Camel Festival (January)
A lively and colorful event, the Camel Festival is organized by the Department of Tourism, Art & Culture, Rajasthan in Bikaner every year. The festival starts with the procession of beautifully decorated camels. The procession heads towards the open sand grounds. A competition for best decorated camel, fur cutting design, camel milking and the best camel hair cut is organized The camels display amazing footwork, dancing gracefully to the slightest direction of their drivers.
Lohri (13th Day of January)
Lohri marks the culmination of winter, and is celebrated on the in the month of Paush or Magh, a day before Makar Sankranti. This is more than just a festival, it is also an example of a way of life. Lohri celebrates fertility and the spark of life. People gather round the bonfires, throw sweets, puffed rice and popcorn into the flames, sing popular songs and exchange greetings.
Makar Sakranti (Kite Festival-14th Day of January)
Kite Festival is a popular festival of Jaipur, Rajasthan. Kite flying is enjoyed by people of all age-groups. However, 14 January, the day of Makar Sankranti, makes the official day for flying kites in Jaipur. People make most out of the festival by flying kites for the whole day.
Nagaur Cattle Fair (Jan.-Feb.)
Second largest fair of India - Nagaur Fair is celebrated for eight days every year in the month of January – February in the Rajput town of Rajasthan – Nagaur. The fair is mainly known for its animal trading and displays thousands of animals which are magnificently decorated with colourful accessories to attract traders gathered from various places here. The fair is famous as Cattle Fair as it boasts of trading about 70,000 bullocks, cows, camels, and horses. The owners of the animals also dress with colourful turbans and long moustaches and are very enthusiastic about selling their animals at the best possible price.
Holi- The Festival of Color (Feb-March)
Holi – the festival of color is marked as the opening festival in Hindu calendar, falls on the full moon day in the month of PHALGUN. People enjoy themselves playing with several colours and celebrate the whole day with much pump and gaiety.
Gangaur Festival (March-April)
Gangaur is a significant festival of Jaipur, especially meant for the women. Gangaur festival is widely acclaimed and celebrated throughout the state of Rajasthan. The word Gangaur is derived from two words, 'Gan' and 'Gauri' which are synonyms of 'Siva' and his consort 'Parvati' respectively.
Mewar Festival (March-April)
Mewar Festival welcomes the onset of the spring season and coincides with Gangaur Festival. Celebrated in Udaipur annually in the month of March – April, it is a three day event which holds an important place for women. There is a huge procession taken out in which women are the main participants, they carry the idols of Gangaur and Isar through different parts of the city singing and dancing. At Lake Pichola procession concludes and the idols are shifted into boats at the ghat. Devotional songs, dance performances and a number of other programs are organized that highlight the Rajasthani culture during Mewar festival.
Urs Ajmer Sharif Festival (June)
Held in the holy town of Ajmer in honour of the Sufi saint, Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti, special prayers are offered at the mosque, and huge amounts of consecrated food offered from the large, steaming cauldrons that were a gift from Akbar. While quwwallis are sung at night, the celebrations unite people of all faiths, and the complete town is decorated with buntings, and wears the spirit of festivity.
Teej Festival (July-August)
Teej Festival is one of the most popular festivals of India. Festival of Teej is widely celebrated, but its real charm can be found only in Jaipur, Rajasthan. Teej celebrates the arrival of monsoon, after the scorching sun of summers. Teej is celebrated in the month of 'Shravan' (July-August), according to the Hindu calendar.
Durgapuja (September-October)
Durga Puja is one of the most important festivals in India. Durga Puja is more than a festival. It is a celebration of life, culture, popular customs and traditions. It is a time of reunion and rejuvenation to love, to share and to care.
Dussehra (October)
In the months of Ashwin and kartik, Hindus observe a 10 day ceremony of fast, rituals, celebrations, fiests to honor the mother Goddess and triumph of Lord Rama over Demon Ravana. Dussehra also symbolizes the triumph of warrior Goddess Durga over the buffalo demon, Mahishasura. Thus, it is a celebration of victory of good over evil.
Diwali Festival (October-November)
Diwali also popularly known as "Festival of Lights" is celebrated with great gusto and is observed as an official holiday across in India. The festival of Diwali is not only significant to Hindus, but, has importance in Jainism, Buddhism, and Sikhism. For Hindus, it is associated with the return of Lord Rama to Ayodhya, after his 14 years of exile and victory over the demon Ravana.
Pushkar Fair (Novembar)
This fair is held at Pushkar town, 11 km from Ajmer in Rajasthan for twelve days annually. This cultural and trade cum religious fair is an attractive and lively spectacle with Rajasthani men and women in their colorful traditional attire. It is the world's largest Camel Fair. It attracts more than one lakh people, and from all over Rajasthan as well as tourists from different parts of India and abroad.