Festivals Of India

KERELA BOAT RACE

The Aranmula Boat Race the oldest river boat fiesta in Kerala, the south western State of India is held during Onam (New paddy harvest -August-September).

A snake boat (or chundan vallam) is actually a long traditional canoe style boat used by the people of the Kuttanadu region, in south India's state of Kerala. Typical snake boats are 100 to 120 feet long, and hold around 100 rowers. 

What's the History Behind the Snake Boat Races: The battling snake boats of Kerala have over 400 years of history associated

with them. Their story can be traced back to the kings of Alleppey (Alappuzha) and the surrounding areas, who used to fight with each other in boats along the canals. One king, who suffered heavy losses, got boat architects to build him a better vessel and the snake boat was born, with much success. An opposing king sent a spy to learn the secret of how to make theses boats but was unsuccessful as the subtleties of the design are very hard to pick up. These days boat races are held with much excitement during various festivals.

KERELA BOAT RACE Where are the Snake Boat Races Held: The Aranmula Boat Race is held along the Pampa River at Aranmula, near

Chengannur, around 50 kilometers (31 miles) south of Alleppey. When are the Snake Boat Races Held: Snake boat races are mostly held from July to September, with the exact

dates varying each year depending on the phase of the moon. Snake boat races are the highlight of the Onam Festival in August/September, particularly the Aranmula Boat Race, which takes place mid way through the 10 day celebrations.

More About the Aranmula Snake Boat Race: The Aranmula Boat Race is a two day, predominantly religious, occasion.

Rather than being a contest, it's more about retracing the time offerings were carried on snake boats to the Aranmula Parthasarthy Temple. This was done to protect the offerings from rivals from another village. The whole occasion is a celebration of the day Lord Krishna crossed the river. Position yourself on the banks of the Pampa River near the temple in Aranmula to witness the spectacular event. Traditionally dressed rowers, accompanied by groups of 25 singers, are cheered on by an exuberant crowd.

Travel to the Snake Boat Races: The closest airport to Alleppey is in Kochi, 85 kilometers (53 miles) away.

Alleppey has its own railway station, located a short distance south west of the town center, and is readily accessible from Ernakulum (neach Kochi).

KERELA BOAT RACE

INTERNATIONAL MANGO FESTIVAL

The International Mango Festival, held annually in Delhi during early summer, is a two-day festival showcasing mangoes. It has been held since 1987

It is organised by the Delhi Tourism and Transportation Development Corporation (DTTDC).

More than 550 varieties and cultivars of mango are featured in the festival for visitors to view and taste

INTERNATIONAL MANGO FESTIVAL

 Notablechefs from five star hotels like the Maurya Sheraton, Taj Mahal Palace & Tower, Inter-Continental Hotel, Marriott India, Qutub Hotel and Claridges around India demonstrate the preparation of assorted recipes made with mango.

The festival is also an opportunity for agro-industries and food industries processing mangoes into jams, pickles, fruit juice and canned fruit to display their products.

INTERNATIONAL MANGO FESTIVAL For the mango judging competition, there are various categories

and a minimum of seven ripe mangoes are required for competing in each. There is also a prize given for biggest mango.

Activities in the festival include cultural programmes and recreational events like a mango eating competition for women, mango slogan writing, a demonstration of mango carving, a magic show, and a quiz about mangoes.

More than 50 mango growers from across the country, mainly from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat and Delhi, were given an interactive platform to present the 'king of fruits'

Garden Festival, Delhi A spectacular flower show held in Delhi, every February, where

varieties of flowers and exotic plants are on display. Organised by Delhi Tourism, DTTDC, in Garden of Five senses, Saidulajab, Saket this annual event showcases thousands of varieties of flowers. Flower enthusiasts and horticulturists find have a field day. Apart from this, painting competitions for children, art camp for budding artists and thematic cultural shows to entertain the visitors are also held.

International Flower Show Sikkim

Sikkim is home to around 5,000 species of flowering plants, 515 rare orchids, 60 primula species, 36 rhododendron species, 11 oak varieties, 23 bamboo varieties, 16 conifer species, 362 types of ferns and ferns allies, 8 tree ferns, and over 424 medicinal plants. The Government of Sikkim has decided to organize the 2nd International Flower show from 23-27 February 2013. The Horticulture & Cash Crops Development Department will be the Nodal Department for organizing the event.

 The main objectives of organizing the show are:-  To showcase the floral potential of Sikkim. To promote Floriculture Industry in Sikkim. To provide Flower growers of Sikkim an

International Exposition for understanding the Global trend of Floriculture Development and Flori-business.

To keep pace with the advancement of World Floriculture.

To highlight Sikkim as a Floriculture State / destination.

To promote Tourism in Sikkim.

INTERNATIONAL FLOWER SHOW 2013

  Date of Show-23rd to 1st March, 2013 .Duration of the Show -7 days Venue-Saramsa, East Sikkim Expected No. of participants-Flower show - 50   Materials - 100  Conference - 500 Expected No. of Visitors-2,00,000Source of funding-Govt. of Sikkim, Govt. of India.  The International Flower show 2013 will be a mega show, where participants from

different states as well as from International are expected in a huge number. The targeted visitors to the show is around 1 Lakh, for which massive advertisements has been given in the local, national and International papers and magazines.

  SPONSORS For organizing this mega event requires huge financial involvement,

which can be pooled from different sources like, Government of Sikkim, Ministry of Agriculture (GoI), Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DONER), APEDA, NHB etc.

India's Tea Festival

India's Assam Tea Festival attracts tea enthusiasts and professionals from around the world to celebrate the tradition, history and varieties of Assam teas, and to some extent, teas from elsewhere in the world.

The largest tea-producing state in the largest tea-producing country in the world, Assam has a rich tea tradition in a country with a distinctive, thriving tea culture.

Tea producers from all over Assam are invited to bring their wares to the festival. Vendors set up stalls at and offer tastings of their latest harvest. Teas can be purchased at tea tastings.

Perhaps the biggest activity apart from the tea tastings are performances by the Jhumer, Assam's regional dance. Jhumer consists of a group of brightly dressed people dancing around a drummer, waving their arms.

Tea Festival

The Tea Festival is held in the district of Jorhat in the northeastern state of Assam in India. Jorhat is well-known for its extensive tea gardens, and is the nerve centre of the tea industry.

Jorhat has the world famous Teklai Experimental Centre. In this place research work is carried out to find new varieties of tea and also the curative effects of green tea.

The island of Majuli, the largest island on the Brahmaputra, and the Nambar Forest Reserve can be visited from Jorhat. In Majuli there are numerous monasteries and the Nambar Forest Reserve is famous for being a regenerating hot spring.

Description of Tea Festival: The Tea Festival of Jorhat in Assam is celebrated in various parts of the state. The

Tea Festival in Jorhat is all about tea, music and gaiety. The celebrations of the Festival of Tea in Jorhat include visit to the tea gardens,

playing golf, safaris into the jungles, tasting delicious food items, shopping and cultural entertainment. The adventure sports on offer include angling and rafting in turbulent rivers.

The Tea Festival of Jorhat in Assam is a pleasant blend of a business trip and a pleasure trip. Along with the beauty and cultural diversity of Assam, tourists can also meet the warm hearted people of Assam.

Tea Festival

International Kite Festival in Gujarat – Uttarayan

 The International Kite Festival (Uttarayan) is regarded as one of the biggest festivals celebrated.

The festival of Uttarayan marks the day when winter begins to turn into summer, according to the Indian calendar.

It is the sign for farmers that the sun is back and that harvest season is approaching which is called Makar Sankranti.

Many cities in Gujarat organize kite competition between their citizens where the people all compete with each other.

During the festival, local food such as Undhiyu (a mixed vegetable including yam and beans), sesame seed brittle and Jalebi is served to the crowds.

 In 2012, the Tourism Corporation of Gujarat mentioned that the International Kite Festival in Gujarat was attempting to enter the Guinness World Records book due to the participation of 42 countries in it that year.

The festival is celebrated in many cities of Gujarat like Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot, Nadiad. However, the International Kite Event takes place in Ahmedabad (Kite capital of Gujarat) which accommodates visitors from many international destinations.

The best place to enjoy this festival is the Sardar Patel Stadium (the cricket stadium with capacity of over 54,000 people)] or the Ahmedabad Police Stadium, where people lay down to see the sky filled with thousands of kites.

In the heart of Ahmedabad, there is one of the most famous Kite market- Patang Bazaar, which during the festive week opens 24 hours a day with buyers and sellers negotiating and buying in bulk.

There is also a Kite Museum, which is located at Sanskar Kendra in Paldi area of Ahmedabad. It was established in 1985, which has a numerous collection of unique kites.

The festival takes place on 14 January of each year during the Makar Sankranti and continues until the 15th of January.

The symbolism of this festival is to show the awakening of the Gods from their deep sleep.

Through India's history, it is said that India created the tradition of kite flying due to the kings and Royalties later followed by Nawabs who found the sport entertaining and as a way to display their skills and power.

Kite flying has been a regional event in Gujarat for several years. However the first International Festival was celebrated in 1989 when people from all across the globe participated and showcased their innovative kites.

The idea of flying kites to celebrate Uttrayan was introduced by Muslims from Persia.

In major cities of Gujarat, kite flying starts as early as 5 am and goes until late night where approximately 8-10 million people participate in the whole festival.

However, many visitors are international who come from around the world, such as Japan, Italy, UK, Canada, Brazil, Indonesia, Australia, the USA, Malaysia, Singapore, France, China, and many more to take part in the celebration.

 During the night, on the second day of the festival, illuminated kites filled with lights and candles known as tukals or tukkals are launched creating a spectacle in the dark sky.

During the event, kite markets are set up alongside food stalls and performers. 

Cultural Festivals

The great Elephant March

Elephants are also an important part of the wildlife safaris of Kerala as people also have a royal feeling while traveling on an elephant.

In Kerala The great Elephant March is no less than festival as it is celebrated in the famous city of Trichur.

The great elephant march begins on the grounds of Trichur and ends at Thiruvananthapuram which is the capital city of Kerala and this is a three day long festival.

The march begins with the glorious group of elegantly decorated and beautifully ornamented 101 elephants standing tall with their mahouts and the beats of Chenda (a musical instrument).

 You can feed the elephants while the traditional Melam a kind of Kerala ensemble play the traditional pieces. It is time to be a part of this fun filled festival and enjoy luxurious traditional lunch of Kerala.

There is arrangement of Karagam and Kaavadi, traditional folkdances. After the appetizing lunch visitors can enjoy an exciting elephant ride

at Thekkinkadu grounds. The inaugural day comes to end with splendid elephant safaris. The next destination on the great elephant march is Alleppey which is

an important place to visit in Kerala. This place is famous for backwaters. Visitors can enjoy the narrow artificial canals on local country boats or rice boats. Tourists should not miss the coir industry and see how rope is churned out or coir. They can also purchase show pieces made of coir for home.

There are also Kathakali dance performances. It is a brain child of KTDC.

Desert Festival of Rajasthan

Jaisalmer ,nicknamed "The Golden city", is a town in Rajasthan. The town stands on a ridge of yellowish sandstone, crowned by a fort, which contains the palace and several ornate Jain temples.

It lies in the heart of the Thar Desert (great Indian desert. The Desert Festival is a three-day extravaganza of colour,

music and festivity, held at the golden city of Jaisalmer. Gair and Fire dancers swaying to traditional tunes, camel polo and camel dance, display of the most glorious moustaches, a turban tying competition and a Mr. Desert Contest are the highlights of the fun and frolic. Folk performers such as snake charmers, puppeteers and acrobats add to the vibrancy of the occasion.

Location: Sam Sand Dunes 42 K.M. from Jaisalmer How to reach: SUV or Camel safariTiming: In the month of February Attractions: Cultural showcase 

The desert festival in Jaisalmer was started to attract foreign tourists, who always wanted to explore as many facets of Rajasthan as they could in the possible crunch of time.

Presented by some of the best professionals of the art. 'The moustache competition' is very popular among foreigners. This is simply because of

the surprise value attached to this event. Foreigners can be seen posing for pictures with the winners. This is truly a moment worth preserving. 

You will never forget marvels like the famous Gair and Fire dancers that are the major attraction of the desert festival celebrations. I

nteresting contests including Mr. Desert contest further enhance the fun of the occasion. A trip to the Sam sand dunes marks the grand finale, where you will enjoy camel rides

and brilliant performance by the folk artist under the full moon against the backdrop of picturesque dunes.

The Rajasthan tourism organizes the Jaisalmer Desert fair/festival. There is tourist help cell to deal specially with the problems faced by foreign tourists. The arrangements are monitored by local administration and state of the art Medical vans, equipped with the best of medical amenities, are kept on alert. If you want to buy gifts or souvenirs for your dear ones, this is the place to be. For this place not only have items from and around Jaisalmer but of the whole Rajasthan. Mobile money exchangers are there in case you need to exchange currencies. And if you run out of cash, Guess what! Nearly all the kiosks have the facility to accept credit card.