» North India Guide

North India Tourism

North India Festivals

Holi
It is a festival of colour, truly democratic and egalitarian. All barriers are down, all inhibitions shed. Boys and girls, men and women of all ages, all castes, and all classes participate. None is high and none is low. Anyhow, when a person is plastered with colour he is not easy to identify. On the eve of Holi bonfires are lit and Holi itself is celebrated by the throwing of colour, by gaiety and noise, one could even say, by wild abandon. In time the festival has also become associated with the 'Lila' of Radha and Krishna and has inspired some of our most sensuous poetry.

Puri-Rath Yatra
The Puri-Rath Yatra, Allahabad-Kumbha, Alleppey-Boat Race, Pushkar-Camel Fair, Goa-Carnival so on and so forth all reflect the diversity of the land and its people but common emotion of revived vigour, joy and sharing.

Vasant
Scattered amongst the ripening wheat are the bright yellow flowers of mustard. Tender blossoms appear on the mango tree and 'song is bestowed upon the bird'. On that day everyone wears a special shade of yellow. The festival is dedicated to Saraswati, goddess of learning and the arts.

Sawan (Monsoon)
Of all the seasons it is the which has evoked the largest number of songs. This is not strange, for summer in the plains of North India is long and hot. As months go by anxious eyes scan the sky. It is a time for renewal. Swings are hung at all likely places and women and children are seen swinging high into the branches overhead accompanied by joyous singing.

Raksha Bandhan
The bracelet of protection - is a festival belonging to the old days of chivalry. If the gift of a bracelet sent by a girl was accepted by a man, he henceforth became her adopted brother, pledged to support her in times of stress or war. Today it is just a ritual, though a charming one.

Janmashtmi
The birthday of Lord Krishna, and the most beloved of all gods. The Krishna legend has caught the imagination of our own people and now of many abroad. Krishna is intensely human. He's everybody's child, full of mischief. Stories of his pranks are recounted as recent happenings. As an ardent lover, he inspires our poets and artists, our music and dance.

Ganesh is the god of wisdom as well as of good fortune. As a granter of boons he is worshipped at the beginning of every prayer and auspicious occasion. Ganesh's birthday (Chaturthy) falls at the end of the monsoon and is marked by special festivities after which is image is immersed in the nearest river or the sea.

States have special harvest festivals such as Bihu in Assam, Onam in Kerala and Pongal in Tamil Nadu. The main attraction of Onam is a boat race on rivers swollen by the monsoon. At Arnamulla the long boats compete in speed on the Pamba River where water jousts are held. Each boat painted in the colors of its proprietor or village is manned by a hundred oarsmen, who chant in rhythm to speed up the beat of the paddles.

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