Navaratri and Durga Puja Nine holy days in the month of Ashwin are celebrated as Navaratri. This festival period is dedicated to the Goddess Durga and observed all over India. It is celebrated as Durga Puja in West Bengal. Either on the eighth or the ninth day the ladies of the house prepare delicious food for offering as prasad. For nine consecutive days, the ladies keep fast. On the festival day,...

Nanda Raj Jat Yatra Nanda Raj Jat Yatra is celebrated after every 12 years with great enthusiasm by the people of Kumaun and Garhwal. This festival is celebrated in this region since thousands of years. It is organised under the patronage of the descendants of the king of Garhwal. Traditionally, a member of the Royal family came to Nauti village on the Basant Panchami day and worshipped the famous ‘Sri Yantra’....

Nag Panchami As the name suggests, the Nag Panchami is a festival in which people worship the snake, ‘Nag’. It is a bathing festival of the Hindus which is celebrated on the 5th day of the bright half of Sravana. This is the day when Lord Krishna overpowered the serpent Kaliya. The festival falls during the rainy season and is celebrated to counter the increased possibility of a snakebite during this...

Naba Barsha Naba Barsha or ‘Nay Varsha’ (in Hindi) is observed as the New Year Day by Bengalis. It falls on the first day of the month of Baishak, the first month of the Bengali Year. In Bangladesh, it is known as the Poila Baisakh and is celebrated as a national holiday. The day prior to Naba Barsha is celebrated with great enthusiasm by the Bengalis. It is a festival of...

Mubarram Muharram or the sacred month marks the beginning of the Muslim year. This month is now primarily associated with the period of mourning the Shias observe in commemoration of the martyrdom of Ali’s son and Muhammad’s grandson, Hussain. On the tenth day of Muharram, Hussain was brutally murdered by the troops of the Ummayyad Caliph Yazid. Hussain fought bravely till he was slain, the last on the battlefield. His violent...

Modhera Dance Festival There is a place named Modhera in Mehsana district in North Gujarat. The Tourism Corporation of Gujarat organizes an annual festival of dance here. It is held every year in January for three days. The beautiful Sun Temple acts as the backdrop during the festival. The Sun Temple at Modhera was built during the reign of the Solanki King Bhimdev I. The temple is now in ruins. It...

Mioko The Mioko festival of the Apatanis of Arunachal Pradesh is dedicated to prayer. The Apatanis go over the hills and into the jungles to find the right omens. The Apatanis are followed by Nyibu (priest) chanting- rhythmically. Most of the chants were recited to ward off bad spirits and to pray to the good spirits. As soon as Apatanis get rid of the red monkey, the villagers start singing and...

Mauni Arnavasya The month of Magh in the Hindu calendar year is one of the most sacred months for a pious Hindu. One of the most justifiable reasons for it is the celebration of Mauni Amavasya. It falls on the fifteenth day of the dark fortnight of Magh. It is a unique festival of Hindus because it is the only day in a calendar year’s festival when holy men and devotes...