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Festivals Holidays
and Festivals Holidays
and festivals normally follow the Indian lunar (Vikramaditya) calendar,
and therefore each year they fall on a different day of the normal western
calendar. The calendar is based on lunar months, which begin with the
full moon. The lunar calendar adds a thirteenth month every thirty months
to make sure the months stay the same as the seasons. This system is
57 or 58 years ahead of the Christian calendar. The Ratha-yatra Cart Festival in Puri in June/July features their Lordships Jagannath, Balarama and Subhadra riding on giant decorated temple carts. A half a million people come for this event. The Republic Day Festival in Delhi in January is celebrated with a huge parade. In Kerala, the Nehru Cup Snake Boat Race in Alappuzha (Alleppey) is a popular event on the second Saturday in August. The Dussehra Festival in Mysore in Oct/Nov is a very colorful event. The Festival of the Gods in Kullu in Sept/Oct is an interesting festival. Festival - Place - State Camel
Festival -Pushkar - Rajasthan Magha (Jan-Feb) Makara Sankranti (Pongal) It falls on January 14, which is when the sun is in the zodiac of Makara (Capricorn). This is the day the sun enters the sign of Makara. Makara Sankranti is considered an auspicious day, and people focus on giving charity to the poor and the less fortunate. Pongal is a harvest festival celebrated in Tamil Nadu. The festival is celebrated by processions, decorated cows, chalk designs on the doorways of people’s houses. Pongal, sweet porridge made of rice is distributed, even to the cows. Vasant Panchami and Saraswati Puja Vasant Panchami is a spring festival. On this day worship is done to Saraswati, the wife of Brahma. She is the goddess of knowledge. People wear yellow on this day,. Phalguna (Feb-March) Holi is celebrated on the full moon day in February/March. People celebrate Holi by throwing powdered dye and colored water on each other. This is joyfully celebrated in Braja (the area around Vrindavan), especially in Varsana and Nandagram. Huge bonfires are lit on the eve of Holi, and grains from the new harvest are thrown into the fire. WARNING! You should be careful if you are in India during Holi (Feb/March). During Holi the locals throw a pink dye on everyone they can, and many times it will not come out of your clothes. The more you resist, the more they will try to cover you with dye. If you walk on the street, expect to get covered with dye and to take it with a smile. Many people take great enjoyment in getting covered with dye. Khajuraho Dance Festival Famous dancers and
musicians come from all over India for this interesting festival. Hanuman Jayanti This popular festival celebrates the birth of xe "Hanuman" Hanuman. The deity of Hanuman in temples is given a new coat of paint mixed with ghee (clarified butter). Mahavir Jayanti This festival honors the birth of Mahavira, the founder of Jainism. Vaishaka (April-May) Ratha-yatra Festival This festival is held at Puri in Orissa. Lord Jagannath, Balarama, and Lady Subhadra are pulled on their giant chariots along the main road of Puri. This is a very exciting festival, which is attended by more than half a million people. Lord Jagannath is considered non-different than Lord Krishna. Sravana (July-Aug) Independence Day This holiday celebrates the anniversary of the independence of India from the UK on 15 August 1947. On this day the Prime Minister delivers an address from the walls of the Red Fort in Old Delhi. Balarama’s Appearance Day On this day Lord Balarama
appeared in Gokula near Vrindavan. Radhastami This is the appearance day of Srimati xe "Radharani" Radharani, the consort of Sri Krishna. This is a popular festival in Vrindavan. Ganesh Chaturthi The birth of xe "Ganesh" Ganesh is celebrated on this day. A statue of Ganesh, sometimes 10 metres high, is made of clay, cloth or other substances. It is worshiped for seven to ten days and is then submerged in the sea or in a lake. Sweet-rice pudding, laddoos (sweet flour balls), and coconuts are offered to Ganesh during this festival. Asvina (Sept-Oct) Gandhi Jayanti This is the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi on October 2. There is a prayer meeting at Raj Ghat in Delhi, which is the place where he was cremated. Durga Puja This is one of the most popular festivals in India. It symbolizes victory of good over evil. Durga is the consort of Lord Siva who controls the material energy and punishes the demons. Dussera This festival celebrates the victory of Lord xe "Rama" Rama over Ravana. Ravana is the demon that kidnapped Rama’s wife Sita. This is a 10-day festival, and on the tenth day a large effigy of Ravana is shot and killed (usually burnt) by Rama.Durga’s victory over the buffalo demon, Mahishsura, is also celebrated at the same time. This festival also goes for 10 days. On each night of the first nine days, a different form of Durga is worshiped. On the tenth day, many cities have big parades. The Dussera processions in Mysore and Jaipur are major events. Navaratri This is a nine-day festival. Nava means “nine.” During this festival the three main goddesses are worshiped. On the first three days, Durga is worshiped, then Lakshmi and then Saraswati. The last day of this festival is called Dussera or Vijaya Dasami.In Gujarat, women, and sometimes
men, dance the garbha dance. They dance around in a big circle with
swaying steps and rhythmically clap to the music. It is a big social
and spiritual event. It usually begins in late September when the moon
is almost full. Govardhan Puja (Annakuta Festival) This festival is celebrated during the month of Kartika (Oct/Nov), on the day after Dipawali. This festival celebrates the offering of a mountain of food items to Govardhan Hill by Nanda Maharaja and the residences of Braja. In most of the temples of Vrindavan and Braja, huge quantities of sumptuous food are prepared for this ceremony and are distributed to the general public. Camel Festival The Camel Festival at Pushkar draws a couple hundred thousand people, and a lot of camels too. This festival takes place for three days around the full moon day of Kartika (Oct/Nov). It is considered especially auspicious to bathe in the lake at Pushkar on the full moon day of Kartika. Nanak Jayanti This is the birthday of Guru Nanak,
the founder of the Sikh religion. It is especially celebrated in Amritsar
and the Punjab. Pausa (Dec-Jan) Onam This festival celebrates the memory of the king of the demons, xe "Bali Maharaja" Bali Maharaja. It is a major festival in Kerala. Bali Maharaja was removed as king of the earth by Vamana, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, and he was sent to the underworld. The king is so attached to his subjects that he returns once a year to see them. In Trichur there is a large festival with colorfully decorated elephants. At Kottayam, Aranmula, and Champakulam, there are snake boat races, with large crews of oarsmen rowing to the rhythm of drums and cymbals. Muslim Holidays Id-ul-Fitr This festival celebrates the end of Ramadan. During Ramadan, Muslim fast between sunrise and sunset. Id-u-Zuhara This festival celebrates the day Abraham tried to sacrifice his son. Muharram This 10-day festival celebrates the martyrdom of Imam Hussain, the grandson of Mohammed. Milad-un-Nabi On this day, the birth of Mohammed is celebrated. If you know of a informationthat is not correct or if you would like to help update our listings, please e-mail us at:
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