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Festivals of Uttar Pradesh
Various colourful fairs and festivals are celebrated in
Uttar Pradesh. Kumbh Mela is the most famous fair which
is celebrated in Haridwar and Allahabad. Some of the
other fairs and festivals which are celebrated in Uttar
Pradesh are Magh Mela, Yoga Week, Jhansi Mahotsav, Taj
Mahotsav, Holi, Kumbh Mela, Ram Navami,
Ganga Dussehra,
Mango
Festival, Moharram, Janmashtami, Ganga Mahotsav and Diwali.
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popularize Yoga. During the Yoga week, lectures and
demonstration of asanas (exercises) by prominent
exponents of Yoga are held throughout the week. The
fascinating water sports on the Ganga are some of other
attractions of the Yoga Week.
Jhansi Mahotsav
Jhansi Mahotsav is celebrated in the month of February
or March, every year. This festival is celebrated in
Jhansi that reflects the arts and crafts of Bundelkhand.
Taj Mahotsav
Taj Mahotsav is a ten days festival which is celebrated
in Agra. The Taj Mahotsav is a culturally vibrant
platform that brings together the finest Indian crafts
and cultural nuances. It is a festive introduction to
India and Uttar Pradesh. Folk music, shayari (Poetry),
and classical dance performances as well as elephant and
camel rides, games and food festival are the part of the
festival.
Holi Festival
Holi is the most famous Hindu festival that is observed
all over the North India. Holi, also known as the colour
throwing festival is celebrated in the month of March.
This festival marks the end of winter and and the
beginning of the spring. This festival is celebrated
with great enthusiasm in Mathura and Barsana. Barsana is
known for the Lathmaar Holi. In the northern region, the
people celebrates the joyful raasleela of Krishna and
the gopis on Holi. They play phag which is a game of
many colorful hues. On the night before the full moon,
crowds of people gather together and lit huge bonfires
to burn the residual dried leaves and twigs of the
winter, to symbolize the destruction of evil. On the
next day, the people throw coloured water and powders (gulal
and kumkum) at each other and make merry. Singing and
dancing add to the gaiety of the occasion.
Kumbh Mela
The Kumbh Mela (fair) is one of Hindus largest festival.
This festival is held once in every three years in the
month of April at one of the four places like Prayag (Allahabad),
Haridwar, Nasik, Ujjain and return to Prayag in every
twelfth year. According to the legends, once upon a time,
the Hindu gods and demons vied for the pot (kumbha) that
held the nectar of immortality (amrit). During the fight
for possession, which lasted for 12 days, Vishnu was
running with the pot and four drops of amrit fell to
earth, making four sacred places. These places were
Haridwar, Nasik, Ujjain and Allahabad. Allahabad is one
of the holiest city and the site of the Kumbh Mela.
Millions of pilgrims, including the heads of Hindu sects
and saints, gather here for the mela and take a holy
bath in the Sangam, where the holy waters of Ganga,
Yamuna and Saraswati meet. The Eric Newby has also
described this mela as the greatest assemblage of people
gathered together in a confined space for a single
purpose anywhere on earth.
Rama Navami
The Rama Navami is celebrated mainly in Uttar Pradesh in
the month of April. This festival is celebrated as the
birthday of Lord Rama. During the eight days preceding
the birthday it is considered auspicious to read or
listen to the epic Ramayana. So, the celebrations
involve reading and staging of the Ramayana in various
folk forms.
Ganga Dussehra Festival
The Ganga Dussehra festival is celebrated in Uttar
Pradesh in the month of June. In this festival, the
people worship the River Ganga for ten days. According
to the legends, Gangavataran or the descent of the Ganga,
happened at this time. The devotees touch the river clay
home to venerate. In Haridwar, aartis are performed at
twilight and a large number of devotees meditate on the
serene banks of the river Ganga.
Mango Festival
Mango Festival is held in Saharanpur, in Uttar Pradesh
in the month of June. This unique mango festival is held
every year in the mango season where innumerable
varieties of the mangoes are displayed. It is a
‘mango-ful’ affair.
Moharram
Moharram is really not a festival but a period of
mourning. This festival commemorates the martyrdom of
the Imam Hussain, the grandson of the holy Prophet
Mohammed. This festival is celebrated with great
splendour in Lucknow. This festival is observed by the
Shia Muslims who take out the procession of the
colourfully decorated huge Tazias (replicas of tombs of
the son-in-law and grandsons of the Prophet) through the
streets where men beat their chests and distress. These
Tazias are the paper and bamboo replicas of the martyr’s
tomb at Karbala in Iraq. The tazias of Lucknow are
famous all over the world. In this festival, the
pageantry of the Nawabi days is re-enacted and
fire-walking takes place on one of the nights.
Janmashtami
Janmashtami is the most famous festival which is
celebrated in the month of August. Janmashtami is
celebrated as the birth of Lord Krishna, the incarnation
of Vishnu with great fervour at Mathura and Vrindavan
where Lord Krishna spent his childhood. This festival is
celebrated till the midnight in the temples of Lord
Krishna. Night long prayers are offered and religious
hymns are sung in temples. Various scenes are also
enacted from Lord Krishna’s early life. The main
celebrations are held at Mathura, his birthplace, where
at the temple his birth is symbolically reenacted. At
Vrindavan, colourful Raslilas, song and dance dramas
depicting the life of Lord Krishna are performed all day
and night.
Ganga Mahotsav
Ganga Mahotsav is the annual tourism festival which is
celebrated in Varanasi. This festival is every year from
Prabodhini Ekadashi to Kartik Purnima in the month of
October or November. It concludes with the festival of
lights, “Deo Deepavali” when more than a million earthen
lamps are lit on the ghats of Ganga and one can see
festivity all over the place. The festival celebrates
the rich cultural heritage of Varanasi with excellent
cultural programmes and local martial arts.
Diwali Festival
Diwali, the festival of lights is one of the most
beautiful Indian festivals which is celebrated in the
month of October or November. This festival is
celebrated on the occasion of the return of Lord Rama
to Ayodhya after his 14 years exile. It is said that the
people illuminated their houses and streets with earthen
oil lamps to welcome the Lord. This is done even today
when almost every one illuminate their houses with oil
lamps, candles and electric lights. On this day, the
people decorate their homes with rangolis (designs on
the floor) with coloured powder and also decorate their
doorways with torans (a decorative garland for the door)
of mango leaves and marigolds. The people also
distribute sweets to each other, illuminate their houses
with oil lamps and candles and burst fireworks. The
people also worship the goddess Lakshmi, the goddess of
wealth on this day. |
