| Festival |
Date of Observance |
Date of Observance
(General) |
Description |
| Makar
Sankranti or
Pongal |
Makar
Sankranti marks the transition of the Sun into Makar. It marks the
beginning of the gradual increase of the duration of the day. Pogal is
first day of
Uttarayana, coinciding with the beginning of the
Tamil month of Thai |
January 14 |
Pongal is one of the most popular harvest festival of South India,
mainly Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. Pongal falls in the mid-January
every year and marks the auspicious beginning of Uttarayan – sun's
journey northwards. Pongal festival lasts for four days. Celebrations
include drawing of Kolam, swinging & cooking of delicious Pongal.[1].
This day is coinciding with
Makara Sankranti. |
| Vasant
Panchami |
Fifth day of waxing moon of
Magh (Hindu
Calendar) |
January 20 |
Vasant Panchami (also called Saraswati Puja by
Bengalis and
Biharis) is celebrated for the blessing of
Saraswati,
goddess of wisdom
and the arts.[2] |
| Maha
Shivaratri |
Thirteenth night of the waning moon of
Magh (Hindu
Calendar) |
March 12 |
Maha Shivaratri is the great night of
Shiva, followers of
Shiva observe religious
fasting and the offering of
Bael (Bilva) leaves to
the Shiva. |
| Holi |
Full moon of
Phalgun (Hindu
Calendar) |
March 1 |
Holi or Phagwah is a popular spring festival.
Holi commemorates the
slaying of the demoness Holika by Lord
Vishnu's devotee
Prahlad. Thus, the festival's name is derived from the Sanskrit
words "Holika Dahanam", which literally mean "Holika's slaying" |
|
Vasant Navratri |
|
movable |
Navratri is the Hindu festival of
worship and dance. In
Sanskrit the term literally means "nine nights". During this festival
the forms of Shakti
are worshipped. |
| Rama Navami |
|
March 24 |
Rama Navami is the celebration of the birth of
Rama. |
| Gudi Padwa |
First Day of waxing moon of
Chaitra (Hindu
Calendar) |
March 24 |
Gudi Padwa is celebrated on the first day of the Chaitra
month, and is celebrated as New Year's Day by
Marathis and the
Konkanis. According to the
Brahma Purana,
this is the day on which
Brahma created the world. |
| Ugadi |
|
March 24 |
Ugadi (meaning "the start of an era" in
Telugu and Kannada)
is the New Year's Day for the
Kannadigas and
Telugus. It takes place on the same day as
Gudi Padwa. |
| Vishu and
Tamil New Year |
|
March 24 |
Vishu is a Hindu festival celebrated in
Kerala. The Tamil New
Year follows the nirayan vernal equinox. These festivals falls around
April 14 of the Gregorian year. |
| Hanuman
Jayanti |
|
March 30 |
Hanuman Jayanti is the celebration of the birth of
Hanuman,
Rama's loyal devotee. |
| Bihu |
Vaisakha – The
first month of
Hindu Calendar |
April 14 – 15 |
Rongali Bihu (mid-April, also called Bohag Bihu), the most popular
Bihu celebrates the onset of the Assamese New Year (around April 15) and
the coming of Spring. |
|
Sitalsasthi |
Sixth day of the bright fortnight of the month of Jyestha (Hindu
Calender) |
June |
The marriage of Shiva
and Parvati is
celebrated as Sitalsasthi. It is celebrated as a carnival. Where people
and artists from different walks of life participate making it more
beautiful and bringing out the true colour of life. |
|
Vat Pournima |
Full moon of Jyeshta
(Hindu
Calendar) |
movable |
Vat Pournima is observed in
Maharashtra.
Pournima means "full
moon." Women pray for the prosperity of their husbands by tying
threads around a banyan
tree. |
| Bonalu |
|
August |
Bonalu is a Scheduled Caste/Tribe and Backward Caste
celebration of Mother Goddess (Pochamma, Yellamma etc) in the Telangana
Region. Caste based festivals are common in this region. |
| Bathukamma |
|
September-October |
Bathukamma is a festival which takes place during the months
of September and October in some regions of Telangana, originally in
Ranga Reddy, Medak and Warangal Districts. |
|
Rath Yatra |
|
July 13 |
Rath Yatra is the festival associated with
Jagannath. |
| Guru Purnima |
Full moon of
Ashadh (Hindu
Calendar) |
July 25 |
Guru Purnima is the day devotees offer puja (worship) to
their Guru. This was
also the day when Vyasa,
author of the
Mahabharata was born. |
| Mahalakshmi
Vrata |
|
movable |
Mahalakshmi Vrata is a
puja performed by married
Hindu women
to seek the blessings of
Mahalakshmi,
goddess of wealth
and
prosperity. |
| Onam |
|
August 23 |
Onam is a
harvest festival, celebrated mainly in the Indian state of
Kerala. Like many
other religious festivals in India, Onam is celebrated by people across
all castes and faiths. |
| Raksha Bandhan |
Full moon of
Shravana (Hindu
Calendar) |
August 24 |
Raksha Bandhan is a festival celebrated mainly in northern
Indian states. Rakhi is a special occasion to celebrate the chaste bond
of love between a brother and a sister. |
|
Krishna Janmaashtami |
Eighth day of waning moon of
Shravana (Hindu
Calendar) |
September 1–2 |
Krishna Janmaashtami is the Hindu festival celebrating the
birth of Krishna. It
is actually called as Krishna Jayanthi. The date falls not only on the
eight day of the waning moon, but always on Rohini Nakshatra. |
| Gowri Habba |
|
Movable |
Gowri Habba is celebrated in
Karnataka,
Andhra Pradesh,
and Tamil Nadu.
Gowri is worshipped for her ability to bestow courage to her
devotees.
Newly wed couples are invited to the house of the groom's parents
and served with
varieties of food. |
| Ganesh
Chaturthi |
Fourth day of the waxing moon of
Bhadrapada (Hindu
Calendar) |
September 11 |
Ganesh Chaturthi is the celebration of the birth of
Ganesh. |
| Nuakhai |
Fifth day of the waxing moon of
Bhadrapada (Hindu
Calendar) |
September 12 |
Nuakhai is celebrated to welcome the new rice of the season.
This is an agricultural festival mainly observed by people of Western
Orissa (Kosal). |
|
Navarathri |
First nine nights of the waxing moon of
Ashvin |
October 8 |
Navarathri is the Hindu festival of
worship and dance. In
Sanskrit the term literally means "nine nights". During this festival
the forms of Shakti
are worshiped. |
| Vijayadashami |
Tenth day of waxing moon of
Ashvin (Hindu
Calendar) |
October 17 |
Vijayadashami is the Hindu celebration of good over evil. |
|
Deepavali |
New moon of Ashvin
(Hindu
Calendar) |
November 5 |
Deepavali which means "row of lights/lamps" is called "Divali"
in North India, Deepa means lamp and in Hindi a lamp is mostly called a
Diya or Di. The festival is celebrated on the occasion of
Lord Krishna and his wife
Satyabhama killing
a demon Narakasura.
Another story says the festival is celebrated for the return of
Rama and
Sita to the kingdom
Ayodhya after
fourteen years of exile. |
|
Bhaubeej |
Second day of the waxing moon of
Kartik (Hindu
Calendar) |
November 7 |
Bhaubeej, also referred to as Bhai dooj, is the
ceremony performed by Hindus, generally, on the second day of
Deepavali. It is celebrated among brothers and sisters and is
similar to Raksha Bandhan, except there is no tying of rakhi
involved. |
| Kartik
Poornima |
15th of the Full
moon day of
Kartik (November–December) |
[Movable] |
A unique festival is celebrated in Varanasi this day which is called
Dev Devali. The Kartik Purnima festival also coincides with the
Jain
light festival and
Guru Nanak
Jayanti |
| Chhath |
|
November 11–12 |
Chhath is unique to
Bihar and
Terai, but is also
celebrated elsewhere. It is a festival dedicated to the
Sun God for bestowing the bounties of life and fulfilling wishes. |
|
Prathamastami |
|
after 8 days of
Kartik Purnima |
Prathamastami is a
festival that
originated in
Oriya. It is held on the eighth day of the month of
Agrahayana, when
older female relatives pray for the prosperity of their eldest child.
The festival is followed by rituals and recitations of the
Glory of
Mahalakshmi and
Shashti devi. |
| Yatra |
|
October – March |
Yatra (also Zatra and jatra) refers to the
pilgrimage festivals celebrated at
Hindu temples. Idols and
murtis
are taken out on special procession in a palkhi (a
palanquin) or a chariot called the rath. Every temple
observes this festival once a year on the traditional day. |
| Karthikai
Deepam |
|
November/December |
Karthikai Deepam is a very ancient festival of lights
celebrated by Tamil Hindus on the full moon day of Karthikai month
(November/December). This occurs on the day when the moon is in
conjunction with the constellation Karthigai (Pleiades) and purnima. It
is the same as Kartik Poornima but since Tamils follow the Hindu
Solar calendar with correction for
precession of the equinoxes, the Tamil date matches the actual
constellation. |
| Pancha
Ganapati |
is a
Winter Solstice celebration that lasts five days. |
December 21 to 25 |
Pancha Ganapati is a modern Hindu festival celebrating Lord
Ganesha the
Five-Faced Maha Ganapati—Lord of Categories. |
| Kumbh Mela |
is a pilgrimage made every four years to the
Ganges river |
July 27 to September 7 |
The Purna (complete) Kumbh takes place every twelve years. The Ardh
(half) Kumbh Mella is celebrated every six years. The normal Kumbh Mela
is celebrated every 4 years. The Maha (great) Kumbh Mela which comes
every 12 'Purna Kumbh Melas', or 144 years. |
| |
|
|
From Wikipedia |
