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Fairs and
Festivals of Maharashtra |
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Maharashtra,
the land of diverse culture
and traditions, celebrates many
traditional, religious, state
and national festivals. Apart
from the traditional and religious
fairs and festivals, there are
many state festivals organized
by the MTDC (Maharashtra Tourism
Development Corporation). These
festivals involving dance, music
and other events are specially
organized for the tourists.
Some of the popular festivals
celebrated in various parts
of Maharashtra are given below.
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Makar Sankrati
( January ) |
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Sankrant means the passing of
the sun from one Zodiac sign
to the other. People exchange
greeting and good wishes on
this day, which marks the Sun's
passage from the Tropic of Dhanu
(Sagittarius) to Makar (Capricon).
Sweet and crunchy ladoos made
of sesame and jaggery are the
favourite treats.
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Holi ( March) |
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Holi,
the festival of colors is celebrated
on the day after the full moon
in early March every year. This
festival is not only celebrated
in Maharashtra but all over
the country with equal joy.
This festival marks the end
of winter season and the beginning
of the spring season. It is
also a celebration of the triumph
of good over evil. All participate
in this festival and play with
colors. Dancing, singing and
merry making are an integral
part of Holi. |
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Gudhi Padava
( March – April ) |
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Maharashtran
New Year's Day is celebrated
on the first day of the Hindu
month Chaitra ( March-April).
This festival is known as the
Gudhi Padava in Maharshtra.
This day marks the start of
the Hindu solar year. On the
day of the festival people get
up early and clean their houses,
decorating them with intricate
rangoli designs. Bamboo staffs
(gudhi) adorned with silk cloths
and topped with a brass goblet
or kalash are erected. It is
said that these staffs drive
away evil from the houses. |
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Nag Panchami
( July) |
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In
Hindu mythology, the cobra has
a special significance and the
earth, it is believed, rests
on the head of 'Shesha' - the
thousand-hooded cobra. Snake
worship is an important ritual
of the Maharashtrians, and on
the festival of Nag Panchami,
clay icons of cobras are venerated
in homes. People offer sweets
and milk to the snake deity
and the day is celebrated with
folk dances and songs, especially
in the countryside. Snake charmers
carry cobras in baskets and
collect offerings from the public
in the streets. A small village
near Sangli, Battis Shirale,
is famous for its snake catchers,
and people throng the streets
to watch the thrilling performances
of expert snake charmers. |
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Nariyal
Poornima ( August ) |
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Celebrated
in the month of August, the
Nariel Purnima or coconut day
is dedicated to the sea god
Varuna. This festival marks
the end of the monsoons and
is celebrated by the fishermen
of Maharashtra. The fishermen
paint their boats and coconuts
are broken against them as offering
to the sea god. Little oil lamps
are lit and set afloat amidst
the waves and carried in the
boats. Garlands made of flowers
are also offered to the seas
to mark the beginning of a new
fishing season. |
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Parsi New
Year ( August – September
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Parsi
people celebrate their new year
in August, which is also known
as Pateti. It is an important
festival because on this day
the Shahenshahi Zoroastrian
community arrived in India while
migrating from Persia. This
festival is celebrated at the
fire temple and the Parsi community
strengthens the bond through
feasts, where they meet friends
and relatives. |
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Gokul Ashtami
( August ) |
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The
birth of Lord Krishna is celebrated
on Gokul Ashtami or Janmashtami.
Most devotees fast till midnight
and when the birth of Lord Krishna
is announced, they eat a festive
preparation of rice, butter,
yogurt, puris and potatoes.
This meal, according to Hindu
mythology, was relished by Lord
Krishna and his playmates in
Gokul. Another fun-filled ritual
performed on this day is dahi-handi
- clay pots filled with curd,
puffed rice and milk are strung
high up above the streets and
groups of enthusiastic young
men (and even women) form human
pyramids to reach these and
break them open, the way Lord
Krishna and his friends would,
after sneaking into the houses
of gopis (milkmaids) to steal
and eat butter. |
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Pola ( August-
September ) |
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The
harvest festival is celebrated
by farmers all over Maharashtra.
On this day bullocks, which
are an integral part of the
agricultural chores and consequently
the village economy, are honored.
They are bathed, colorfully
decorated and taken out in processions
across the village, accompanied
by the music of drumbeats and
lezhim (a musical instrument
made of a wooden rod and an
iron chain full of metallic
pieces). Pola brings out an
important facet of Hindu culture,
which does not look upon cattle
as mere beasts of burden, but
treats them with dignity and
gratitude. |
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Ganesh Chaturthi
( August – September ) |
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The
most important and popular festival
of Maharashtra, Ganesh Chaturthi
is celebrated in the month of
August - September. This festival
marks the birth anniversary
of Ganesha, the Hindu god of
wisdom. The preparations for
this festival begin months ahead.
Idols of Ganesha are installed
and detailed arrangements are
made for lighting and decoration.
The festival is held for 7-10
days. The last day of the festival
is called Chaturthi, dedicated
to the elephant-headed god.
On this day the idols of Ganesha
are immersed in the ocean or
rivers, where thousands of processions
meet. The immersion of idols
is accompanied by drumbeats,
devotional songs and dancing.
This marks the end of the festival.
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Dussehra |
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According
to the great Hindu epic Ramayan,
Dussehra is the day on which
Lord Ram killed Ravan, the evil
king of Lanka. It is considered
as a shubh-muharat - a very
auspicious day - to start a
new venture. It is a symbol
of the victory of good over
evil. People decorate the entrances
of their homes with torans,
flower studded strings, and
worship the tools of trade,
vehicles, machinery, weapons
and even books. As the evening
falls, the villagers cross the
border, a ritual known as Simollanghan,
and worship the Shami tree.
The leaves of the Apta tree
are collected and exchanged
among friends and relatives
as gold. |
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Diwali (
October – November ) |
Diwali
is a popular festival celebrated
all over India with great pomp
and gaiety. It is celebrated
for five days marking the home
coming of Lord Rama and his
consort Sita. Th festival of
lights symbolizes the victory
of good and driving away of
spiritual darkness. The highlights
of the festival are little oil
lamps or diyas decorating houses
and crackers and fireworks which
are the integral parts of this
festival. The Goddess of wealth
and prosperity, Lakshmi is worshiped
on this day also marking the
beginning of the Hindu New Year.
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Banganga
Festival ( January ) |
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Organized by the
Maharashtra Tourism Development
Corporation (MTDC), the Banganga
Festival is a musical extravaganza
celebrated every year in the month
of January. The venue of this
festival is the Banganga tank
at Walkeshwar. Here reputed artistes
from all over the country perform
live in the classical music concerts.
The festival is a delight for
culture lovers. |
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Elephanta
Cave Festival (February) |
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The
Elephanta Festival is celebrated
in the month of February every
year and is organized by MTDC.
The festival is celebrated on
the Elephanta Island, which
is the site of the brilliant
Elephanta caves. These caves
have beautiful carvings, sculptures,
and a temple dedicated to the
Hindu God, Lord Shiva. These
caves are located at a distance
of 11-km from Mumbai. Special
performance by renowned dancers
and musicians is the highlight
of the festival. |
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Pune Festival
(August - September) |
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The
Pune Festival celebrated in
the months of August - September
is again organized by MTDC.
This week long festival is a
celebration of art and culture.
The Pune festival is a unique
festival that provides platform
for the budding musicians and
dancers. The festival also promotes
modern trends in the performing
arts, notably the dramatic arts
and the traditional art of rangoli.
Visitors coming to Pune can
enjoy themselves by participating
in the events and shopping exquisite
textiles and handicrafts. Originally,
the Pune festival was conceived
as a localized cultural event.
But as it has evolved, it has
been actively promoted abroad
by the government of India,
as a major tourist attraction.
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Kalidas
Festival (November) |
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MTDC.
The festival is celebrated over
two exciting days and nights.
Kalidas festival commemorates
one of the greatest poets of
all times, 'Kalidasa' (4th century
AD). He was a brilliant poet
who enriched Indian literature
with his works of 'Abhijnanasakuntalam',
'Meghadootham', 'Raghuvamsam'
and 'Kumarasambhavam'. Some
of the greatest performers of
music, dance and drama display
their talent in the picturesque
setting of Ramtek. |
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Ellora Festival
(December) |
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Celebrated
every year in the month of December,
the Ellora Festival is organized
by MTDC. The site of this festival
is the Ellora caves near Aurangabad,
where well-known artistes perform.
These music and dance performances
invoke a certain kind of vibrancy
in the 1,400-year old caves
and rock carvings. The beautiful
Kaildas temple, sculptured out
of one huge rock, provides a
perfect backdrop for this event.
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Other Festivals
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Apart
from these festivals, Maharashtra
also celebrates many other festivals.
Some of these are, Maharashtra
Day celebrated to commemorate
the formation of the Maharashtra
State on the 1st of May. Other
festivals celebrated with great
excitement and enthusiasm are
Makara Samkramana, Sri Ramanavami,
Sri Krishna Janmashtami and
Raksha Bandhan. These are some
of the Hindu festivals celebrated
with equal pomp and gaiety in
the other regions of the country.
Along with Hindu festivals,
Muslim festivals are also celebrated
like Eid-ul-Fitr, Eid-ul-Adha,
Milad-un-Nabi and Moharrum.
Other than these festivals,
Christian festivals like Christmas,
Easter, Good Friday etc are
also celebrated along with the
rest of the nation. Buddhist
festivals like Buddha Poornima
and Mahaveera Jayanthi are also
celebrated in certain regions
of the State. |
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