India is popular for festivals and has a number of interesting festivals. The major reason for celebrating such vast Indian festivals is a diversity of culture. There is a number of religious festivals, that is celebrated for the harvest, commemorate the victories of gods and historical events, and to express devotion to gods.
The other things seek the blessing of God, decorate the houses and arrange the designs on the floor. Music and dance is always a part of Indian festivals. People celebrate festivals by wearing new clothes. India is definitely the most celebrated place in the world. Here are some of the popular cultural festivals of India that are worth for everyone.
- Onam in Kerala
Onam is a harvest festival. It is celebrated over a period of 10 days. It marks the homecoming of King Mahabali. The people are known as Malayalees. Onam is celebrated on the first month in the Malayalam calendar. This month is called Chingam. The Malayalam calendar is named Kollavarsham.
The place of celebration:
Onam is chiefly celebrated in the state of Kerala. The places to visit in Kerala are Kottayam, Trivandrum, and Thrissur. The time of Onam is also when the Tourism Week is celebrated.
Main Attractions & Food:
Pookalam is the main attractions of this festival. It features one of the finest and most beautiful expositions of floral designs. The best part of Onam is the food. The Ona Sadya takes center stage as the feast of all feasts. Rice is the main item of the feast.
- Pushkar Camel Fair in Rajasthan
On this festival, you see more than 50,000 camels at a single point in time at a single place. Pushkar hosts this world-famous camel fair called the Pushkar Camel Fair. Pushkar is a small village in the state of Rajasthan. This fair was an opportunity to buy and sell camels. This is held during the Kartik Purnima festival.
The place of celebration:
The festival is celebrated in the month of November. Pushkar is the place where the festival is held, is located in the Thar Desert in Rajasthan. Camels are dressed up and decorated. Races are held to select the best camel from all of them.
Main Attractions:
- Rajasthani musicians throng the place playing exotic regional music.
- Dancers amazed the audience with their gravity-defying
- Snake charmers leave the audience charmed more than the snakes.
There is a lake at Pushkar. People bathe in this lake to rid them of their sins.
- Nag Panchami In Maharashtra
This is the festival of snakes. It is another amongst the bizarre festivals of India. On Nag Panchami festival, people worship the snakes. On the day of the festival, villagers carry the snakes in pots on their heads. They dance to the music of drums. They chant mantras.
The place of the festival:
Battis Shirala village is famous for the Nag Panchami that is in the state of Maharashtra. Battis Shirala is a remote rural village. You can get to this place from Mumbai. The other popular places where this festival is celebrated are the Nagaraja Temple in Kerala and the Hardevja Temple in Jaipur.
- Jagannath Yatra in Puri, Orissa
The Jagannath Yatra or the Rath Yatra is the symbolic representation of gods going on vacation. Lord Jagannath is believed to be an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. The statue of Lord Jagannath is decorated with the grandeur. The procession is held in gigantic chariots. A chariot looks like a temple on wheels. The chariot is called a rath. It is pulled across to its destination by thousands of devotees.
The places of the festival:
It is to celebrate the vacationing of Lord Jagannath. His elder brother Balabhadra accompanies him. Also accompanying him is his sister Subhadra. Lord Jagannath has his temple in Puri, is in Orissa.
Main Attractions:
- The statues of gods are made of wood. These statues are replaced every twelve years.
- The god’s vacation at the countryside palace for a period of 9 days.
- The painstaking design, and sew the richly textured fabric.
- Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs can participate in this festival.
- Kumbh in Godavari and Haridwar
One of the biggest festivals of India is Kumbh or Kumbh Mela. It begins and ends on Makar Sankranthi and Maha Shivaratri respectively. Kumbh is considered to be a peaceful gathering of people.
The places of the festivals:
Kumbh Mela festival is held on the banks of Godavari, Haridwar, Kashi, Shipra River, Ganges, Yamuna, and Saraswati rivers in Prayag.
Facts about the Kumbh Mela:
- The festival is held in one particular location or venue every 12 years.
- The festival has different varieties like the Maha Kumbh Mela and the Ardh Kumbh Mela.
- The sadhus or sages of this festival are the holy men who attend the festival most.
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