindu festival dedicated to Saraswati the Goddess of Learning. It marks beginning of the season of Vasant – or Spring. The mother nature is at its best in this season. There are beautiful flowers blooming all over. In some cities, people wear yellow clothes to celebrate this festival.

Nagaur Cattle Fair - is held in Nagaur in the State of Rajasthan. Essentially an animal fair, it provides an opportunity to participate in some of the local sports.

FEBRUARY / MARCH

Shivaratri – The festival is dedicated to Lord shiva and his wife Parwati – as their wedding anniversary. It's a day of fasting for devout Hindus. Special celebrations are held in Shiva temples throughout the country like Chidambaram, Kalahasti, Khajuraho, Varanasi and Bombay.

Holi - celebrated mainly in North India, this is a very popular festival of colours. It marks the advent of Spring. Lively and much throwing of coloured water and powders marks this 2-day festival. This festival is also associated with legends of Lord Krishna.

Mardi Gras - is a 3-day festival held in Goa. The main feature is the Carnival and the gaiety associated with it.

Ram Navami – On this day people celebrate the birth of Rama, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu and the hero of the epic Ramayana. It's a 9-day festival of fasting and is marked by plays and folk theaters.

Mahavira Jayanti - is a National level festival that marks the birth of Mahavira the 24th tirthankar (apostle) of the Jains and the founder of Jainism.

Good Friday / Easter - is celebrated with great enthusiasm in regions with great Christian population. There are special prayers in the churches throughout the country.

Kumbha 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 (Maharashtra), Ujjain (Madhya Pradesh), Prayag or Allahabad and Haridwar (both in Uttar Pradesh). It is attended by millions of pilgrims who take a holy dip in the holy rivers.

APRIL / MAY

Baisakhi - celebrated mostly in North India, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu, this marks the Hindu Solar New Year.

Id-ul-Zuha - or Bakr-id is a Muslim festival celebrated on a National level. It is celebrated to signify the sacrifice of Hazrat Ibrahim who devoted his own son in the worship of Lord. Now, sacrifice of lamb is given in all the muslim homes.

Id-ul-Fitr - is a Muslim festival that marks the end of the month of Ramzan, a month long period of fasting. The day is started with “Zakat” or offerings to the poor like clothes , money and food. Special sweet “Seviyan” is prepared on this day.

Meenakshi Kalyanam - celebrated in Madurai, this festival marks the marriage of goddess Meenakshi (another name of goddess Parvati) with Lord Shiva. It is a colourful 10-day temple festival wherein the deities borne by colossal chariot are taken out on a procession.

Urs - celebrated at Ajmer in the State of Rajasthan is a 6-days religious cultural and commercial extravaganza dedicated to a Sufi saint Khawaja Moin ud din Chishti at the Dargah Sharif.

JUNE / JULY

Rath Yatra - celebrated mainly at Puri in the State of Orissa, is one of the greatest temple festivals in the honour of Lord Jagannath (Lord of the Universe), a form of Vishnu. Three colossal chariots are drawn from the Jagannath 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

Teej – Celebrated particularly in North India – Specially in Rajasthan. The festival marks onset of Monsoon in the region of Rajasthan. There are special dances in the gardens of young ladies. Special Teej procession is there in Jaipur on this occasion.

Raksha Bandhan - is celebrated mostly in North and West India. It's a legendary reenactment of sisters tying colourful 'rakhis' (bracelets of thread) on their brother's wrists.

Amarnath Yatra - is a Hindu pilgrimage journey that takes one to the Amarnath Cave in the Lidder Valley of Kashmir at full moon. Pilgrims visit the place where Lord Shiva explained the secret of salvation to his wife Parvati

Independence Day - celebrated on 15th August every year marks the day when India got her Independence. It's marked by celebrations throughout the countryin schools and colleges. The Prime Minister of India delivers his annual address to the nation at the historic Red Fort.

Janmashtami - celebrated nation wide marks the birth of Lord Krishna. It is a day of fasting, temple celebrations, plays and folk theatres and colourful floats depicting the life and times of Lord Krishna.

Onam - is a harvest festival of the State of Kerala. The main feature being the spectacular snake boat races.

Ganesh Chaturthi - celebrated mainly in the states Maharashtra and Orissa, is dedicated to the elephant-headed God Ganesh. Giant models of the deity are taken out in a procession and immersed in the sea or rivers. It is a colourful festival and worth visiting on the Day of Immersion at Mumbai.

SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER

Dussehra - is a nation wide 10-day festival that is celebrated in different ways in different parts of the country. In the north and particularly in Delhi it is marked by plays known as Ram Lila that recalls the life of Rama and the episodes of the Ramayana. On the 10th day big puppets of Rawana are burnt with crackers. After 20 days of this festival, Festival of Lights – Diwali is celebrated.

Gandhi Jayanti - is a National holiday that marks the birth of Mahatma Gandhi, the Father of the Nation.

Durga Pooja - Durga, the warrior Goddess is worshipped in colourful Puja pandals and the images are taken out in grand procession to the sea or rivers where they are immersed amidst chanting and singing

Diwali - is a nation wide festival that comes after 20 days of Dussehra. It is one of the most lively and colourful festivals in India. In some parts of the country, 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 wealth and prosperity, who is venerated. Everywhere there are magnificent illuminations and fireworks.

Guru purab - is a Sikh festival that commemorates the anniversaries of the ten gurus, spiritual teachers or preceptors of Sikhism.

NOVEMBER

Muharram - is a Muslim festival that remembers Imam Hussain's martyrdom. It is a nation wide celebration particularly colourful in Lucknow, the capital of the State of Uttar Pradesh.

Sonepur Cattle Fair - celebrated in the State of Bihar, this is one of the largest cattle fairs in the world. It's a month long fair held on the banks of the Ganga at the town of Sonepur.

Pushkar Mela - is an annual Cattle Fair held at Pushkar in the State of Rajasthan. It's a colourful fair attended by people from miles around. Camel races, acrobatics and folkdance and music are some of its highlights.

DECEMBER

Christmas - is a nation wide celebrated festival. It is most exuberantly celebrated in Goa, Bombay and South India.

Calendar for Special Fairs in Rajasthan