Festivals of India: Celebrating Cultural Diversity

• It is a festival of flowers and is celebrated as part of Dussehra.

• Bonalu is celebrated during the Telugu month of Ashadam (June/July). The festival is dedicated to Goddess Mahakali.

• This festival marks the Kannada New Year. It is celebrated on the first day of the Indian month of Chaitra (March–April).

• Celebrated in honour of Hidimba Devi (wife of Bhima) at the Hadimba or Dhungiri temple in Manali, located in the Dhungri van Vihar forest.

• It is celebrated during the spring season, offering Saal flowers to Gods. 

• It is the ‘Malayalam New Year’.  It is celebrated on the first day of the Malayalam month of Medam.

• It is held at the Hemis monastery to celebrate the birth of Lord Padmasambhava (founder of the Vajrayana sect of Buddhism) on the 10th day of the Tibetan Calendar, which coincides with the end of the winter season in Ladakh. 

• It is a month-long festival of greenery during which the Gond and Korku tribes plant saplings of fruit-bearing trees. [UPSC 2014]

• It is Widely celebrated as the Marathi New Year.

• The sacred journey of Lord Jagannath with brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra from the Jagannath Temple to the Gundicha Temple.

• It is celebrated on the first day of the Vaisakh month (April–May) when harvest is gathered. 
• It is also known as the foundation day of Khalsa Panth.

• It is a spring festival celebrated in honour of Goddess Parvati or Gauri, the wife of Lord Shiva.

• It is celebrated in Jaisalmer, showcasing the tradition of Rajasthan, including the camel race.

• It is also known as Pushkar Camel Fair, where lakhs flock to Pushkar, along with their camels and cattle, for many days for livestock trading and pilgrimage.

• It is a major harvest festival.

• It is a 12-day festival also known as float festival.

• It is celebrated as the Tamil New Year‘s Day.

• This festival is celebrated in Madurai to re-enact the celestial wedding of Goddess Meenakshi (Shakti) with Lord Sundareswarar (Shiva). 

• It is a festival of the Gharwali and Kumaoni people. [UPSC 2017]. It is a three-week-long pilgrimage organized once in 12 years.

• It is a festival celebrated by the Sindhis, wherein they pray to their god, Jhulelal. [UPSC 2017]

• It denotes the sun’s entry into the zodiac sign of Makara (Capricorn). It is also celebrated as a thanksgiving to Mother Nature for a good crop. 

• It is dedicated to the worship of Saraswati (Goddess of Learning).

• Sindhi New Year, celebrated in honour of the birth of Jhulelal.

• It was celebrated as the birth anniversary of Lord Buddha, on a full moon day in the month of Vaisakh.

• It is also known as Guru Nanak‘s Prakash Utsav and Guru Nanak Dev Ji Jayanti, celebrates the birth of the first Sikh guru, Guru Nanak.

(Asia’s Largest Cattle Fair)

• It is associated with the Hariharanatha Temple in Sonepur, at the confluence of the Ganga and Gandak rivers. 
• It occurs in November on Kartik Poornima, for trading elephants, dating back to Chandragupta Maurya.

• It was introduced by the Portuguese and involves feasting and merry-making.

• It is an international craft fair held annually for a fortnight from 1st February onwards near Faridabad to showcase regional as well as international crafts and cultural heritage.