Indian Festivals

Song, dance, bright colours and streets activities all are hallmarks of Indian festivals. The Indian sub-continent marked by its wholesome differences in cultures has one thing in common - its the social importance attached to celebrations and festivals. Festivals in India are an integral part of people's life. Festivals of India portray the rich cultural heritage of the country. There is a spectrum of Indian festivals/fairs with significant cultural value.

January    February    March    April    May    June    July    August    September    October    November    December   

Kerala Festivals    Rajasthan Festivals    Punjab Festivals    Tamil Nadu Festivals    Indian Festivals - more reading   

 

January
	Makara Sankranti Festivals	Pongal Festival, Tamilnadu	Pattadakal Festival, Pattadakkal
	Lohri Festivals, Punjab	Float Festival (Madurai, Tamil Nadu)	Ramzan (Id -Ul-Fitr) Festivals, India
	International Kite Festival	Bikaner Camel Festival	Tai Pusam Festivals, Tamilnadu
	Kerala Village Fair	Vasant Panchami Festivals	Vaikuntha Ekadasi
	Arthunkal St. Andrews Forane Church Festivals	Adivasi Mela (Tribal Festival)	Arthunkal St. Andrews Forane Church Festivlas
	ITC Sangeet Sammelan	Birthday of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Festivals	Brahmaputra Beach Festival
	Magh or Bhogali Bihu	Ganga Sagar Mela	Gunidas Sangit Sammelan Festivals
	International Yoga Festival	Arudra Festivals	Margazh Festivals
	Modhera Dance Festival	Nishagandhi Festival	Swathi Sangeethotsavam Music Festivals
	Swathi Sangeethotsavam Music Festivals	The Dover Lane Music Conference	Thyagaraja Carnatic Music Festival, Thiruvariyar
	Thye Pooyam Festivals	Uttarayan Kite Festival	Kanjiramattom Kodikuthu Ernakulam
	Mamallapuram Dance Festival	Republic Day, India	Saptak Music Festival
	Spitok Gutor Zanskar	Theyyam at Kanathoor	Bhogi Pandiga Festivals
	Guru Govind Singhs Birthday, Punjab	Ratha Saptami Festivals	Basant Panchami at Chheharta Sahib, Punjab
	Muktsar Fair,Punjab	Maghi Mela, Punjab
^ Top
February
	Mahashivratri Festivals	Goa Carnival	Island Tourism Festival
	Desert Festival	Nagaur Fair	Chapchar Kut - Mizoram
	International Yoga Week	Elephanta Festival	Surajkund Crafts Mela
	Deccan Festival	Taj Mahotsav Festivals	Vasant Panchami Festivals
	Rose Festival, Chandigarh	Desert Festival	Mother Salette Festival
	Alwar Festival	Adoor Gajamela Festivals, Kerala	Garden Tourism Festival
	Attukal Pongala Festivals	Konark Dance Festival
	Baneshwar Fair, Rajasthan	Basant Panchami	Birthday of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa Festivals
	Thaipooya Mahotsavam Festivals, Kerala	Brij Festival	Chettikulangara Bharani Festivals
	Uthralikavu Pooram Festivals, Kerala	Dosmoche Festivals, Leh	Festival of Gardens
	Sudasha Vrata Festivals	Machattu Mamangam Festivals	Natyanjali Festival
	Sudasha Vrata Festivals	Pana Samkranti Festivals	Pariyanampetta Pooram Festivals, Kerala
	Pattambi Nercha Festivals, Kerala	Sekrenyi	Sri-Panchami Festivals
	Kuttikkol Thampuratty Theyyam	Maramon Convention, Pathanamthitta	Masi Magha
^ Top
March
	Holi Festival, North India	Gangaur Festival	Hoysala Mahotsava Festivals
	Jamshed - E - Navroz Festivals	Sri Rama Navami Festivals	Guruvayoor Utsavam Festivals
	Id-Ul-Zuha	Mahavir Jayanthi Festivals, India	Elephant Festival, Rajasthan
	Khajuraho Dance Festival	Mahashivratri Festivals	The Great Elephant March
	Dance and Music Festival	Arattupuzha Pooram, Kerala	Hola Mohalla Festivals, Anandpur Sahib
	Good Friday Festival	Thirunakkara Festival	Karni Arni Mata Fair
	All-India Bhaskar Rao Nritya and Sangeet Sammelan	Chinakathoor Pooram	Dangs Darbar Ahwa Festival, Gujarat
	Dola Jatra Festivals	Fair of Sikhs	Gharana Festival
	Kaila Devi Fair	International Paragliding Festival	Kheer Bhawani Festivals
	Kodungalloor Bharani, Kerala	Mahavir Jayanthi Festivals, India	Matho Nagrang Festivals
	Procession of All Saints, Goa	Sheetla Mata Fair	Shitala Ashtami Festivals
	Valliyoorkavu Festival	Attuvela Mahotsavam Festivals	Dangs Darbar Ahwa Festival, Gujarat
	Malanada Ketukazhcha Festivals	Parippalli Gajamela Festivals
^ Top
April
	April Fools' Day Festivals, India	Easter Festival	Mewar Spring Festival
	Baisakhi Festivals	Gudi Padwa or Ugadi Festivals	Buddha Purnima Festivals
	Thrissur Pooram Festivals	Muharram Festivals, India	Tamil New Year or Puthandu Festivals
	Akshaya Trutiya Festivals	Arattupuzha Pooram	Baishakhi Mela Festivals
	Bihu Festivals, Assam	Feast Malayattoor Church Festivals, Kerala	Good Friday Festival
	Kadammanitta Padayani Festival	Ker and Garia Pujas	Nenmara Vallangi Vela Festivals
	Panguni Uttiram	Shankara Jayanthi Festivals	Mahaveerji Fair, Rajasthan
	Aryankavu Pooram Festivals, Kerala	Bahag Bihu Festivals	Bhakti Festival
	Chaitra Vishu (The Hindu New Year Day)	Chitra Pournami Festivals	Vishu
^ Top
May
	Urs Festival	Maharashtra Day	International Flower Festival, Sikkim
	Feast at Edathua Church Festivals	Summer Festival, Mount Abu, Ooty	Vaikasi Visaka
	Banganga Fair	Kids Kingdom Festivals	Moatsu Festival - Nagaland
	Savitri Vrata	Rabindra Jayanti Festivals	Stok Guru Tsechu Festivals
		Rota Macchendranath Rath Jatra
^ Top
June
	Ganga Dussehra Festivals	Hemis Festival	Vipassana Meditation
	Poson Festival, Sri Lanka	Ochira Kali Festivals	Champakkulam Boat Race Festivals
	Rajaparab Festivals	Sindhu Darshan Festival	Jagannath Rath Yatra
^ Top
July
	Rath Yatra (Car Festival)	Guru Purnima Festivals	Mango Festival
	Yuru Kabgyat Festivals	Bastille Day, Pondicherry	Nag Panchami, Maharashtra
	Adi Puram Festivals,Madurai	Bahuda Jatra Festivals	Bastille Day, Pondicherry
	Dak-ThokTse-Chu Festivals	Guru Purnima Festivals	Gustor Festival, Zanskar
	Phyang Tsedup Festivals	Kharchi Puja	Korzok Gustor Festivals
	Sant NaroNasjal, Zanskar	The Vyasa Puja Festivals	Vara Lakshmi Vrata
	Teeyan Festivals, Punjab
^ Top
August
	Janmashthami Festivals, Maharashtra	Onam Festivals, Kerala	Vinayaka Chaturthi
	Nehru Trophy Boat Race Festivals	Teej Festival	Aranmula Boat Race Festivals, Kerala
	Independence Day Festival, India	Raksha Bandhan Festivals, North India	Amarnath Yatra Festivals
	Nehru Trophy Boat Race	Pulikkali Festivals, Kerala	Narali Purnima Festival
	Anandappalli Maramadi Festivals, Kerala	Ananta Vrata	Anayoottu Festivals, Kerala
	Bada Ekadasi Festivals	Gogamedi Fair	Kajli Teej Festival
	Khudurukuni Osha	Arudra Festivals	Narali Purnima Festival
	Payippad Boat Race Festivals	Pori Festivals, Lahaul	Pulikkali Festivlas, Kerala
	Shachukul Gustor Festivals	Thripunithura Athachamayam Festivals	Vinayaka Chaviti Festival, Andhra Pradesh
	Avani Mulam Festivals	Gayatri Japam Festivals	Krishna Jayanti Festivals
^ Top
September
	Tarnetar Fair (Temple of Shiva or Trinetreshwar)	Neelamperoor Padayani Festivals	Feast at Manarcad Church Festivals
	Aahar - Autumn Show, Mumbai	Arogya Festival, New Delhi	Bhadra Purnima Festivals
	Chhapar Fair, Punjab	Ladakh Festival	Pitr-Paksha- Mahalaya Amavasya Festivals
	Go Puja (Cow Woship) Festivals	Sajavat Fair, New Delhi	Upakarmam Fesetivals
	Vallarpadam Perunnal Festivals
^ Top
October
	Navaratri Festivals	Durga Puja Festivals	Marwar Festival
	Dussehra or Vijaya Dashmi Festivals	Id-ul-Zuha (Bakrid) Festivals, India	Gandhi Jayanti, India
	Rajgir Dance Festival	Ayudha Puja Festivals	Deepavali Pandigai
	Ramdeora Cattle Fair, Jaisalmer	Ramzan (Id -Ul-Fitr) Festivals, India	Gurta Gaddi Nanded 2009
	Karwa Chauth Festival	Kolayat Fair (Kapil Muni Fair)	Kumar Purnima Festivals
	Nakshatra Festival, New Delhi	Ramlila Festival	Soorya Dance and Music Festival
	Thiksay Gustor Festival	Dussehra Festivals, Kota	Calcutta Festival
	Kartikai Vratam	Koratty Muthy's Feast	Tika Festival, Punjab
	Diwali at Golden Temple, Punjab
^ Top
November
	Kalpathi Ratholsavam	Ellora Ajanta Aurangabad Festival	Guru Purnima Festivals
	Ka Pomblang Nongkrem Festivals	Pushkar Fair	Sonepur Cattle Fair
	Hampi Festivals	Lucknow Festival	Pushkar Fair
	Ashtami Rohini Festivals	Ayurved Jhansi Mahotsava Festivals	Bali Trutiya Festivals
	Chandrabhaga Fair	Chemrey Angchok Festivals	Chhadakhai Festivals
	Dharani Dance Festival	Feast at Parumala Festivals	Guru Parab- Guru Nanak's Birthday
	Puppet Theatre Festival	Tea Fair	The Chrysanthemums Show
	Puri Beach Festival	Skanda Sashthi	Ram Tirath Fair, Punjab
^ Top
December
	Christmas Festivals	Sharad Utsav Festivals	Shilpgram Crafts Mela
	Vishnupur Festival, West Bengal	Adimali Fest (Idukki, Kerala)	Hornbill Festivals, Kohima
	Arogya Nellore Festivals	Arudra Festivals	Qutub Festival
	Chennai Dance and Music Festival	Cochin Carnival Festivals	Dadri Mela Festivals
	East Himalayan Expo Sikkim	Feast of Immaculate Conception	Feast of St. Francis Xavier
	Galdan Namchot Festivals	Kanathoor Nalvar Bhoothasthanam	Kurukshetra Festival
	Losar Festivals, Ladakh	Perumithitta Tharavad Kottamkuzhy, Kerala	Sangat Music Festival
	Sawai Gandharva Sangeet Mahotsav	Tansen Music Festival	Visakha Utsav Festivals
	Vykathu Ashtami Festivals	Winter Festival	Kumbh Mela Festivals
	Prathamashtami Festivals	Karthigai Deepam Festival	Haribhallabh Sangeet Mela, Punjab
		Sangrand Festivals, Punjab

Indian festivals speak of India's rich cultural and traditional background. The colorful festivals are an integral part of every Indians. The festivals play an important part in promoting the traditional handicrafts and tourism of India. The rich cultural heritage of India attracts the Western world during the celebration of important festivals like Onam, Holi, Durga Puja and many more. Every region celebrates their festival according to their regional customs and rituals. The commonness in all the celebration is that it celebrates humanity. Some of the common rituals, which are followed in most of the festivals, are processions in the streets, decoration of homes and sacred places such as temples and traditional and folk song and dance performances. Most religious festivals have elaborate prayers, traditions, customs and rituals attached to them. The elaborate celebration and the multitude of festivals in India, each with their own unique legends and significances often awe the foreigners who come to visit India.

India presents a cultural potpourri of number of religions with their own festivals and celebrations but the four major religions followed in India are Hinduism, Islam, Christianity and Sikhism in the descending order. There are a number of regional festivals which are celebrated in particular areas only. Bright colors, brightly lit religious places, illuminated houses, sweets and traditional dresses and dances and unwavering enthusiasm are the characteristics of all the festival holidays in India. Cuisine, dresses and ornaments, especially of the Indian women, with the profusion of golden, red and yellow colors, cultural and traditional performances and music, chariot and car procession of the deities and interesting folklores give the Indian festivals their universal appeal. The concept of universal brotherhood encompasses all the festivals of India and the vibrant colours, warm hospitality and infectious buoyant spirit of the Indians attract people from all over the world to take part in the Indian fairs and festivals.