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<p>India is a land of festivals and fairs. Virtually celebrating each day of the year, there are more festivals celebrated in India than anywhere else in the world. Each festival pertains to different occasions, some welcome the seasons of the year, the harvest, the rains, or the full moon. Others celebrate religious occasions, the birthdays of divine beings and saints, or the advent of the New Year. A number of these festivals are common to most parts of India. However, they may be called by different names in various parts of the country or may be celebrated in a different fashion. Some of the festivals celebrated all over India are mentioned below. However, this section is still under enhancement. There are many other important festivals celebrated by various communities in India and this section shall be further enriched with information about them.</p>

<h3>Most Important Festivals:</h3>

<h3>Diwali - Festival of lights. (From International tourist point of view, the Best places to celeberate Diwali is Delhi, Varanasi, Jaipur, Amritsar)</h3>

<p>-    Deepawali or Diwali, is a festival of lights symbolising the victory of righteousness and the lifting of spiritual darkness. The word 'Deepawali' literally means rows of diyas (clay lamps). This is one of the most popular festivals in the Hindu calendar. It is celebrated on the 15th day of Kartika (October/November). This festival commemorates Lord Rama's return to his kingdom Ayodhya after completing his 14-year exile.</p>

<p>-    The most beautiful of all Indian festivals, Diwali is a celebration of lights. Streets are illuminated with rows of clay lamps and homes are decorated with colours and candles. This festival is celebrated with new clothes, spectacular firecrackers and a variety of sweets in the company of family and friends. All this illumination and fireworks, joy and festivity, signify the victory of divine forces over those of wicked.</p>

<p>-    The Goddess Lakshmi (consort of Vishnu), who is the symbol of wealth and prosperity, is also worshipped on this day. In West Bengal, this festival is celebrated as Kali Puja, and Kali, Shiva's consort, is worshipped on the occasion of Diwali.</p>

<p>-    In the South, Deepawali festival often commemorates the conquering of the Asura Naraka, a powerful king of Assam, who imprisoned thousands of inhabitants. It was Krishna who was finally able to subdue Naraka and free the prisoners. To commemorate this event, people in Peninsular India wake before sunrise and make imitation blood by mixing kumkum or vermillion with oil. After crushing underfoot a bitter fruit as a symbol of the demon, they apply the 'blood' triumphantly on their foreheads. They then have ritual oil baths, anointing themselves with sandalwood paste. Visits to temples for prayers are followed by large family breakfasts of fruits and a variety of sweets.</p>

<p>-    Another story of king Bali is attached to the Diwali festival in South India. According to the Hindu mythology, King Bali was a benevolent demon king. He was so powerful that he became a threat to the power of celestial deities and their kingdoms. And Lord Vishnu came as the dwarf mendicant Vamana, to dilute Bali's power. Vamana shrewdly asked the king for land that would cover three steps as he walked. The king happily granted this gift. Having tricked Bali, Vishnu revealed himself in the full glory of his godhood. He covered the heaven in his first step and the earth in his second. Realising that he was pitted against the mighty Vishnu, Bali surrendered and offered his own head, inviting Vishnu to step on it. Vishnu pushed him into the nether world with his foot. In return Vishnu gave him the lamp of knowledge to light up the dark underworld. He also gave him a blessing that he would return to his people once a year to light millions of lamps from this one lamp so that on the dark new moon light of Diwali, the blinding darkness of ignorance, greed, jealousy, lust, anger, ego, and laziness would be dispelled and the radiance of knowledge, wisdom and friendship would prevail. Each year on Diwali day, even today, one lamp lights another and like a flame burning steadily on a windless night, brings a message of peace and harmony to the world.</p>

<h3>Holi– Festival of Colours (Places to celeberate from International tourist point of view are Mathura, Jaipur, Udaipur, Delhi and Goa)</h3>

<p>Holi  is a popular ancient Hindu festival, also known as the "Festival of Love", the "Festival of Colours", and the "Festival of Spring". The festival celebrates the eternal and divine love of Radha and Krishna.</p>

<p>Holi is considered as one of the most revered and celebrated festivals of India and it is celebrated in almost every part of the country. It is also sometimes called as the “festival of love” as on this day people get to unite together forgetting all resentments and all types of bad feeling towards each other. The great Indian festival lasts for a day and a night, which starts in the evening of Purnima or the Full Moon Day in the month of Falgun. It is celebrated with the name Holika Dahan or Choti Holi on first evening of the festival and the following day is called Holi. In different parts of the country it is known with different names.</p>

<p>In Holi people smear each other with colours and drench each other. Water guns and water-filled balloons are also used to play and colour each other. Anyone and everyone is fair game, friend or stranger, rich or poor, man or woman, children, and elders. The frolic and fight with colours occurs in the open streets, parks, outside temples and buildings. Groups carry drums and other musical instruments, go from place to place, sing and dance. People visit family, friends and foes come together to throw coloured powders on each other, laugh and gossip, then share Holi delicacies, food and drinks. In the evening, people dress up and visit friends and family.</p>

<h3>Christmas – Birth of Jesus Christ (Shilong, Mumbai, Kerala, Pondicherry, Goa)</h3>

<p>Christmas originates from the word Cristes maesse, or 'Christ's Mass'. The first Christmas is estimated to be around 336 A.D. in Rome. It is celebrated on 25th December all over the world, to commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. It is regarded as one of the most important of all Christian festivals. It is a public holiday in India and most of the other countries.<br />
There is the widely accepted Christian legend of the New Testament relating to the birth of Christ. In the story, God sent angel Gabriel to a girl named Mary, a virgin. Gabriel told Mary that she would give birth to the Son of God, and the child would be named Jesus. He would grow up to become a king, and his kingdom would have no boundaries.</p>

<p>The angel Gabriel also visited Joseph and told him that Mary would give birth to a child and advised him to take good care of her, and not to abandon her. On the night that jesus was born, Mary and Joseph were on their way to Bethlehem to get their names registered as per the rules then. They found refuge in a stable, where Mary gave birth to Jesus at midnight and laid him in a manger. Thus Jesus, the Son of God was born.</p>

<p>Christmas celebrations begin with a midnight mass, which is considered to be an essential part of the celebrations, it is followed by merrymaking. Children in brightly colored dresses, accompanied by an orchestra of drums and cymbals, perform group dances using gay-colored sticks.</p>

<p>St. Benedict, alias Santa Claus, is a legendary chubby oldie figure, clad in red and white dress, who rides the reindeer and forms a significant part of the celebrations especially for children. He loves kids and gets chocolates, gifts and other desired goodies for them, which he apparently places in their stockings at night.</p>

<p>People sing carols in the glory of the Lord during Christmas. They go from door to door preaching the message of love and brotherhood.<br />
The Christmas tree is popular all over the world for its grandeur. People decorate their homes with trees and hang mistletoe in every corner. After the church mass, people engage in friendly visits and feast and by exchange of greetings and gifts, they spread the message of peace and goodwill.</p>

<p>There are some popular churches in India specially in Goa, where Christmas is celebrated with great fervour and enthusiasm. Most of these churches were established during the Portuguese and British regime in India.</p>

<p>Some of the major churches in India include St. Joseph Cathedral and Medak church in Andhra Pradesh; St. Cathedral, The Church of St. Francis of Assisi and the Basilica of Bom Jesus in Goa; St. John's Church in Wilderness and the Christ Church in Himachal Pradesh; Santa Cruz Basilica Church and St. Francis Church in Kerala; Holy Christ Church and Mount Mary Church in Maharashtra; Christ the King Church and Velankanni Church in Tamil Nadu; and All Saints Cathedral and Kanpur Memorial Church in Uttar Pradesh.</p>

<h3>Dussehra - Vijaydashmi (Kullu, Mysore, Kolkatta, Varanasi)</h3>

<p>Dussehra, also called Dasara or Vijayadashami, in Hinduism, holiday marking the triumph of Rama, an avatar of Vishnu, over the 10-headed demon king Ravana, who abducted Rama’s wife, Sita. The festival’s name is derived from the Sanskrit words dasha (“ten”) and hara (“defeat”). Symbolizing the victory of good over evil, Dussehra is celebrated on the 10th day of the month of Ashvina (September–October), the seventh month of the Hindu calendar, with the appearance of the full moon, an event called the “bright fortnight” (shukla paksha). Dussehra coincides with the culmination of the nine-day Navratri festival and with the tenth day of the Durga Puja festival. For many, it marks the beginning of preparation for Diwali, which occurs 20 days after Dussehra.</p>

<p>Dussehra is celebrated with great fervour and fanfare. In North India, it incorporates Ram Lila, a gala theatrical enactment of Rama’s life story. Effigies of Ravana—often along with those of Meghnada (Ravana’s son) and Kumbhkarana (Ravana’s brother)—are stuffed with firecrackers and set ablaze at night in open fields</p>

<h3>Durga Puja – Durgotsava or Navaratri (Kolkatta, Assam, Bihar)</h3>

<p>-    Durga Puja is a famous Hindu festival mostly celebrated with great enthusiasm and zeal in the states of West Bengal, Assam, Tripura, Odisha and Bihar. It is believed that this festival exemplifies the victory of good over evil, as Goddess Durga killed the demon Mahishasur.</p>

<p>-    The festival of Durga Puja is celebrated for ten days in the Ashwin month. However, in the actual sense, the festival commences from the sixth day. It is believed that on this day only Goddess Durga came on Earth.</p>

<p>-    The five days of Durga Puja are observed as Shashthi, Maha Saptami, Maha Ashtami, Maha Navami and Vijayadashami. Each day has its own meaning and significance. The first day of Durga Puja festival is known as Mahalaya. It is said that on the day of Mahalaya there was a clash between the demons and devas.</p>

<p>Navratri is majorly celebrated by North Indians whereas Durga Puja belongs to the East-Indian culture involving people from Bengal and Orissa. While Navratri, as the name suggests is the festival of nine nights, followed by Dussehra. Durga Pooja and Navratri falls simultaneously same time.</p>

<h3>Janmashhtmi – Birth of Lord Krishna (Mathura, Vrindavan, Dwarka)</h3>

<p>-    Lord Vishnu is invoked in his human incarnation as Krishna on his birth anniversary in the festival of Janmashtami. This festival of Hindus is celebrated with great devotion on the eighth day of the dark fortnight in the month of Sravana (July-August) in India. According to Hindu mythology, Krishna was born to destroy Mathura's demon King Kansa, brother of his virtuous mother, Devaki.</p>

<p>-    Men and women fast and pray on the occasion of Janmashtami. Temples and homes are beautifully decorated and lit. The temples of Vrindavan, in Uttar Pradesh witness an extravagant and colourful celebration on this occasion. 'Raslila' is performed to recreate incidents from the life of Krishna and to commemorate his love for Radha. This festival is also known as Krishnastami or Gokulastami.</p>

<p>-    The image of the infant Krishna is bathed at midnight and is placed in a cradle. Devotional songs and dances mark the celebration of this festive occasion all over Northern India.</p>

<p>-    In Maharashtra, Janmashtami witnesses the exuberant enactment of Krishna's childhood endeavours to steal butter and curd from earthen pots beyond his reach. A matka or pot containing these is suspended high above the ground and groups of young men and children form human pyramids to try and reach the pot and eventually break it.</p>

<p>-    Ganesh Chaturthi -Vinayak Chaturthi (Mumbai, Nagpur, Pune, Hyderabad)</p>

<h3>Onam -Harvest festival of Kerala (Kerala)</h3>

<p>-    Onam is an annual Hindu festival celebrated in southern Indian state of Kerala. It is a harvest festival celebr</p>

<p>-    ted by Malayalis whose date is based on the Panchangam and falls on the 22nd nakshatra Thiruvonam in the month Chingam of Malayalam calendar, which in Gregorian calendar overlaps with August–September.</p>

<p>It is a harvest festival, one of three major Hindu celebrations along with Vishu and Thiruvathira, and it is observed with numerous festivities. Onam celebrations include Vallam Kali (boat races), Pulikali (tiger dances), Pookkalam (flower Rangoli), Onathappan (worship), Onam Kali, Tug of War, Thumbi Thullal (women's dance), Kummattikali (mask dance), Onathallu (martial arts), Onavillu (music), Kazhchakkula (plantain offerings), Onapottan (costumes), Atthachamayam (folk songs and dance), and other celebrations. It is the New Year day for Malayalis.</p>

<h3>Raksha Bandhan – Brother and Sister bond of protection (North India and Maharashtra)</h3>

<p>-    Celebrated on the full-moon day of the Hindu month of Sravana (July/August), this festival celebrates the love of a brother for his sister. On this day, sisters tie rakhi on the wrists of their brothers to protect them against evil influences, and pray for their long life and happiness. They in turn, give a gift which is a promise that they will protect their sisters from any harm. Within these Rakhis reside sacred feelings and well wishes. This festival is mostly celebrated in North India.</p>

<p>-    The history of Rakshabandhan dates back to Hindu mythology. As per Hindu mythology, in Mahabharata, the great Indian epic, Draupadi, wife of the Pandavas had torn the corner of her sari to prevent Lord Krishna's wrist from bleeding (he had inadvertently hurt himself). Thus, a bond, that of brother and sister developed between them, and he promised to protect her.</p>

<p>-    It is also a great sacred verse of unity, acting as a symbol of life's advancement and a leading messenger of togetherness. Raksha means protection, and in some places in medieval India, where women felt unsafe, they tie Rakhi on the wrist of men, regarding them as brothers. In this way, Rakhi strengthens the bond of love between brothers and sisters, and revives the emotional bonding. Brahmins change their sacred thread (janoi) on this day, and dedicate themselves once again to the study of the scriptures.</p>

<h3>Pongal -Tamil Harvest Festival (Madurai and Thanjavur)</h3>

<p>A harvest festival, Pongal is popular festival in south India.The festival is celeberated in a traditional costume, through dances, bonfires and songs to celeberation. People even decorate their homes with beautiful rangolis, using coloured rice and power petals, symbolising the nurturing harvest produced by farmers.</p>

<h3>Guru Nanak Jyanti  (Amritsar)</h3>

<p>-    Guru Nanak Jayanti, the foremost of all the Gurupurabs or anniversaries of the 10 Sikh Gurus, is the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of the Sikh faith, who ushered in a new wave in religion. The first of the 10 Sikh Gurus, Guru Nanak was born in 1469 at Talwandi, near Lahore. The disinclination to accept the practice of several religions in society, professing different deities drove the much-travelled leader to break free from the shackles of religious diversity, and establish a religion based on a single God who is the eternal truth. The festive event of Guru Nanak Jayanti includes the three-day Akhand Path, during which the Guru Granth Sahib, the holy book of the Sikhs is read out from the beginning to the end without a break. On the day of the main event, the Granth Sahib is ornamented with flowers, and carried on a float in a proper procession throughout a village or city.</p>

<p>-    The procession is headed by five armed guards, representatives of the ‘Panj Pyaras,’ who carry the Nishan Sahibs or the Sikh flag epitomising their faith. Religious hymns from the Granth Sahib are sung throughout the procession, marking a special feature of the event. The procession finally leads to a Gurudwara, where the gathered devotees get together for a community lunch, which is called Langar.</p>

<h3>    Maha Shivratri – The Great Night of Lord Shiva (Varanasi, Guwahati, Haridwar and Rishikesh, North India)</h3>

<p>Maha Shivratri is an auspicious Hindu festival and is considered to be the most important and celebrated Shivratri among the 12 others celebrated in a year.</p>

<p>It is predominantly a Hindu festival, celebrated annually in honour of Lord Shiva, the God of destruction. Devotees celebrate the grace of Lord Shiva on this day.</p>

<p>Maha Shivratri, literally translates as ‘the great night of Shiva’ and according to legend, it is on this night that Lord Shiva performs his heavenly dance or ‘tandav’.</p>

<p>Maha Shivratri is considered especially auspicious as Shivratri is supposed to be the night of convergence of Shiva and Shakti, which in essence mean the masculine and feminine energies that balance the world. In Hindu culture, this is a solemn festival that marks the remembrance of ‘overcoming darkness and ignorance in life’. Different legends, throughout history, describe the significance of Maha Shivratri and according to one of them, it is on this night that Lord Shiva performs his cosmic dance of ‘creation, preservation and destruction’. Another legend dictates that on this night, offerings of Lord Shiva’s icons can help one overcome and let go of their sins and start on the path of righteousness, allowing the individual to reach Mount Kailash and achieve ‘moksha’.</p>

<h3>Hemis – Birth of Padmasambhava (Ladakh)</h3>

<p>-    Marking the birth of Guru Padmasambhava, Hemis Festival is not only one of the most important Buddhist celebration in Ladakh but is also the most popular festival amongst tourists. Held in one of the most-visited monasteries in Ladakh, Hemis Gompa, the festival is a two-day event that is celebrated on the 10th day of the fifth month of Tibetan Calendar, which is the month of June/July in Gregorian Calendar.</p>

<p>-    On this popular festival in Ladakh, Cham Dance and other traditional dances are performed in Hemis Monastery on the beats of drums and cymbal and on the tunes of long pipe like Tibetan music instrument. On both days, giant thangkas (Buddhist paintings) are unfurled for the public. In fact, every 12th year, the largest thangka in Ladakh is unfurled in Hemis on the first day of the festival for the public to see.</p>

<p>There is no better time to visit Ladakh than during Hemis Festival as HemisGompa becomes a hub of celebrations. During the festival , sacred dances, contradictory explanations and special musical performances are the major highlights. Buddhist lamas and monks gather at the HemisGompa to perform the sacred Mask Dance. This also gives you an opportunity to experience life of Ladakhi as it is an occasion for villagers and families to come together and socialise. This tour also takes you other beautiful monasteries of Ladakh and Nubra Valley, a must visit place in Ladakh which lies on an extraordinary trans-Himalayan trade route which originated with the Silk Road in medieval period.</p>

<h3>Lodhi -Punjab Folk Festival (Entire Punjab and Delhi)</h3>

<p>Lohri is essentially a harvest festival mostly celebrated in Punjab, Delhi, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh. People celebrate it with great fun, excitement, and enthusiasm. The customs and traditions may slightly vary from one region to another but basically all of them are attached to the harvesting of the Rabi crops. The North Indian people celebrate this festival to mark the end of winter solstice. The harvested fields and front yards are lit up with flames of bonfire and people sit around it and engage into singing, dancing, and merry-making.</p>

<p>•    Lohri signifies the fertility and joy of life. People sit around the bonfire and throw puffed rice, sweets, and popcorn into the flames.</p>

<p>•    In the morning children of the locality gather in their new dress and go to every home singing songs of praise of Dulla Bhatti or the Robin Hood of Punjab. Dulla Bhatti used to rob the rich people and distribute the wealth among the poor and underprivileged. People give the children money, sweets, peanuts, etc. The earning is known as Lohri Loot. They sing: "Dabba bharaya leera da; Ai ghar ameera da" which means – “Box filled with cloths strips, this house is of the rich. And those who weren't that generous had to face a bunch of kids chanting the following:” "Hukka bhai Hukkaa - Ai ghar bhukka" meaning – “Hukka! Oh! Hukka! this house is full of misers!”</p>

<p>•    As the sun sets in the evening, huge bonfires are set and lit up in the harvested fields or in front of the house. For that purpose, logs of wood are piled up together. Once the bonfire is lit up, people go around the fire three times, giving offerings of popcorns, peanuts, rayveri and sweets. Then, everyone dances to the beats of dhol (traditional Indian drum). People say a slogan while throwing rice and popcorn in the flame – “Aadar aye dilather jaye” which means “may honor come and poverty vanish”.</p>

<p>•    People also pitch the sticks of sugarcane into the fire and an aroma of burning sugar spreads in the atmosphere. Little girls and boys then light fireworks and sparklers which adds more fun to the festive night. The singing and dancing continue all through the night.</p>

<p>•    There is another belief that when people throw sesame seeds in the fire they ask for sons. The saying is that “as many as the elder brother's wife throws, so many sons the younger brother's wife will bear”. Sounds funny!!! That’s why in those households where there is a new-born son or a newly-wed man and wife, Lohri is celebrated with even greater enthusiasm.</p>

<p>•    The Prasad of sesame or til, peanuts, rayveri, puffed rice, popcorn, gajak, and other sweets are distributed. And this symbolizes a prayer to Agni for abundant crops and prosperity.</p>

<p>•    After the Parikrama of the bonfire, people meet friends and relatives and exchange gifts and greetings. Post that everyone sits to dine together. and gorge on Sarso Da Saag (cooked mustard herbs) & Makke Di Roti ((multi-millet hand-rolled bread) served with home-made white butter.</p>

<p>•    The menfolk of most of the villages of Punjab or Haryana or Himachal Pradesh perform bhangra on this day. Bhangra is a famous dance form for the immense energy put in every step. This dance establishes the potency, vivacity, and exuberance of people, in anticipation of money coming in after the cutting of a good harvest. During Lohri celebration, the drum plays a very important part giving the prime accompaniment to the folk music.</p>

<p>•    The 1st Lohri of the newly-wed couple or a newborn baby is an important one. The immediate family members are invited for a grand feast and that is followed by an exchange of gifts. Once the party is over, the traditional singing and dancing continue. The new bride and the newborn baby are pampered by everyone on this day.</p>

<h3>Eid – Ul – Fitr – Marks the end of Ramadan (Delhi, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Mumbai)</h3>

<p>-    Id-ul-Zuha (Bakr-Id), is a festival of great rejoice, special prayers and exchange of greetings and gifts mark this festival of Muslims. Id-ul-zuha, the festival of sacrifice is celebrated with traditional fervor and gaiety in India and the world. It is called Id-ul-Adha in Arabic and Bakr-Id in the Indian subcontinent, because of the tradition of sacrificing a goat or 'bakr' in Urdu. The word 'id' derived from the Arabic 'iwd' means 'festival' and zuha comes from 'uzhaiyya' which translates to 'sacrifice'.</p>

<p>-    According to Islamic belief, to test Ibrahim, Allah commanded him to sacrifice his son Ismail. He agreed to do it but found his paternal feelings hard to suppress. So he blindfolded himself before putting Ismail on the altar at the mount of Mina near Mecca. When he removed his bandage after performing the act, he saw his son standing in front of him, alive. On the altar lay a slaughtered lamb.</p>

<p>Joyous festivities and somber rituals mark this event. Every Muslim owning property worth 400 grams of gold or more is expected to sacrifice a goat, sheep or any other four-legged animal during one of the three days of the festival. This symbolises devotion to Allah and his desires. The sacrificial meat is then distributed and partaken of after the Id prayers.</p>

<p>-    The festival also marks the completion of Haj (pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia).</p>

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