Fairs and Festivals in Goa | Fairs and Festivals of Goa

Fairs and Festivals of Goa

Known for its natural and cultural diversities, India is the land of hundreds of colorful fairs and festivals. The people of India are so vibrant and versatile that they celebrate almost every occasion in the form of fairs and festivals. Almost every day of the year, there is a festival celebrated in one or other part of the country. Be it the change of seasons of the year, the harvest, the advent of the new year, the arrival of rainy seasons, religious occasions or the birthdays of divine beings and saints, India celebrate a festival for almost every occasions.

Fairs and Festivals in Goa, The fairs and festivals of India reflect liveliness and vibrancy of the Indian people. Every festival in India has its own characteristics. Some of them are celebrated in the form of processions, some prayers and some in the form of dance and music. But all of them share a common element in them and that's the celebration of life. These colourful and joyous festivals of India bind the people of the nation across various regions and religions in a unique way. Undoubtedly, the fairs and festivals of India showcase the true color of India and provide the best opportunity to its visitors to gain an insight into the life of the Indian people.

Fairs and Festivals of Goa , The most important and widely celebrated festivals of India are Dussehra, Diwali, Id, Christmas, Holi etc.

Dussehra: Dussehra is the festival of goddess Durga that celebrates her victory over the demon buffalo Mahishasura. The 10-days long colorful cultural program of Ram Lila, an enactment of the story of Lord Rama, is the most significant aspect of Dussehra festival. On the 10th day of Dussehra effigies of Ravana, the demon king of Lanka, are burnt signifying the victory of good over evil. In Bengal, the images of the goddess Durga are immersed in lakes and rivers after four days of worship.

Id: Id or Id-ul-Fitr is the most important festivals of Muslims of the world including India. Id festival is celebrated to mark the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, the Muslim month of fasting.

Holi: Fairs and Festivals of Goa , Holi is the festival of colors. Originally a festival to celebrate the end of winters and arrival of spring seasons, Holi is now a symbolic commemoration of a legend from Hindu Mythology, symbolizing the victory of good over evil. According to the legend an arrogant king resented his son Prahlada from worshipping Lord Vishnu. He attempted to kill his son but failed each time. Finally, the king's sister Holika, who was said to be immune to fire, took the boy in her lap and sat on a huge pyre. However, the prince Prahlada emerged unscathed, while his aunt burnt to death.

Christmas: Christmas is perhaps the most famous and widely celebrated festival in the world. In India too, the birth of Jesus Christ is celebrated with great rejoicing on December 25th every year. Thousands of foreign visitors gather to world-famous beach town of Goa in India to enjoy the great Christmas carnival every year.

Fairs Festivals of Goa , Other major festivals in India include Baisakhi, Raksha Bandhan, Janmashtami (the birthday of Lord Krishna), Ganesh Chaturthy to name few. Among regional festivals Bihu in Assam, Pongal in Tamil Nadu, Onam, and Pooram and Therayattam in Kerala are worth mentioning here.

Fairs in India - Fairs Festivals of Goa:
Apart from hundreds of colorful festivals, India is also famous for its zestful fairs. Every year hundreds of fairs are organized with great fervors in all parts of the country. Be it cattle, books, textiles, automobiles or new lunches, India has a scintillating fair for almost every occasions. The most exciting Fairs in India are held in the two most colorful Indian states of Rajasthan and Kerala. The most famous Fairs in India include the Kumbh Mela (held once in 12 years at one of the four most sacred Hindu destinations in India), Pushkar Fair (the biggest camel fair in the world), Sonepur Mela (the biggest cattle fair in Asia), and Surajkund Mela (the handicraft Mela held near Delhi). The International Book Fair and International Trade Fair (14th -28 November), held every year at Pragati Maidan New Delhi are other famous fairs in India. Other major Fair carnivals worth enjoying in India are the Puri Rath-Yatra, Alleppey-Boat Race and the Annual Goa-Carnival to mention a few.

Pushkar Fair
Fairs Festivals of Goa , Pushkar is a small but beautiful pilgrimage town of Rajasthan, located at about 135 km from Jaipur and 10 km from Ajmer. The place is famous for beautiful Pushkar Lake, which is considered as one of the holiest pilgrimage destinations in India. Besides, being an important pilgrimage center for Hindus, Pushkar is also known for its annual Pushkar Fair, which has a religious as well as traditional character. The colorful Pushkar Fair is celebrated for five days during the auspicious occasion of Karthik Purnima, which generally falls in the month of October or November every year.

Pushkar Fair is the largest camel fair of the world. During this time, Pushkar awakens to life and the whole atmosphere becomes colorful and lively. The beautifully decorated camels, wearing sparkling jewelry of silver and beads, appear everywhere in the Fair. The interesting sounds of silver bells hanging around their necks make the surroundings quite musical. One can see herds of camels standing or sitting silently at every corner of the large Fair Ground. Mass trading of camel is done in Pushkar Fair. It's estimated that over 25,000 camels are traded in the Pushkar Fair, every year. Other attractions of the Pushkar Fair are the arrangements of various cultural and sports programs, almost every day during the Fair. Camel Races, Dances, Camel Beauty Contest and Camel vs Men tug of war contests, make the Pushkar Fair a must see occasion.

Elephant Festival, Jaipur :
Held every year on the joyous occasion of Holi- the festival of colors, widely celebrated in India, the Elephant Festival of Jaipur is one of the most popular festivals of colorful Rajasthan. The Elephant Festival combines the colorful Holi with elephants. The spectacular sight of beautifully decorated elephants, marching in a row on this occasion, makes the city of Jaipur lively and colorful, offering a unique experience to all its visitors.

The beautiful Elephant Festival begins with a procession of elephants, camels and horses marching towards the famous Chaugan ground in Jaipur. Various elephant sports such as elephant races, elephant-polo matches and an interesting elephants vs. men tug of war contest are also organized on this festive occasion, adding more color to already colorful and zestful atmosphere. The occasion provides the ideal opportunity to see elephants at their best. In addition, various cultural programs of folk dances and music are organized to enhance the color of the Festival. The Elephant Festival reaches to its conclusion with a spectacular firework display, making everyone stunned. The unique Elephant Festival is absolutely not to be missed event, on your Jaipur tour.