The colours of Rajasthan
Festivals and fairs
From north to south and in every month of the year, there is always a fair, festival or celebration on the go in India, says Thomas E. King.
January: Pongal is a three-day harvest festival featuring painted cows and bullocks, in the southern states, mainly in Tamil Nadu. It is celebrated to mark Ultarayan, the sun’s journey northwards. January 26 marks Republic Day, which is celebrated throughout the country.
February: Surajkund Crafts Mela at Surajkund near Delhi is a two-week event that showcases quality handicrafts available at affordable prices.
The Desert Festival in Jaisalmer
March: Wear your old clothes during the one-day spring splash known as Holi. The new season is celebrated throughout India with coloured powder and water.
April: The rural festival of Baisakhi marks the beginning of the Hindu solar year (New Year) and is celebrated throughout the north, particularly in the Punjab.
May: Pooram, in the town of Thrissur in Kerala, is a colourful event whose beginning is signalled by 30 richly decorated elephants carrying ceremonial umbrellas before a venerated temple.
June: The Hemis Festival in Leh, in the Himalyan state of Ladakh, is a three-day festival of food, song and dance celebrated by Ladakhi Buddhists.
A houseboat on the canals of Kerala
July: Three gigantic temple chariots are pulled through the streets in a spectacular procession in the seaside town of Puri in the eastern state of Orissa, in a festival known as Rath Yatra.
August: India’s Independence Day, commemorating India’s independence from British rule in 1947, is celebrated on August 15. Visitors in Delhi can see the Prime Minister address the nation and unfurl the flag.
September: The southern state of Kerala’s biggest festival, Onam, is highlighted with exciting snake boat races conducted on palm-fringed lagoons.
October: Known as the Festival of Lights, Hindus light earthen lamps and candles and burst firecrackers all over India during the Diwali Festival.
November: Featuring wandering minstrels, puppeteers and decorated livestock on sale, the annual market, known as Pushkar Mela, is a very popular event for tourists and locals alike in the Rajasthani town of Pushkar.
December: India has more Christians than there are people in Australia. Christmas is especially vibrant in Catholic Goa, a former Portuguese colony.
A comprehensive calendar of events and festivals around India can be found at www.incredibleindia.org
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