India is a country with many festivals and holidays. There always seems to be something being celebrated in India, whether it is a Hindu festival, an Islamic celebration, or a regional carnival. Indian festivities have always attracted visitors from all over the world, not only because of their vibrant colours and gregarious participants but also because they provide a unique opportunity to interact with locals and see the country at its most festive. We’ll discuss India’s most famous festivals.
1. Diwali
The Festival of Lights, also known as Diwali or Deepavali, is India’s most awaited and largest festival of the year. Diwali is a Hindu festival in which flares, oil lamps, and string lights are used to mark the victory of light overnight. Diwali is a Hindu festival that occurs in late October or early November. The entire country is decked out in twinkling lights and flaming clay lanterns for the five-day festival. Diwali is welcomed throughout India, but Delhi, Jaipur, and Kolkata are among the most majestic cities to visit during the festival.
2. Ganesh Chaturthi
Ganesh Chaturthi is a ten-day festival commemorating Ganesh’s birth. All across Mumbai, massive handcrafted Ganesh sculptures are exhibited in pandals or temples during the festival. Any neighbourhood competes to create the highest and most stunning Ganesh statue. All through the celebration, each shrine is given donations and religious rites are performed before the idols are all taken to the ocean and immersed on the final day. The statues’ placement in the sea represents Lord Ganesh’s departure from Earth and return to the heavens.
3. Durga Puja
Durga Puja is the most important festival in Kolkata and West Bengal. This festival lasts five days and celebrates the goddess Durga’s triumph over the buffalo devil Mahishasura. Huge sculptures of the goddess Durga with her ten arms are sculpted and installed in temples and pandals in the city during the festival.
4. Eid al-Fitr
Islam has made a significant contribution to Indian culture, notably in North India, since it has a long tradition of Islamic kings, including the Mughals, who constructed magnificent structures such as the Taj Mahal and the Red Fort. The culmination of Ramadan, the holy month of fasting, is marked by Eid, a day of celebration. Since Eid marks the end of the short, it is commemorated with lavish feasts and spectacular spectacles.
5. Onam
Kerala celebrates Onam, a four-day harvest festival. This festival, which commemorates the legendary King Mahabali’s return, is a spectacular showcase of Kerala’s history and heritage. Popular dances, sporting matches, boat races, and Kathakali shows are all part of Kerala’s Onam celebrations. Each house also makes a pookalam, a floral and rice-based decoration that is mounted on the floor at the doorway to homes and houses. During Onam, visitors to Kerala will watch the joyous festivities or partake in the Onam Sadhya, a big festival feast eaten on banana leaves.