Choekar The festivals of `Choekar’ is celebrated in the seventh month of the lunar calendar, to provide supernatural protection to the crops sown, for good harvest and to drive away the evil spirits which may cause harm to the village community. Voluminous holy books such as `Ka-gyun’, ‘Burn’, `Gye-tong’, `Nyi-thai’, etc. are read in the village temple by the village priests or monks from the monastery. On the last day, a...

Chhat Puja Chhat Puja is a major festival of Bihar and in some parts of Eastern India. It falls twice a year during the months of Baisakh and Kartik. This festival is celebrated in the honour of the Sun God and the ceremonies of this festival last for three days. In Bihar, the womenfolk start preparations for Chhat Puja weeks in advance. They carry six baskets of food, flowers and clay...

Cheti Chand Cheti Chand is a New Year Day festival of the Sindhi community. It is celebrated on the first day of the Chaitra month of the Hindu calendar year. In Sindhi, Chaitra is known as Chat and therefore this festival was christened as Cheti Chand. Cheti Chand festival is celebrated in the honour of the birth of Ishtadeva Uderolal, the patron saint of the Sindhis. This day is considered to...

Buddha Purnima According to the Hindu calendar, the full moon day in the month of Purnima is the most pious day for Buddhists. The day is fixed to commemorate the birthday of Gautam Buddha. Born in 563 B.C., Gautam  Buddha attained Nirvana or Enlightenment in 526 B.C. at Lumbini. He was known as prince Siddhartha, the son of king Shuddhodana. Prince Siddhartha, travelling on his chariot, witnessed the sufferings of poor...

Brahmotsavam The Tirumala Brahmotsavam, a 10-day festival of splendour, attracts thousands of people of diverse communities to the small town of Tirumala, the abode of Sri Venkateshwara. This grand Utsavam is celebrated during the Dussehra festivities. The festival commemorates the manifestation of Lord Venkateshwara on the earth, on the day of Shravana Star. According to the Puranas, the first Brahmotsavam was conducted by none other than Brahma, the create himself. For...

Bonalu Bonalu is a folk festival celebrated in the Telangana region, Andhra Pradesh. This century-old tradition is observed with utmost gaiety and devotional fervour during the month of Asadh. This one-month long festival is marked by devotional singing and ritualistic worship of the village deities. The `Ghatams’ or decorated pots, filled with flowers, are the main attraction of the festival. The flower pots are carried on the heads by the women...

Bikaner Festival Bikaner festival is dedicated to the indispensable ‘ship of the desert’, the camel. The desert town of Bikaner is located in the northern part of Rajasthan. This festival starts off with a magnificent procession of bedecked camels against the red sandstone backdrop of the Junagarh Fort in the town. It is the colourful spectacle of beautifully decorated camels that fascinates the onlookers with their charm and grace. The festivity...

Bihu Bihu is one of the spring festivals, celebrated in Assam. The others are: The Bohaag Bihu celebrated in Baisakh, Kaati Bihu celebrated in Kartik, and the Maagh Bihu celebrated in Maagh. They derive their name from the Sanskrit word for vernal equinox. It is originally a fertility ritual. These festivals represent the arrival of seeding time, the completion of sowing and transplanting of paddies and the end of the harvesting...