Fairs and Festivals

The unique charm of India’s diversity can be best experienced in its fairs and festivals. The incredible land of India embraces you with a new culture at every step. The fairs and festivals of India define the rich heritage of the country. Where some festivals are celebrated to welcome specific seasons such as monsoon and harvest, others are celebrated to offer prayers to the deities. Here are some of the fairs and festivals in India which display pomp and magnificence on a grand scale.

Diwali
A celebration of triumph of light over dark and good over evil, Diwali is one of the major festivals of India. The festival is blissfully intertwined by ancient mythology and spirituality. While India is a fascinating destination to visit at any time of the year, there's perhaps no time more perfect than the festival of Diwali. This is the time when the entire country is illuminated with fireworks, oil lamps and a riot of colour. In addition to decorating their homes with oil lamps, people also clean their houses and share sweets and gifts. Diwali is a festival of happiness, fun and spirituality, emphasizing true beauty of India.

Holi
The festival of colours and love Holi is famed as one of the most revered festivals of India. Celebrated in almost every part of the country, the festival of Holi fills the air with exhilaration. Holi in India is an occasion to indulge in colourful celebrations, bonfire and sweets. The festival signifies the end of winter and opulence of the upcoming spring harvest season. Holi lets you discover the country’s religious significance and cultural traditions. One of the most remarkable things about this Indian festival is how enthusiastic and care-free it is. It is purely a day of fun.

Hornbill Festival
Hornbill Festival of Nagaland is the cultural extravaganza, held once a year. The festival has been named after a bird with the same name. The Hornbill Festival of Nagaland is a popular attraction among the tourists. This week long fiesta can be described as an assortment of inter-cultural festivities of the place. Tribal dances, religious ceremonies, handicrafts, parades, games belonging to the Naga culture are the prime attractions of the festival. To encourage inter-tribal interaction and to promote cultural heritage of Nagaland, the Government of Nagaland organizes the Hornbill Festival every year in the first week of December.

Kerala Boat Race
Things that make Kerala a unique destination to explore are its Boat Races. Boat Races are among the grandest traditions still alive and thriving in Kerala. God’s Own Country, Kerala, is renowned for its Boat Races. These races have been a part of the tradition and culture here since ancient times. As the popular attractions of Kerala, Boat Races here are perhaps the most vigorous, prestigious and community oriented water sports in India. Kerala Backwaters play host to several boat races held every year, and each has its own story of origin. These boat races are a spectacle that needs to be experienced to be believed.

Khajuraho Dance Festival
The Khajuraho Dance Festival is where culture and traditions come together to offer a compelling experience. Khajuraho is home to UNESCO World Heritage Site, Khajuraho Temples. These temples are perfect epitomes of ancient architectural brilliance of Chandela Rulers. Other than the temples, Khajuraho Dance Festival is something that every art lover craves for. This weeklong festival takes place every year amid the magnificent ambiance of Khajuraho Temples in Madhya Pradesh.The event enjoys the presence of the best classical dancers from all across India. Celebrating the charisma of human emotions and religious philosophy, the festival attracts thousands of tourists. 

Mysore Dasara
Mysore Dasara is the festival that celebrates the grandeur of Mysore’s royal heritage. Mysore is the city of royal palace, and is known for its age-old tradition of celebrating Dussehra or ‘Dasara’ in a majestic way. Celebrated for 10 days, Mysore Dasara celebrates the grandeur of the city’s royal heritage. According to beliefs, the festival celebrated the victory of Goddess Chamundeshwari after killing the demon Mahishasura and the victory of good over evil.

Onam
Onam, the biggest cultural festival of Kerala is a ten-day harvest festival dedicated to the homecoming of King Mahabali. This is the time when the entire state comes together and exhibits its local cultures and traditions. The festival is a spectacle to watch with every corner and street lighting up with vibrant hues of joy. Evoking a feeling of euphoria, this harvest festival marks the annual visit of the mythical king Mahabali, who was the ruler of ancient Kerala. It is said that the soul of Mahabali visits Kerala during the time of Onam Festival and blesses his subjects.

Goa Carnival
While many relate Goa with beaches, nightlife and fun, there is a lot more to this place that makes Goa a vibrant destination. This beach paradise is in every sense a land of cultural heritage and tradition. Goa is a potpourri of several communities, culture and festivals. It is this beautiful blend of vivid traditions that is evident in the various fairs and festivals of Goa. In spite of being inhabited predominantly by the Christians, it is not only the Christian fairs and festivals, but also festivals of Hindu and Muslim religions that are celebrated here with the same zeal and fervor.

Hemis Festival
Celebrated annually on the 10th day of the Tse-Chu, Lunar month of the Tibetan Calendar, Hemis Festival marks the victory of good over evil. Like any other festival, the Hemis Festival portrays the lives and beliefs of the people of Ladakh. This 2 day festival celebrates Guru Padmasambhava's birth anniversary, who was the founder of Vajrayana Buddhism in Ladakh. After the unbearable winter chills, the festival comes as a welcome respite, as the Hemis Monastery opens its doors to the festivities.

Kumbh Mela
Kumbh Mela is renowned as the largest religious and holiest gathering in the world. Traditionally referred to a gathering of devotees, Kumbh Mela is inscribed on the UNESCO’s Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. It is so much more than just a festival; Kumbh Mela is a cultural retreat, a celebration of life over death, virtue of sins, and celebration of divinity and spirituality. This peaceful religious gathering is an experience that goes beyonf the realm of religion and beliefs. Traditionally four fairs are widely recognized as the Kumbh Melas - the Haridwar Kumbh Mela, the Allahabad Kumbh Mela, the Nashik-Trimbakeshwar Simhastha, and Ujjain Simhastha. The fair is celebrated in such a massive scale that it can give any music festival a run for its money.

Pushkar Mela
Pushkar Mela, also renowned as the Pushkar Camel Fair, is an unusual celebration that takes place in Rajasthan. The Fair celebrates the beauty of desert, the camels. The magnificent Pushkar Mela, through its dramatic collage of diversified pictures, mirrors the vibrancy of the gracious state of Rajasthan. This colourful Fair lets you flip through the pages of Rajasthani culture and tradition. People from around the world visit this unique fair that focuses on trading of camels and cattle, camel races, vivid cultural performances and art exhibitions. This traditional carnival brings thousands of camels, cattle, and horses together. This fair is famed for being one of the world’s largest cattle fair.

Rann Utsav
Famed as one of the largest salt deserts in the World, the Great Rann of Kutch in Gujarat is oceans of mysterious sand. A visit to Kutch isn’t just a visit, it is an experience. This magical place hides a beautiful pearl in its bossom – Rann Utsav. The festival of Rann Utsav can be described as a canvas full of culture, profusion of art forms, and an overabundance of life. It is a Carnival of Music, Dance, nature beauty of White Rann and much more. There are over 400 tents of varying capacity and facilities, which alone is an experience of a lifetime.

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