Festivals
& Fairs in Delhi
|
| Lohri
(13th January) |
| In
this festival, the climax of winter is celebrated with bonfires and
singing. Traditionally, Lohri marks the end of winter. |
| Kite-Flying
Festival (January) |
| Held
on Makar Sankranti day on the green lawns above Palika Bazaar, Connaught
Place, this colourful extravaganza attracts national as well as international
participants. |
| Basant
Panchami (2nd February) |
| The
biting winter winds continuing till the end of January-early February,
when the Hindu festival of Basant Panchami welcomes the spring. This
is the season when the prestigious Mughal gardens behind Rashtrapati
Bhavan are opened to public for a month. |
| Thyagaraja
Festival (February) |
| An
enthusiastic display of south Indian music and dance, opposite Jawaharlal
Nehru University in Vaikunthnath temple. |
| Maha
Shivratri (March) |
| Maha
Shivratri is celebrated on the 'Amavasya' night of 'Phalguna'. It
is said Lord Shiva danced the 'Tandava Nritya', which means cosmic
dance on this dark night. He is worshipped at temples with all night
vigils and prayers and unmarried women keep daylong fasts so that
Shiva may grant them good husbands. |
| Amir
Khusrau's Anniversary (April) |
| Amir
Khusrau's Anniversary is celebrated in April, with a fair in Nizamuddin
and prayers and 'qawwali' singing. The event also sees the National
Drama Festival, staged mostly at the Rabindra Bhawan. |
| Baisakhi
(13th April) |
| In
north India, the Hindu New Year is celebrated on Baisakhi in mid-April
just as the sun begins to get fierce and the dusty winds herald summer.
It is also known as the beginning of the harvest season. |
| Buddha
Jayanti (May) |
| The
first full moon night in May marks the birth of the Lord Buddha. Prayer
meetings are held at Buddha Vihar, Ring Road and Buddha Vihar, Mandir
Marg. Buddha Purnima is the month of 'Vaisakha', commemorates not
just Lord Buddha's birth, but also his 'Enlightenment' and gaining
'Nirvana'. |
| Mahavir
Jayanti (May) |
| The
birth of Lord Mahavira, who founded Jainism, is celebrated around
this time of the year with prayers and processions. |
| International
Mango Festival (July) |
| A
peculiar event, with over five hundred types of mango on show, usually
in Talkatora Stadium. Tourists can enjoy free tasting and a cultural
programme to sample. |
| Phoolkwalon-ki-Sair
(October) |
In
early October, a festival specific to Mehrauli, in Delhi, takes place.
This is the Phulwalon-ki-Sair or the Flower Sellers Procession, which
originated in the 16th century.
The highlight is a procession of people carrying decorated floral
fans, which are blessed at the shrine of the 13th century Sufi saint,
Khwaja Utb-ud-din Bakhtyar Kaki and at the Hindu temple of Jogmaya,
both in Mehrauli. The procession ends with a formal ceremony at the
Jahaz Mahal, a 16th century pleasure resorts by the side of a lake. |
| Qutub
Festival (October) |
| Delhi
Tourism organizes the popular Qutub Festival in October. Musicians
and dancers perform at night by the city's 12th century landmark,
the Qutub Minar . This festival gives tourists a glimpse of the cultural
grandeur of India. |
| Guru
Purab (November - December) |
| Guru
Purab is the celebration of the birth of first of the ten Sikh gurus,
Guru Nanak. 'Nagar Kirtans' are taken out through the streets and
in the Gurdwaras, 'Granthees' recite verses from the Guru Granth Sahib,
the holy book of Sikhs. |
| Christmas
(25th December) |
| On
25th of December the capital witnesses special Christian Eve entertainment's
at its all-major hotels and restaurants and the midnight mass and
services at all churches. |
| New
Year's Eve (31st December) |
| The
culmination of the Indian festive spirit is celebrated on the 31st
of December, with most hotels and restaurants offering special food
and entertainment. |
| Garden
Tourism Festival |
Location:
Talkatora Gardens, New Delhi
Month: February
Held at the Talkatora Gardens in the month of February, the garden
tourism festival is an annual horticultural extravaganza and a visual
feast, for Delhi is ablaze with flowers, exotic plants and cultural
events. Delhi Tourism also organizes cultural performances during
the garden festival. |
Balloon
Mela
Location : Safdarjung Airport, New Delhi
The vibrant Ballon Mela at Safdarjung Airport celebrates adventure
with huge exotic hot air balloons lazily floating across the sky. |
| Kite-Flying
Festival |
Location
: Palika Bazaar, Connaught Place, New Delhi
Month : January
Held on Makar Sankranti Day, in the month of January, on the green
lawns above Palika Bazaar, Connaught Place, this colourful extravaganza
attracts national as well as international participants. |
Festivals
& Fairs in Agra
|
| The
Taj Mahotsav |
| One
of the most awaited cultural festivals in India is the Taj Mahotsav.
The festival is organized during February. This ten-day extravaganza
is held in the Shilpgram close to the Taj. Taj Mahotsav brings the
extensive arts, crafts and culture of India on display. This festival
has the classical dance and classical song performances by some of
the well-known artists in India. Mushairas and ghazal programmes add
to the colour of the festival. Camel and elephant rides accompanied
by games and delicacies attract children and elders in equal numbers. |
| Bateshwar
Fair |
Situated
at a distance of 70 km. from Agra on the banks of river Yamuna, Bateshwar
is an important spiritual and cultural centre and also the birthplace
of the Prime Minister of India, Mr. Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The place
is named after the presiding deity of the region, Bateshwar Mahadeo
and has 108 temples, dedicated to the gods and goddesses of the Hindu
pantheon.
During the months of October & November, a large fair is organized
from Shashthi of Kartik month to Panchami of Agrahayan month. The
fair holds a lot of importance for the Hindus. Devotees congregate
here in large numbers to worship Lord Shiva and take holy dips in
river Yamuna. A Livestock Fair is also organized and owners and buyers
conduct serious business combined with the gaiety of a market place. |
| Rambarat |
| The
marriage procession of Sri Ram called as 'Rambarat' is held every
year, during Ramlila celebrations at Agra. Every year, a new locale
of the town is chosen as Janakpuri, which is elaborately decorated
to perform the royal wedding. The Rambarat (marriage procession) starts
from Lala Channomalji Ki Baradari for Janakpuri, passing through different
parts of the town. The barat is a large procession of tableaux or
the 'jhankis', followed by Ram and Lakshman, mounted on elephants. |
| Kailash
Fair |
| The
kailash fair is held at Kailash, 12 kms from Agra during the months
of August-September. It is a major fair celebrated in honour of lord
shiva, who is believed to have appeared here in the form of a stone
lingam. |
Festivals
& Fairs in Jaipur
|
| Gangaur
Festival, Jaipur (23 - 24 March'04): |
| Parvati,
the consort of Lord Shiva. It is time for young girls to dress up
in their finery and pray for grooms of their choice while the married
women pray for the well-being of their husbands. This 18-day festival
is laced with various activities and culminates in a grand procession
marking the arrival of Shiva to escort his bride home. |
| Teej,
Jaipur (19-20 August'04): |
| A festival
to mark the advent of monsoon. Women dressed in bright colors and
a lot of merriment prevails during Teej. Essentially a women's festival,
it is interesting to watch them enjoying in groups and at various
bazaars where they turn up to shop in all their finery. |
| Elephant
Festival, Jaipur (06 March'04): |
| A festival
to celebrate Holi, this is a great occasion for the visitor to watch
several elephant sports and also play this festival of colors. A show
is organized with the elephants turning out in their best finery. |
| Kite
Festival (held on 14th Jan of every year): |
| A festival
with a difference - as kites take to the sky all over Rajasthan. In
the evening, kites with lights in them and fireworks brighten the
skies above. The main celebrations are in Jaipur and Jodhpur. If you
like kite flying, you should be here. |
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