If you ask an Indian, he can probably name a festival for any day of the year, but if you want to really know the best of the festivals that are celebrated with much fanfare and cheer in the country all the year round, here they are in the order they fall in an English calendar. Please also note that most Hindu and Muslim festival dates are based on the lunar calendar and therefore the dates vary with each year.
- Makar Sankranti/Pongal/Lohri – Lohri falls on 13 Jan and celebrated in Punjab as the coldest day in winter by lighting bonfires and people dancing around it. The next day i.e. 14 Jan is celebrated as Makar Sankranti in Northern India and as Pongal in Tamil Nadu. This is the day in praise of the Sun, land and cattle and people thanking them for all the food, wealth and prosperity. Other states have other versions of the same festival.
- Holi – The major festival that comes in the month of March, it is the time when you can paint the town red, yellow, crimson, blue or any other color you prefer. Because this is when people swarm the streets, sprinkling colored water and powder on each other. On the eve of Holi, a bonfire is lit also as a way of spring cleaning in various localities. The greater purpose is to denote the triumph of good over evil by also burning the effigy of Holika, who tried to burn alive Prince Prahlad because against the wishes of his father, he worshipped Lord Vishnu. She was burned in the fire instead.
- Janmashtami (Jul/Aug) – The birth of Lord Krishna on a moonless monsoon night is the season’s greatest festival. Festivities reach there height at midnight, the time when Krishna was born, again to triumph over evil and bring peace to the world according to Hindu mythology. People celebrate the day with great enthusiasm, fasting the whole day, offering prayer at midnight and then savoring the delicacies prepared.
- Rakshabandhan (Aug) – Regardless of their age, this is the day all sisters wait for the whole year for it is this day when the brother-sister bond is strengthened by tying a simple string on the wrist of a brother by a sister. The string signifies love, affection and everlasting protection. Sisters also wait in anticipation for the gift they will receive from their brothers after tying the sacred thread called the rakhi.
- Ganesh Chaturthi (Aug/Sep.) –The day of the elephant God, the most lovable God of the Hindu pantheon. It is on this auspicious day that homes, streets corners, community halls, almost every nook and corner of northern India is home to a Ganesh idol that is decorated with flowers, lighting etc, offered sweet savories and prayers in the hope that the God will be pleased by the offerings and bring good luck and prosperity to the whole community. In the state of Maharashtra this is the biggest festival of the year with neighborhoods competing for the best idol and ten day of celebrations ending with Anant Chaturdashi when the idol is bid a tearful farewell and immersed in lakes or ponds.
- Dusshera/Navratri/Durga Puja (Sep./Oct.) – Depending on which part of the country you are in, during this time, you will find a different name and a different way of celebrating this festival. In Northern India dusshera is the time when ten days are celebrated in honor of Lord Rama and stories from his life told and acted upon. The final day is vijayadashami when Lord Rama killed the demon King Ravana and it is reenacted by burning huge effigies of Ravana. Navratri is the version of the same festival where people pray ten nights to forms of Godess Durga and dance around her photo or idol in hugely popular dance form called the Garba. This is the biggest festival of Gujarat. In Bengal and other North East states, this is the time to bring Godess Durga home and pray to her for five days. The Godess is shown as the slayer of evil Mahishasura riding on a Lion’s back.It is undoubtedly the busiest time in the festival calendar.
- Diwali – The festival of lights that is celebrated on a moonless night. It is believed to be the day when Lord Ram came home after his 14 years of exile, and thus celebrated by the whole nation by lighting there homes with Diyas or earthen lamps, bulbs and candles. The bursting firecrackers and the delectable sweets are the added element of fun. This is also a time to meet up with friends and relatives and perhaps make new friends too.
- Id-ul-Fitr – This day marks the end of Ramzan or Ramadan the 40 day long fasting for Muslims. The festival is more popular as mithi-Id or sweet-Id because of the special sweet delicacy called the seviya prepared in all homes.
- Christmas – Christmas in India is like all other places in the world with the usual carols, cakes, merriments, joy and yet it is different in the way people have indianised the occasion. So do not be surprised if you find incense sticks burning around Jesus and people praying to him just like they pray to the Hindu Gods-by blowing a conch or performing the Aarti. The Christmas trees may be present too but there may also be banana trees decorated in the absence of proper Christmas ferns in some places.
These are some of the many festivals that you might encounter while on a trip to India. Do come and join the fun.
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