indian fairs & festivals, india fairs & festivals

Fairs and Festivals

This week-long annual event is a display of the arts, crafts and culture of the splendid city Jhansi. The cultural programmes include folk songs, dances and mushairas.

● Lucknow Festival - November

This festival celebrates Lucknow's living culture. Capital alight during this ten day long event. Colorful processions, traditional dramas Kathak dances in the style of the famous Lucknow gharana, sarangi and sitar recitals along with ghazals, qawalis and thumri create a festive atmosphere. Exciting events like ekka races, kite flying, cock fighting and other traditional village games recreate an atmosphere of Avadh's nawabi days.

● Jhoola Fair

The fortnight long Jhoola fair of Mathura and Vrindavan and Ayodhya, when dolls are placed in the gold or silver jhoolas or cradles is worth witnessing.

● Magh Mela

This Mela is celebrated every winter in January. People come and settle there for a month to have a dip in the holy Sangam every morning.

● Bateshwar Cattle Fair

A famous cattle fair is held at Bateshwar in Agra district.

● Holi

During spring, the festival of colours is celebrated all over India. Holi is a time to make merry. People smear each other with coloured powdered. Singing and dancing add to the gaiety of the occasion. The holi celebrations in Mathura - the land of Sri Krishna are spectacular. The Rang Gulal Festival is celebrated for a week with exuberant processions, songs and music. Especially famous is the 'Lathmar Holi' of Barsana and Nandgaon.

● Janmashtami

The birth of Lord Krishna is celebrated with great fervour all over the country. In Mathura and Vrindavan - where Lord Krishna spent his childhood and youth, the Janmashtami celebrations are quite elaborate. The Krishna Leela stories of his eventful youth are enacted. In Maharashtra, earthen pots of curd and butter are hung up over the streets. Young men enacting an episode from Krishna's childhood form human pyramids by climbing on each other's shoulders and try to break these up.

● Kumbh Mela

The biggest congregation, perhaps of the entire world, Kumbh Mela is held at Allahabad every twelfth year. Ardh Kumbha Mela is also held at these places every sixth years.

Uttaranchal Fairs and Festivals

● International Yoga Week - February

A week long event to promote yoga is held in Rishikesh, a picturesque town in the foothills of the Himalayas. Detailed lectures and demonstration of various 'Asanas' by prominent exponents of yoga are the major highlights of the Yoga Week.

● Holi

Holi is celebrated with the arrival of spring and the death of demoness Holika, it is a celebration of colours, joy and happiness. The Holi Mahotsav is organised in Nainital with the co-operation of the local bodies. The festivities reflect cultural traditions of Kumaon.

● Janmashtami - August

It falls on the 8th day of the dark half of the month of Bhadrapada, the birth of Lord Krishna, the eighth divine incarnation. Temples are decorated for the occassion, krtans are sung, bells are rung and hymes are recited in praise of Lord Krishna.

● Kumbh Mela

The biggest congregation, perhaps of the entire world, Kumbh Mela is held at Allahabad, Haridwar, Nasik, Ujjain every twelfth year. Ardh Kumbha Mela is also held at these places every sixth years.