Fairs and Festivals in India

From one corner of the country to the other, India is a crucible of myriad cultures, customs and traditions. And this eclectic mix shows in their celebrations that span all throughout the year. Pick any state of India and you have a plethora of festivals coming around. Both the young and young at heart can be seen joining in the celebration. The Central Europeans and the Asian invaders, as they chose to settle here, gave rise to a number of religions and lifestyles. So, being a part of these legions of festivals means getting to know the zeal, fervour and deep rooted spirituality of Indian people. This land of dharma has the potential to satisfy a lot of your religious and cultural thirst.

For instance, take Rajasthan and there are festivals like the Desert Festival, the Pushkar Fair, the Elephant Festival, the Bikaner Festival and the Mewar Festival. The Dussehra Festival of Mysore pulls in a great number of tourists every year. During the festival, the Mysore Palace is truly a sight to behold. Dussehra of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar are also very popular. Turn to Goa to partake in the Goa Carnival that creates a scene of dance, music, drinking and merrymaking. Durga Pooja of Kolkata sets forth the religious fervours and spirituality of the people here. Id is the grandest festival of Muslims, celebrated throughout the length and breadth of the country conveying a massage of communal harmony to all. Id-ul-Azha and Muharram are the other chief festivals of Muslims. Raksha Bandhan, Maha Shivratri, Kartik Poornima, Holi and Deewali are the famous Hindu festivals. The southern Indian states like Kerala and Tamil Nadu abound with temple festivals like Brahmotsavam, Thrissur Pooram, Guruvayoor Ekadesi etc.