FESTIVAL CALENDAR IN INDIA

There's always a festival on somewhere. The harvest festivals of the south, the immersion of Ganesh in Bombay, the car Festival of Puri, snake-boat races in Kerala, Republic Day in Delhi... every region, every religion has something to celebrate. Below is a selection of the major ones.

JULY / AUGUST

TEEJ: Rajasthan- Particularly Jaipur: Procession of the Goddess Parvati to welcome monsoon; elephants, camels, dancers etc. Women wear green saris. Colourful.

RAKSHA BANDHAN: Northern and Western India. Festival to honour the Sea God Varuna. Brother & sister exchange gifts, sisters tie 'rakhis' or beautifully decorated threads on their brother's wrists. It signifies the brother's responsability of protecting his sister all her life.

NAAG PANCHAMI: Mainly Jodphur, Rajasthan and Maharashtra. Dedicated to the green thousand-headed mythical serpent called Sesha. The day is also observed in many other parts of Western and Eastern India.

AMARNATH YATRA: Hindu; Lidder Valley, Kashmir at full moon. Pilgrims visit the place where Lord Shiva explained the secret of salvation to his consort Parvati.

AUGUST / SEPTEMBER
INDEPENDENCE DAY (15TH AUGUST): National Independence Day. August 15, commemorates the day in 1947, India's biggest secular celebration, on the anniversary of her independence from British in 1947. It is celebrated all over the country with meetings & flag-hosting ceremonies. Prime Minister delivers address from Delhis Red Fort.

JANMASHTAMI: National, particularly Agra, Bombay and Mathura; Lord Krishnas birthday.

ONAM: Keralas Harvest Festival; spectacular snake boat races in many parts of Kerala.

GANESH CHATURTHI: Mainly Pune, Orissa, Bombay, Madras, dedicated to elephant-headed God Ganesh. Giant models of the deity processed and immersed in water. Colourful, and a particularly worth visiting on the Day of immersion at Bombay.

SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER

DUSSEHARA: Vijayadashami or Dussehra celebrates the homecoming of Rama the hero of the epic Ramayana, after his victory over Ravana, the king of Lanka. In vast open spaces, Ramleela, the folk play with music and spontaneous dialogues, retelling the story of the life of Rama, are enacted till the wee hours. People wash their vehicles clean on this day and decorate the entrances of their homes with torans, flower studded strings, and worship the tools of trade, vehicles, machinery, weapons and even books. Sweets are made. As the evening falls, the villagers cross the border, a ritual known as Simollanghan, and worship the Shami tree.
Dussehra is also reminiscent of the end of the exile and banishment of the Pandava princes in the Mahabharata and their return with their weapons to reclaim their kingdom. In memory of this epic story, people in Maharashtra worship the implements of their professions and distribute the leaves of the Shami tree as gold and express their goodwill.

DIWALI: National: Diwali or Deepawali means a row of lights, five day festival to celebrate Rama and Sita's homecoming in the Ramayana. It signifies the victory of good over evil. 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 rangoli (coloured powder designs) and aakash kandils (decorative lanterns of different shapes and sizes).

Diwali is celebrated with new clothes, spectacular firecrackers and a variety of sweets in the company of family and friends. Dhanatrayodashi; Narakchaturdashi, Amavasya (Laxmi poojan), Balipratipada and Yamadvitiya (Bhaubeej) are the five days which comprise Diwali, and each day has a peculiar religious significance.

FAIR: Himachal Pradesh: Kulu Valley to coincide with Dussehra (10 days).

GANDHI JAYANTI: National: Mahatma Gandhis birthday. No processions.

GURPURAB: Mainly in northern India. Anniversaries of ten gurus, spiritual teachers or preceptors of Sikhism. No procession.

NOVEMBER:

MUHARRAM: Muslim. Commemoration of Imam Hussains martyrdom. Tiger dancers lead processions of colourful replicas of martyrs tomb. Colourful, particularly at Lucknow.

BIHAR: Largest cattle fair in the world; 1 month Sonepur, Patna; on banks of the Ganges.

PUSKHAR MELA: Pushkar, near Ajmer, Rajasthan. Important and colourful. Camel and cattle fair, attended by Rajputs from miles around. Camel races and acrobatics etc.

DECEMBER

CHRISTMAS DAY: National: Christmas began to be celebrated on 25th December, this festival is for the birth of Christ, and is widely celebrated all over world. As every where in the world, in India also the celebration of Christmas has always been, and continues to be, a season time to spend golden moments with family and friends, make new resolutions and receive the much coveted gifts of their choice. Most exuberantly celebrated in Goa, Bombay and Tamil Nadu.

JANAUARY / FEBRUARY:

SANKRANTI / PONGAL: Mainly Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. 3 days and colourful

REPUBLIC DAY: Republic Day is a India's great national festival. The day india became republic (26 January), the republic day is celebrated with a splendid parade a colourful affair with soldiers marching in unison, followed by folk dancers, school children and float from various states

VASANT PANCHAMI: National (Mainly in the Eastern region): Hindu festival, dedicated to Saraswati. the beautiful Goddess of Learning. Women wear yellow saris.

FLOATING FESTIVAL: Madurai: Birthday of local 17th century ruler; elaborately illuminated barge carrying decorated temple deities at the Mariamman Teppakulam Pool amids chanting hymns.

FEBUARY / MARCH

SHIVARATI: National: Shivratri means the night of Lord Shiva. Annivarsary of Lord Shiva's Tandav (creation) dance, and his wedding anniversary, especially at Shiva temples and celebrations at Chidambarum, Kalahasti, Khajuraho, Varanasi and Bombay.

HOLI: Mainly northern, popularly called the festival of colors. It celebrates the arrival of spring & death of holika, it is a celebration of joy & hope. Lively and much throwing of coloured water and powders. Public Holiday.

MARDI GRAS: Goa: Mainly three days during lent. Unique celebrations at this carnival.

RAMNAVAMI: National: Birthday of Lord Rama, the hero of great epic Ramayana, celebrated as a day of great piety, with chanting of prayers. Lord Rama was born on the ninth day of the month of chitra, hence we celebrate his birthday as a 'Navmi'

MAHAVIR JAYANTI: National: Jain festival; birth of Mahavira, the 24th and last Tirthankara.

EASTER: Good Friday / Easter Sunday; National.

MARCH / APRIL

KUMBH 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 in Maharashtra, Ujjain (MP), Prayag (Allahabad) and Hardwar (both in UP). It is attended by millions of pilgrims who take a holy dip in the sacred Ganges River.

APRIL / MAY

BAISAKHI: Northern India, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu; Hindu Solar New Year. Bhangra dancing. Women wear yellow saris.

POORAM: Trichur: New Moon. Spectactular sight of large number of elephants carrying ceremonial umbrellas going round the temple; midnight fireworks display.

ID-UL-ZUHA (BAKRID): Muslim, National: The most celebrated Islamic festival in India, commemorating the sacrifice of Abraham.

ID-UL-FITR (RAMZAN ID): Muslim, National: Celebration to mark the end of the month of Ramadan.

MEENAKSHI KALYANAM: Madurai. Marriage of Meenakshi with Lord Shiva. Colourful temple festival. Deities borne by colossal chariot. Ten day festival.

FAIR: Rajasthan: Urs Ajmer Sharif. Ajmer, 6 days. Religious cultural and commercial extravaganza dedicated to the Sufi. Music; no procession.

JUNE / JULY

RATH YATRA: Mainly Orissa. Greatest temple festival in honour of Lord Jagannath (Lord of the Universe). Three colossal chariots drawn from Puri temple by thousands of pilgrims. Similar festivals, on a smaller scale, take place at Ramnagar (near Varanasi), Serampore (near Calcutta) and Jagannathpur (near Ranchi).