Month: February 2020

Festival of Holi

India is famous for its colorful customs and one of the most colorful festivals of all is the "Festival of Colors" itself. Holi, the vibrant festival celebrated to welcome spring Mythically, it celebrates the death of demon Holika by Prahalathan, a devotee of Lord Vishnu. Cultural dance and music performances, puppet shows and much more are enjoyed as part of the festival celebration. Although celebrated throughout the country, Holi is an exclusive festival in only a few states of the country.

Holi in Barsana

Barsana is a small village located near Mathura of Uttar Pradesh. When it comes to festival, the village turns into beautiful paradise of bright colors. Holi festival is celebrated with an age-old tradition where women of the land beat up men with small sticks decorated with colorful cloth and paper.

This celebration is called Lathmar. Lathmar Holi is playing exactly one week prior to the actual celebration of Holi. Two days before Holi, the village celebrates Ladoo Holi during the households in the region make delicacies and share with others.  Tourists are more than welcome to be part of this celebration.

Mathura & Vrindhavan Traditional Holi

If you want to enjoy in Holi festival without commercialization, we recommend you to visit Mathura or Vrindavan. Mathura is an ancient city and is believed to be the place where Lord Krishna was born. This marks the beginning of Holi festival, which takes place for one week.

Banke Bihari temple is the location of celebration in Vrindhavan. On the day before Holi, thousands of people visit the temple to participate in the Holi of God. Priest spray color water on the deity and on the devotees. The devotees chant in unison and It is an amazing site to watch cultural and ritual activities. On the Holi day, the celebrations start at 9 am in the morning. People throw powder at each other inside the temple. Devotees specifically dressed in light colors or white for enjoying the colors. Right outside the temple, you can find street foods, shops for souvenirs shopping and much more.

Holi in Shantiniketan

If you want to enjoy Holi festival filled with cultural activities, West Bengal's Shantiniketan is the best spot to visit. Here, Holi is called as Basanta Utsav. You can experience several cultural activities during this festival. Folk dance, music festival, puppet shows and much more are conducted throughout the city. The temples of the city conducts special rituals during this day.

Purulia of West Bengal celebrates the spring with Basanta Utsav. However, it is quite dissimilar to that of the one celebrated in Shantiniketan. Folk dance, Nauta dance, Chau dance and Darbarijhumur are conducted throughout the place. Baul musicians conduct concerts at various spots in Purulia. The festival is celebrated in various places in the city.

Holi in Purulia

Thousands of people visiting the temple early in the morning to enjoy music performances and enjoy with colors. Mohua, a local beverage served to people who enjoy Holi in the temple. The evenings are dedicated for dance forms. An open-air theater is constructed and people enjoy folk performances. On the day after Holi, poetry recitals take place in the temple. Short folk performances also takes place at various places.

Holi in Anandpur Saheb

Holi is celebrated in cliché manner with rituals, cultural activities and many colors in Andandpur Sahib, Punjab. On the day after Holi, Hola, at Sik festival is celebrated in Anandpur Sahib. A day before Holi, a large three-day fair is that the Sikh New Year. You can enjoy fireworks, music, poetry, dance forms, martial art performances and many others. A military styled procession is conducted near the Takht Sri Keshgarh Sahib.

Holi in Udaipur

Udaipur celebrates Holi in a royal style. On the evening before Holi, Holika Dahan is conducted. The royal family of Udaipur take part in the iconic procession of the celebration, seated on elephants or horses. The whole city forms a procession of dance, music and celebration and the royal family from the palace to Manek Chowk.

A large bon fire is conducted in the chowk region, which is followed by several dance and music performances. By the end of the day, a large puppet of a demon On the day of Holi, buckets of colored waters are thrown at anyone found on the street. People enjoy with folk dance and music. The hotels & restaurants in Udaipur conduct live night dance programs with DJ.

Holi is celebrated throughout India. Remember that the locals will throw water at strangers without considering their attire, belongings or others. Thus, cover your cameras and other precious items.. Apply to thick layers of coconut oil in your body and hair. It will help you remove the colors easily after the festival.

 

Diwali is the festival of lights.

People celebrate the day by lighting oil lamps, making crackers explode and enjoying a cultural moment in the family to remember that Good always prevails over Evil. Some explain that Diwali is the day Ram came back to Ayodhya with his wife, his brother and Hanuman after killing Ravan. For some communities, Diwali is celebrated as the day the Pandavas returned to their nation after 13 years of exile and hiding. Deepawali is also seen as the day when Lord Lakshmi came out of the sea of ​​milk. Diwali night is celebrated in colors to enjoy the marriage of Lord Vishnu and Lord Lakshmi.

For people in the eastern regions of India, this festival is celebrated as Kali's victory over demons. In the central northern part of India, Diwali is the day when Lord Krishna raised Mount Govardhan to protect his village people from the wrath of Lord Indra. The people of the south enjoy themselves as the day Lord Krishna won on Narakasura.

It is not just about Hinduism. The Sikhs see Diwali as the day when Guru Har Gobind freed many people from the fort of Gwalior. In Jainism, this is the day when Mahavira reached nirvana. Here is all you need to know and understand to celebrate Deepawali in India. First of all, the demand for tickets, hotels and other services will be at its peak during Diwali. Therefore, it is very important to book in advance all services and amenities before the departure date.

Celebration of Diwali in India 

The Festival of Lights is undoubtedly one of the most anticipated festivals for most Indians. It is celebrated throughout India and has different and differently written names. Deepawali, Deepavali could be anything in different parts of India. But the meaning is always the same as Deep is Light and vali è row - so it means something like a row of lights. The whole country is illuminated with these colored lights on the Biggest Festival in India. It is a four-day festival and Deepawali 2019 falls on Sunday 27 October. Join the dazzling colors and lights of this Deepawali celebration in India. Book a tour in India to watch the Deepawali celebration all over India.

The Festival of Ganesha

Ganesh Chaturthi is one of the most prominent festivals of India. People of India wait the whole year for this festival eagerly. Although it is celebrated all over the country, in the state of Maharashtra it is celebrated with the most enthusiasm. Ganesh Chaturthi is a Hindu festival which holds utmost importance in the religion. This festival is celebrated following the Hindu Mythology which says that Ganesh Chaturthi is the birthday of the Lord Ganesha. Hindus refer to Lord Ganesha as the remover of all obstacles. People believe that Lord Ganesha comes every year with prosperity and success. Furthermore, they welcome Lord Ganesha in their homes with this festival with the belief that he will remove all their sufferings. Ganesh Chaturthi sparks joy all over the country and unties people with celebrations.

 The specialty of Ganesha Chaturthi

Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated for a whole 11 days. It begins on the Chaturthi when people install the statue of Lord Ganesha in their homes and temples. This festival ends on Anant Chaturdashi with Ganesh Visarjan. The devotees of the Lord Ganesha offer their prayers to God. They sing devotional songs for him and recited various mantras in his praise. They perform aartis in favour of the lord and seek his blessings on them.Most importantly, they offer Lord Ganesha sweets. Ganesha Chaturthi especially calls for Modak. Devotees offer Lord Ganesha with Modak, which is the lord’s favorite dessert. Modaks are sweet dumplings which people make with a filling of coconut and jaggery. They either fry them or steam them.  They are seen around Ganesha Chaturthi mostly and are a huge hit amongst children.

Celebration of the festival

This 11-day long festival begins with people getting up in the morning and bathing. They buy new clothes for this festival and wear these clean clothes in the morning after bathing. They follow the traditional rituals of chanting mantras and songs. Early on, Ganesh Chaturthi was celebrated in a few families. Later on, it spread all over and thus began the installation of idols and immersion in the water. This marked the beginning of making Ganesh Chaturthi a larger than life festival. In other words, the idol immersion denotes freedom from evil and sufferings. People set up pandals make glorious statues of Lord Ganesha. Towards the end of the festival when the visarjan is about to take place, people carry out a full-fledged procession. People come out in hundreds and thousands and dance their way to the rivers and oceans. When Ganesh Chaturthi ends, they pray for the return of Lord Ganesha every year. They look forward to this festival every year. The final immersion of Lord Ganesha’s statue in the river or ocean marks the end of Ganesh Chaturthi. n short, Ganesh Chaturthi is a fun-filled festival in honour of Lord Ganesha. People all over India thoroughly enjoy it. All the devotees of Lord Ganesha come together irrespective of their differences of caste and colour. Ganesh Chaturthi spreads joy and unites people all over.