Gita Jayanti The Gita Jayanti day, or the D when the Gita was revealed to the world, is celebrated traditionally on the 11th day of the bright half (Sukla Paksha) in the month of Margasira. The pious Gita is a composition of the dialogues exchanged between Krishna and Arjuna, just before the Mahabharata war. Later it was integrated in Mahabharata by Ved Vyas. It is composed of more than one hundred...

Gangaur Gangaur is the most rejuvenating festival celebrated in Udaipur, Rajasthan. The festival is celebrated about a fortnight after Holi in honour of Parvati, the consort of Lord Shiva. The Gangaur festival, which lasts for 18 days, is celebrated. for the marital bliss of Shiva and Parvati. The festival is mainly women-oriented. Women perform the swirling ghoomar dance and carry images of the Goddess in colourful processions through the streets. In...

Ganga Sagar Mela The island of Ganga sagar is located in the state of West Bengal. It is near the mouth of the Ganges, where it meets the Bay of Bengal. Every year people from every part of India throng here on Makar Sankranti day. Ganga sagar is actually a cluster of 51 islands covering 581 sq km of land and belongs to the Sundarbans at a distance of 128 km...

Ganesh Chaturthi Ganesh Chaturthi is generally considered as a lucky-day festival. It falls on the fourth day of the Suklapaksha in the month of Bhadrapad. Lord Ganesha was born on this day. The Lord was declared first amongst the gods. In Maharashtra, this festival is known as Vinayak Chaturthi and observed with great enthusiasm. In Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat, the clay images of Lord Ganesha are decorated with intricate designs. After...

Gandhi Jayanti The birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, Father of the Nation, is celebrated with reverence all over the country. Mahatma Gandhi played a significant role in achieving independence for India from the British Empire with his simplicity and principle of non-violence. On the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti, the President and the Prime Minister, along with other eminent political leaders, pay homage at Raj Ghat – the samadhi of Mahatma Gandhi....

Float Festival Float Festival is celebrated at Madurai in Tamil Nadu on the night of the full moon between mid-January and mid-February every year. The ornamented icons of the two deities, God Sundaresa and Goddess Meenakshi, with pearl crowns on their heads and riding on a golden bull, are taken out in a splendid procession from the Meenakshi temple. The occasion is that God Alazar gives his sister Meenakshi in marriage...

Easter Easter commemorates the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It means shedding out darkness or sins from the whole world. By the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the world regained fullest light or ‘rescue’. It is celebrated on the Sunday after the full moon in the month of April. Christians observe and celebrates this festival with great piety and gaiety, signifying victory over death. For a period of forty days, Christians go on...

Dussehra Dussehra is a festival that celebrates the victory of good over evil. It falls on the tenth day in the month of Ashwin. Its other name is `Vijaya Dashmi’. In Northern India, it is celebrated as Navratri’. It is observed during the nine days preceding Dusshera. On this occasion, episodes from Rama’s life are staged in the form of ‘Ram Leela’. In the evening of Dussehra, big effigies filled with...