There are tonnes of festivals celebrated in India. A few that I'd really love to celebrate in the country itself would be Diwali and Holi, since the whole atmosphere in India would be completely different. I think that next time I visit India, I'll try and plan the holiday so that it coincides with one of these festivals. Which festivals would you love to celebrate in India, or which festivals would you travel to India for?
Diwali and Holi are excellent times to visit India. It helps that Diwali is in October/November and Holi is in March, which are both really pleasant months weather wise. However, you may want to be at the right place as well. Holi is celebrated in the northern part of India and not su much in the south. I grew up in south India, and the first time I celebrated Holi was in grad school in the United States Ideally, you would want to be in Mathura or Vrindavan for the festival. These places are pretty close to Delhi. Diwali is a pan-Indian festival, but the sights you may see would vary depending on where you are in the country. In the north, people light many many lamps all over the city at night. In the south, this custom is not as common. But people celebrate with fireworks in the south. These are personal fireworks that every family buys and lights in front of their houses So it is a lot of fun. Be aware that it can get rather noisy and there is always a fire hazard, so stay safe. If you have animals, they might not be very comfortable with the noise and smoke. Your best bet would be to be to get invited home by friends in India so that you can celebrate with them. Personally, I love being in India during Navaratri. This is a nine-night festival held during the months of September-October, about two weeks before Diwali. It is a festival dedicated to the Mother Goddess. In Kolkata/Calcutta (Bengal) this period is called Durga Pujo. I have always wanted to visit Kolkata during Durga Puja. Every year, leading up to the festival, sculptors make huge statues of Kali, one facet of the Mother Goddess. The festivities last through the night. In Tamil Nadu, we celebrate with a doll display festival called Kolu. Throughout the year, we collect dolls made of stone, brick, porcelain, papier mache and other relatively solid materials. We display them for the nine-day Navaratri period by building elaborate sets of steps and arranging the dolls on them. If you are in south India during this season, you could visit the major temples to see the display of dolls. In Kerala, during this season, a phenomenal music concert called Navaratri Mandapam is conducted; it is a cultural revelation.
Oh, I would love to presence the Grand Pitcher Festival that is in Allahabad where the Ganges meets with two other rivers. I think it only happens once every 12 years and is the largest festival in the world. It must be impressive not only to be able to see it, but the meaning it has is just amazing. People wanting to have a pure heart and new beginnings attend this festival, and wash away years of sins in the Ganges. The vibe of millions of people together searching for spiritual enlightenment and forgiveness is just beautiful.
In all honesty, I honestly believe that any festival celebration in India turns out to be quite grand. This is because there is usually so much output of participants that it is almost impossible not to enjoy yourself.
That sounds amazing! I know nothing of this festival, but I am about to look up all kinda of information on it. What is being celebrated during this festival, exactly? And why is it only celebrated every twelve years?
I saw the Krishna Janmashtami festival in some documentary sometime back and I was incredibly intrigued. And scared! The one where a group of guys, from burly men to tiny 6-year-olds, form these giant human pyramids and try to break clay pots that have been hung up high. The guts on these guys! I'd love to be right there in the crowd cringing as the whole pyramid came into formation. Cheerleaders around the world be ashamed. And Holi always looks like a ton of fun, so I'd definitely want to be a part of that.
That's very true: in India, people really do go all-out for every festival. it's all very grand, and so much effort and planning is put in to make every festival the best it possibly can be. There are so many old traditions that are still kept by people to this day, and that's what makes the festivals in India so different to other countries. The heritage is so old, and that's what makes the celebrations so grand and unique when compared with others.
I think Holi is the most fun filled festival in India. But it is not popular in southern part of India. This is the least religious of holidays as people from all religions take part in this festival of colors. During day time everybody is busy coloring each other through pichkaris (water guns), color filled balloons, powdered colors etc. You can see a lot of people standing at the terrace of buildings throwing balloons each other. In the streets also children and adults come out with water guns and liquid/powered color. This is a grand festival with a lot of life and fun. In the night you can see a lot of cultural programs being organized by various societies.
Holi, I just love the colors being thrown everywhere and the people in the street. The mood is so relaxed and everyone just has fun for one day.
Yes, Diwali is my next favorite festival to Holi. I just forgot to mention it. While Holi is the festival of colors, Diwali is the festival of lights. But I must agree that in Diwali you cannot have that much of fun like Holi. For Diwali, I think early morning and evening times are important. It is somewhat not active during daytimes. May be I am wrong, but that is what I have experienced. In Diwali the main attraction is the firework displays. In the evening all houses are decorated with colorful lights.. We can seen beautiful fireworks at homes and members share sweets and gifts on the occasion. The festival usually falls between mid October and mid November. You can also find a large variety of Indian sweets, which come in a wide range of colors and flavors.
The Kerala Temple Festivals! I've never seen an elephant, so to witness an entire procession of them sounds exciting. Plus, the festivals are held in the summer (summer in my country), so it would be easier to go. I'd also like to be there for the Diwali celebration - because of an episode of The Office. Haha!
Diwali is honestly the only Indian festival I was aware of off the top of my head, but from everything I know about it I would love to visit around that time. I think festivals are such a great way of getting a unique glimpse into part of a country and its culture!
I heard about several and first is of course DIwali. I understood it is a 5 days long festival and begins when Hindu New Year starts.Among other things i read it is also called Festival of Lights so i can imagine how cool everything looks like when it's on. I also liked what i read about festival of colours, the name is Holi and it is i think about good win over evil. The reasons for celebration in India are wonderful and so different than in Serbia. We celebrate saints usually.
Nothing is comparable to the Holi celebrations in India. The colours, the food, the Bhang. One can not miss being in India and not attending this festival.
Dilwale is a great festival as it celebrates when Lord Rama returns from his 14-year absence and this is after he has conquered Ravana the demon king who had ten head and was destined to die by Rama's hand in a combat which was fierce and in the end the side of good won over evil. When Lord Rama returns to Ayodhya the streets are filled with celebrations and clay lamps were lit and feasts were being done and sweets distributed, and a time of rejoicing and this usually celebrated around the end of October or early November. This can be a time where discounts are applied and people donate money or give things to the needy and prayers are done each day in some homes to get blessings, and hope that things are done in a timely manner and no problems occur in their life.
