Eternal India Encyclopedia

FESTIVALS AND FAIRS

Eternal India

encyclopedia

Thyagaraja

festival (January) - South Indian musicians gather

at the composer's memorial at Tiruvaiyaru, 13km (8 miles) from

Tanjore. The festival is in honour of Tyagaraja, the famous musi-

cian - composer and saint (b. 1767).

ANDHRA PRADESH

Ugadi,

Telugu New Year's day (March/April)

Brahmotsavam,

the ten day festival held in March-April and De-

cember - January at temple of Tirupati. The intricately carved figurines

of temple deities are beautifully dressed seated in splendid carriages

taken out in procession led by beautifully decorated elephants

Fire-walking festival,

twelve "hero-youths , performing the

feat go from the temple in a procession to bathe followed by a

decorated image of the temple deity held over the priest's head.

PONDICHERRY

Pongal

is celebrated in January. A three-day festival of harvest and

thanks giving. Freshly harvested rice with palm sugar is cooked in

brand new pots and offered to

surya

(sun god). The joyful cries of

'Pongal! Pongal'

fill the air. This is followed by mattu pongal on the

next day when the oxen and cows are bathed and decorated with

garlands of bells, flowers, beads and leaves. They are paraded around

in the villages and stamped. Young men wrestle for the prize-money

tied to the horns of the oxen or cows.

Being formerly colonised by the French, Christian festivals like

Christmas, Easter

and

St. Mary's

festival are predominant.

LAKSHADWEEP

The month of

Ramzan

is sacred when strict fast during the day is

observed, after sunset Namaz is offered and then fast is broken.

This begins with a new moon and ends with the next moon. On the

final day lamb and sheep are sacrificed and food prepared is shared

among relatives and friends.

Muharram

is observed with fast,

Namaz and mourning.

Onam, Vishu, Christmas and Easter are also celebrated

with equal

gaiety.

EAST

ORISSA

Car festival

at Puri (June/July). The deity Jagannath, his brother

Balabhadra and sister Subhadra placed on colossal chariots each 13.7

m (45ft) high with wheels having a diameter of 2.1 m(7ft). Hundreds

of devotees from all over India go in procession from the temple in Puri

to Gundicha Mandir. After a seven-day stay in Gudicha Mandir the

deities are carried back to their temple.

WEST BENGAL

Hindus all over Bengal celebrate the

Durga Puja

(September -

October), the most spectacular of all festival occasions in this region.

The Santhals, attractive tribal people who live in remote villages of

both Bihar and West Bengal, have some interesting community dances,

but the highlight in this respect are the dances performed in and around

Darjeeling by the various ethnic groups. Here is a timetable of their

festivals: New Year of the Lepchas and Bhutias, 1 st week of January,

Makar Sankranti

— Fairs all along the Tista River.

Benimela -

miles from Tista Bazaar, biggest fair held in the 2nd week of

January (folk dances, etc.,). Tibetan New Year (mid-February -

mid-March) - folk dances in the monasteries. Pedong near Kalim-

pong (February); agricultural fair. Sikkim New Year - Gangtok

(December - January) - Lama and Devil dances. Birthday of Dalai

Lama (mid-June): processions from the monasteries.

Calcutta

: The Goddess Durga is propitiated during

Durga

Puja

held in September/October. Hardly a day passes without a

ceremony at a temple or shrine during these two months. Lakshmi,

Goddess of prosperity, is made welcome by all households during

Diwali

(October/November) with small, twinkling oil lamps. At

Belur, the Ramakrishna Mission observes

Utsab

during February/

March while all of Calcutta's population is drawn into celebration of

the Bengali New Year, the

Baisak

(April/May).

SIKKIM

Tibetan New Year (Feb/March) - folk dances in monasteries.

Pedong near Kalimpong (Feb.), Sikkim New Year - Gangtok (Dec./

Jan.). Lama and Devil dance. Birthday of Dalai Lama (June) -

processions from monastery. The main festivals are

Maghey Sankranti,

Losar, Chaita Dasai, Durga Puja, Laxmi Puja, Losoong, Namsoong,

Saga Dawa, Drukpa, Tseshi, Pang Lhabsol

and

Rumtek Chaams.

ASSAM

The

Bihus

are the festivals of the Assamese people. There are three

Bihus in a year. Of these the

Bohag Bihu

is the main festival. It is

celebrated with due eclat with the advent of the Assamese New Year

which is in mid-April. The tribal people both of the hills and plains

have a large number of festivals in which their distinctive folk dances

and folk songs predominate to the accompaniment of their indigenous

musical instruments. The

"Kherai Puja"

of the Bodos, the

"Nongkrem

Puja"

of the Khasis (in June); the ”

Wangala"

of the Garos are a few of

such festivals.

MEGHALAYA

Nongkren Dance

(October/November), one of the two important

festivals of the Khasis is a five-day- long religious festival annually

held giving thanks to God for a good harvest and praying for peace and

prosperity. Maidens dressed in colourful costumes participate in the

dance with men accompanied by drums and flute. The Jaintias

celebrate

Behdien khlam

(July). Only young and old men participate

in dancing to the tune of drums and flutes. The evil spirits are driven

away by beating the roof of every house with bamboo poles.

Wanga-

lais,

the harvest festival of Garos, lasts for several days. The ceremony

known as Rugula followed by Sasat Soa is performed in the house of

the village chief.

MIZORAM

Mizos are basically agriculturists.

"Kut"

is the Mizo word for

festival. The major festivals are

Chapchar Kut, Mim Kut

and

Pawl Kut.

MANIPUR

A popular Manipur saying is "Thirteen festivals in twelve months".

Every month is associated with a festival or two meaning dances, songs

and sometimes sports. The important festivals are

Dal-Yatra, Lai

Haraboa, Heikru Hitogba, Cheiraoba, Ningol Chak-Kouba, Rath-

Jatra, Kut, Gang-Ngai, Id-ul-Fitr

and

Christmas.

In Manipur,

"Ras

Lila"

is celebrated in great pomp and the Manipur dancers enact scenes

from Lord Krishna's life from mid-October to mid-November.