In india fairs & festivals occurs very frequently through out the year

some of the major fairs and festivals in india likeBaisakhi, BENESHWAR

FAIR, Buddha Purnima, Christmas, Diwali, Dussehra, Ganesh Chaturthi,

GANGASAGAR MELA, GANGAUR FAIR, Good Friday, Gurupurab, Holi, Id-ul-Azha

or Id-Ul-Zuha(Bakr-Id), Id-Ul-Fitre(Ramzan Id), Janmashtami, Lohri,

Maha Shivaratri, Mahavir Jayanti, Makar sankranti, Muharram, Nag

Panchami, NAGAUR FAIR, PUSHKAR FAIR, Raksha Bandhan, Ram Navami,

SONEPUR FAIR, TARNETAR MELA, THE GOA CARNIVAL, URS AJMER SHARIF

Known for its natural and cultural diversities, India is the land of

hundreds of colorful fairs and festivals. The people of India are so

vibrant and versatile that they celebrate almost every occasion in the

form of fairs and festivals. Almost every day of the year, there is a

festival celebrated in one or other part of the country. Be it the

change of seasons of the year, the harvest, the advent of the new year,

the arrival of rainy seasons, religious occasions or the birthdays of

divine beings and saints, India celebrate a festival for almost every

occasions.

Fairs and Festivals in India The fairs and festivals of India reflect

liveliness and vibrancy of the Indian people. Every festival in India

has its own characteristics. Some of them are celebrated in the form of

processions, some prayers and some in the form of dance and music. But

all of them share a common element in them and that’s the celebration

of life. These colourful and joyous festivals of India bind the people

of the nation across various regions and religions in a unique way.

Undoubtedly, the fairs and festivals of India showcase the true color

of India and provide the best opportunity to its visitors to gain an

insight into the life of the Indian people.

Fairs

NAGAUR FAIR -  NAGAUR, RAJASTHAN

Life in the town of Nagaur starts bustling everynagaur-fair year with

the thronging of Cattle, horses and camels accompanied by their owners

and buyers. The cattle fair held here annually is supposed to be one of

the largest in the world.

Nagaur bulls are renowned for their fleet-footedness and therefore,

attract buyers from all over. The day starts with buyers and sellers

engaged in earnest bargains. Once the price of a horse, bullock or a

camel has been settled, the day closes with dances, songs and

merrymaking.

GANGASAGAR MELA

- Gangasagar, West Bengal
Near the mouth of the river Ganges in gangasagar-melathe state of West

Bengal, is the island of Gangasagar where the Ganges meet the Bay of

Bengal. Every year a Mela is held here in January on Makara Sankranti

day and is attended by a large number of pilgrims from all over India.

The island is dedicated to the sage Kapila.

BENESHWAR FAIR

- Beneshwar, Rajasthan
Towards the full moon night during the montbeneshwar-fairh of

January/February, thousands of Bhil tribe people join together at the

junction of two rivers, Som and Mahi in Rajasthan. They immerse ashes

of their relatives died during that year, as a memorial service. After

that, they bathe in the river to cleanse themselves and then worship at

the temple where God Shiva is defied. In India more than 400 tribes

live separately. Bhil is one of them and they live mainly in the

mountains near boundaries of Rajasthan, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.

They all are serious Hindus and believe that they are the descendants

of God Shiva.

URS AJMER SHARIF

- Ajmer, Rajasthan
Every year Ajmer prepares for its festival – the Urs of Khwaja

Moinuddin Chisti, a Sufi saint. The Urs, commemorating the symbolic

union of the saint with god, is an occasion for celebration. Thousands

or pilgrims arrive to pray at the dargah (tomb) of the saint.

SONEPUR FAIR

- Sonepur, Biharsonepur-fair
At the time of the Kartik Poornima, cattle fairs are also held at

Sonepur, in Bihar and at Bateshwar and Mukteshwar in the state of Uttar

Pradesh. One of the largest cattle fairs in the country is held at

Sonepur. At this month-long fair there is a lot of trade in cattle.

Cows and oxen are coloured bright shades of red, yellow and purple.

Their horns are gilded. The sound of their bells and the trumpeting of

elephants add to the glamour of the fair.

GANGAUR FAIR

- All over Rajasthan, especially Jaipugangaur-fairr, Udaipur & Mandawa
Idols of Issar and Gangaur, manifestations of Shiva and Parvati, are

worshipped by women, and particularly those unmarried who pray for a

consort of the like of Shiva. Celebrated all over Rajasthan, it has

women taking out processions through the streets of towns, carrying

images of the divine couple. The festival is especially colourful in

Jaipur, Udaipur, and at Mandawa in the Shekhawati region.

PUSHKAR FAIR

- PUSHKAR, RAJASTHANpushkar-fair
Pushkar – the ancient town of Rajasthan, 11 kms from Ajmer, is situated

around the sacred lake. The Place is transformed into a spectacular

fair ground in the month of Kartik (October/November). The fair

attracts a great number of tourist from across the world. a temple here

is dedicated to Lord Brahma. Pushkar has three main lakes – Jayshtha

Pushkar, Madhyam Pushkar and Kanishtha Pushkar.

The fair is one of the largest cattle fairs on the world, in which

camels are a special attraction. Here one can see camels being raced

and paraded, vendors selling dazzling wares and people getting

themselves tattooed. in the evening hundreds of oil of lamps placed on

leaves are floated on the lake by worshippers.

THE GOA CARNIVAL

-   Goa
goa-carnival

The exuberant carnival is held for a week every year in Goa just before

Lent. All of Panaji goes wild for that period and it is a time of

feasting and fun, of dances, balls and parades.

With the parade, the festival gets off to a spectacular start and the

fun-loving Goans make the most of their carnival before setting down to

the solemnity at Lent.

TARNETAR MELA

- Tarnetar, Saurashtra

tarnetar-melaThis unusual mela is held annually at Tarnetar. The fair

tu

rns into a kind of marriage market for the local tribes – the Kolis.

this festival is famous also for its folk dances -

the traditional Gujarati garba, ras and haro.

Festivals

Baisakhi

:Is celebrated with joyous music and dance, it is Punjab’s New Year’s

Day. It falls on April 13, though once in 36 years it occurs on April

14th. The Sikhs, therefore, celebrate this festival as a collective

birthday of the tenth Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh, founded the Khalsa

(the Sikh brotherhood) in 1699.

Makar sankranti

:Makar Sankranti is a hindu festival. It makar-sankrantimarks the

begining of the sun’s journey towards northern hemi shere .People take

dip in the rivers and worship the sun .Gangasagar Mela is being

organized near Calcutta where people come from all over India. In

Gujarat, Makara Sankranti is celebrated by the flying of kites.

Lohri

:Lohri celebrates fertility and the spark of life. A festival connected

with the solar year, Lohri festival marks the cullohrimination of

winter, and is celebrated on the 13th day of January in the month of

Paush or Magh, a day before Makar Sankranti. The focus of Lohri is on

the bonfire. The prasad comprises of five main things: til, gazak, gur,

moongphali, phuliya and popcorn. There is puja, involving parikrama

(rotating) around the fire and distribution of prasad. This symbolizes

a prayer to Agni, the spark of life, for abundant crops and prosperity.

Maha Shivaratri

maha-shivaratri1:This is a day of fasting dedicated to Lord Shiva, the

third deity of the Hindu trinity. Religious people stay awake and chant

prayers the whole night. Processions to the festivals are followed by

chanting of mantras and anointing of lingams. Usually there are fairs

near temples for the entertainment of villagers during the daytime.

Holi

holi1:Holi marks the begining of the spring season and the end of the

frosty winters. On the eve of Holi, bonfires are built to symbolize the

destruction of the evil demon Holika. It is celebrated by throwing

colored water and powder at each other.

Mahavir Jayanti

mahavir-jayanti-011:Mahavir Jayanti is the birth anniversary of

Mahavira, The 24th and the last jain Tirthankar. It is a major jain

festival. It is a day of prayer. Most of the jains fast on this days

.Processions are carried out and offering are given to the god. There

are celebrations in all Jain temples and pilgrimages to Jain shrines.

Good Friday

:Good Friday is a Christian festival and is celebrated with great

enthusiasm in India. Christians observe Good Friday as the day on which

Jesus laid down his life for the good of humanity. Services and

recitals of religious music are held in the churches.

Buddha Purnima buddha-purnima-011

:Buddha Purnima The three ocassions of the Buddha’s birth,

enlightenment and

his reaching nirvana are all celebrated on this day. The Buddha is

supposed to have gone through each of these experiences on the same

day, but of d

ifferent years. Buddha Purnima.

Ram Navami

:Ram Navami is the day of Rama’s birthram-navami1

and is celebrated as a day of great piety, with the chanting of prayers

and the singing of ballads. On this day processions are carried out in

Ayodhya, the birth place of Lord Rama. Temples are decorated with

lights and flowers.

Id-Ul-Fitre(Ramzan Id)

:id-ul-fitreramzan-idComing with the new moon, this festival marks the

end of Ramzan, the ninth month of the Muslim year. It was during this

month that the holy Koran was revealed. Muslims keep a fast every day

during this month and on the completion of the period, which is decided

by the appearance of the new moon, Id-ul-Fitr is celebrated with great

eclat. Prayers are offered in mosques and Idgahs and elaborate

festivities are held.

Id-ul-Azha or Id-Ul-Zuha(Bakr-Id)

:The Id-ul-Azha commemorates the ordeal of Hazrat Ibrahim, who had been

putid-ul-azha-or-id-ul-zuhabakr-id to a terrible test by God when he

was asked to sacrifice whatever was dearest to him and he decided to

sacrifice the life of his son. As he was on the point of applying the

sword to his son’s throat, it was revealed to him that this was meant

only to test his faith, and it was enough, if instead he sacrifices

only a ram in the name of Allah. This is celebrated on the tenth day of

Zilhijja, when the Haj celebrations at Mecca are rounded off by the

sacrifice of goats or camels. In India, too, goats and sheep are

sacrificed all over the country and prayers are offered.

Nag Panchami

nag-panchami:Nag Panchami The festival of Nag Panchami is celebrated

throughout the country in the month of Shravana (July-August). This

festival is dedicated to Ananata, the serpent whose coils Lord Vishnu

rests between universes. Offerings are made to snake images. Snakes are

supposed to have the power over the monsoon rainfall and keep evil from

homes. Snakes are worshiped and offered milk. Many hindu families do

pooja at home.

Raksha Bandhan

:Raksha Bandhan celebrated in India in the month of Shravana

(July-August), is an age old festival which strengthens the bond of

love between brother and sister. Raksha Bandhan is an integral part of

the Hindu family structure whereby a woman ties a rakhi or decorative

thread on the wrist of her brother to remind him to protect her if the

need arises. The festival is celebrated as Coconut Day in Maharashtra

as the monsoon seas are calmed by coconuts thrown to Varuna, the god of

waters.

Ganesh Chaturthi

:Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated in the honour of lord Ganesha. This

festival is dedicated to the popular elephant headed God, Ganesha.

Pune, madras, and Bombay are the important centers of celebration. The

elephant-headed god who is worshipped is believed to be the remover of

obstacles. In Maharashtra, huge images of Ganesha are carried in

procession. On specific dates in the following ten days, these images

are immersed in the sea or rivers with thousands of worshippers dancing

and singing after them.

Janmashtami

:Krishna on his birth anniversary in the festival of Janmashtami. The

temples of Vrindavan witness an extrajanmashtamivagant and colourful

celebration on this occasion. Raslila is performed to recreate

incidents from the life of Krishna and to commemorate his love for

Radha. The image of the infant Krishna is bathed at midnight and is

placed in a cradle. Devotional songs and dances mark the celebration of

this festive occasion all over Northern India.

Muharram

:India MuharramAnother Muslim festival that falls around March is the

Muharram. It is not a festival to celebrate but a day is remembered and

mourned as the martyr’s day of Imam Hussein. People take out big

taziyas or processions on this day crying and mourning for Hussein. In

some places people hit themselves and hurt themselves trying to

remember the sufferings of Hussein.

Dussehra

:This festival is a celebration of the victordussehra_11041y of Lord

Rama over Ravana (good over evil). The Ramlila – an enactment of the

life of Lord Rama, is held nine days before Dussehra. On the tenth day,

larger than life effigies of Ravana, his son Meghnath and brother

Kumbhkarna are set alight. The festivities acquire a local significance

in different parts of the country. For instance, in Himachal Pradesh,

Dussehra is celebrated with a week-long fair at Kullu. Mysore comes

alive with majestic processions, a torch light parade as well as dance

and musical events.

Diwali

eepawali or Diwali, the most popular of all Hindu festivals,

celebrates the victory of righteousness and the lifting of spiritual

darkness. It commemorates Lord Rama’s return to his kingdom Ayodhya,

after completing his 14-year exile. Twinkling oil lamps or diyas light

up every home. Splendid firework displays reflect the wild abandon with

which the festival is celebrated. The goddess Lakshmi (consort of Lord

Vishnu), who is the symbol of wealth and prosperity, is also worshipped

on this day. This festive occasion also marks the beginning of the

Hindu New Year (for trade and business). Lord Ganesha, the

elephant-headed god who symbolizes wisdom, is also worshipped in most

Hindu homes on this day.

Gurupurab

:The first full moon night falling after Diwali is the Guru Nanak

Jayanti; that is the birthday of the first Sikh Guru. The Sikh

community all over India celebrates this festival with great

exuberance. They burn crackers and decorate their houses with lights.

Christmas

:Christmas is widely celebrated all overIndia and is

especichristmasally interesting in Goa and Kerala, where some of the

local culture has been absorbed into the festivities. The birth

anniversary of Jesus Christ is celebrated by Christians and

non-Christians alike, with special enthusiasm in big cities like Delhi,

Bombay and Calcutta, where shops and homes take on a festive air.

Families get together around decorated trees and gifts are exchanged.

On Christmas Eve, midnight services are held in churches.

Tags: Baisakhi, BENESHWAR FAIR, Buddha Purnima, Christmas, Diwali, Dussehra, Ganesh Chaturthi, GANGASAGAR MELA, GANGAUR FAIR, Good Friday, Gurupurab, Holi, Id-ul-Azha or Id-Ul-Zuha(Bakr-Id), Id-Ul-Fitre(Ramzan Id), Janmashtami, Lohri, Maha Shivaratri, Mahavir Jayanti, Makar sankranti, Muharram, Nag Panchami, NAGAUR FAIR, PUSHKAR FAIR, Raksha Bandhan, Ram Navami, SONEPUR FAIR, TARNETAR MELA, THE GOA CARNIVAL, URS AJMER SHARIF