Festivals of India

Bring together a billion people, speaking more than a thousand languages, following some half a dozen different religions and bound by countless traditions- and what will you get? India. India’s diversity reveals itself in many forms- in cuisine, clothing, language, arts and crafts- and festivals. And in a land as vast and complex as India, it would hardly be an exaggeration to say that every day is a holiday.

The bounty of fairs and festivals of India, most of which have religious roots, are celebrated with inimitable zeal and fanfare. Everyday, somewhere or the other, in some corner of the country, people will dress in new clothes, sing and dance, worship, feast, rejoice - all to mark yet another festival. Whether it’s religious or secular, whether it marks the birth of a well-loved god or the beginning of the sowing season - a festival is more than just another day. It’s a time to forget the worries and cares of daily life; a time to celebrate and let your hair down.

SURAJ KUND CRAFTS MELA (February 1st to 15th)
The Crafts Mela (held just 8 kms from South Delhi) celebrates the finest handlooms and handicrafts traditions of country. It is a fortnight long event that embodies the spirit that runs through the people of India and its rich culture. Beneath thatched roof platforms, master crafts persons carefully display the finest of handlooms and handicrafts from all over the country. The event is so colorful and rich in experience, that many a tourist have returned to visit it again and again.

JAISALMER DESERT FESTIVAL (January or February-on Full Moon day)
The festival is a three-day long extravaganza of dances, music, handicraft fairs and interesting competitions-including really unusual ones like a `Mr Desert’ pageant, a `turban-tying’ contest and a `best moustache’ contest. It’s a fantastic showcase of all things Rajasthani, and is justifiably popular with tourists, both Indian and foreign. There are camel rides, processions, camel polo, and even a camel tug-of-war. All of it is held against the backdrop of the awesome Jaisalmer fort.