New Years of Different States 1) Bohag Bihu or Rongali Bihu — Assam 2) Sajibu Cheiraoba - Manipur 3) Gudi Padwa - Maharashtra, Goa 4) Jude Sheetal - Bihar, Jharkhand 5) Losar — Arunachal Pradesh (Tibetan new year by Monpa Tribe) 6) Losoong~ Sikkim 7) Navreh — Kashmir 8) Pana Sankranti — Odisha 9) Pohela Boishakh — West Bengal, Tripura 10) Puthandu or Varusha Pirappu — TamiNadu 11) Ugadi— Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh 12) Vaisakhi/ Baisakhi- Punjab 13) Vishu- Kerala 14) Hijri - Islamic New Year (on 1* day of Muharram 15) Navroj— Persian new year (introduced by Balban). It is of Zoroastrian Origin. 16) Nootan Varsh or Bestu Varas — Gujarat 17) Cheti Chand - Sindhi 18) Chaitra Navaratri — Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Chhatisgarh, Jharkhand 19) Buisu — Tripura Makar Sankranti Itis a harvest festival which falls on 14 January (also known as Kite Festival). It’s name in different states are as follows : 1) Magh Bihu - Assam 2) Maghi - Punjab 3) Uttarain — Jammu 4) Sakrat — Haryana 5) Sakraat — Rajsthan 6) Pongal — Tamil Nadu 7) Uttarayan — Gujarat,Uttar Pradesh 8) Ghughuti - Uttarakhand Kumbh Mela The Kumbh Mela is held once in 3 years at 4 places : 1) Prayagraj — at Sangam (confluence of Ganga, Yamuna & Sarasvati Rivers) 2) Haridwar — at Ganges (on the bank of Ganga River) 3) Nashik — at the bank of Godavari River 4) Ujjain — at the bank of Shipra River Ardha Kumbh Mela The Ardha Kumbh Mela is organised once in 6 years at 2 places only - Haridwar and Prayagraj (Sangam). Purna Kumbh Mela The Purna Kumbh takes place once in 12 years based on certain planetary positions. * The congregation is held at Prayagraj only. Maha Kumbh Mela = The Maha Kumbh Mela is held once in 144 years (upon the completion of 12 Purna kumbh). * Itisheld only at the Sangam Ghat in Prayagra]. ©The last Maha Kumbh was held in 2013 and the next will be held after 144 years. Some Important Festivals of INDIA Arunachal Pradesh 1)Mopin-by Galo Tribe 2) SolungAssam 1) Majult 3) Ambubasi (Ambubachi) Festival - At Kamakhya Temple, Guwahati. Itis also called as 2) Baishagu Mahakumbh of East. 4) Ali-Aye-Ligang - Spring Festival by Mishing/Miri Tribe 5) Jon Beel Mela Barter system is used 6) Me-Dam-me-Phi— by Ahom People on 315° January. It is for ancestor worship in memory of departed. 7) Bihu - It has 3 types : * Rongali or Bohag Bihu — in April. © Kangali or Kati Bihu — in October (It is celebrated by lighting a lamp in front of a Tulsi tree). © Bhogali or Magh Bihu — in January. Bihar 1) Chhath Pooja - dedicated to Sun God & his wife Usha Chattisgarh 1) Madal — dedicated to Kesharpal Kesharpallin Devi 2) Gaura Gauri Puja 3) Hareli Dadra Nagar Haveli & Daman & Diu 1) Tarpa Festival Goa 1) Sao Joao - Catholic Festival 2) Shigmotsav/Shigmo — in Month of Phalguna (march) Gujarat 1) Tarnetar Fair 2) Vautha Mela - For Animal trading 3) Madhavpur Mela — dedicated to Lord Krishna & Rukmini Haryana 1) Surajkund international Crafts Fair Himachal Pradesh 1) Minjar Mela 2) Nalwari Fair (also known as Cattle Fair) Jharkhand 1) Sarhul 2) Bhagta Parab - worship of Budha Baba 3) Jawa — by Unmarried tribal Girls for fertility and better fortune Karnataka 41) Karaga (oldest festival) 2) Kaveri Sankramana 3) Puttari — harvest festival by Kodava in Coorg 4) Kailpodh — worship of weapon by Kodava in Coorg Kerala 1) Onam — harvest Festival : Boat Race (Vallam Kali) held during this time. 2)Sundareswara Festival 3) Arthunkal & Vettukad are Church Festival 4) Makaravilakku — on Makar Sankranti at Shrine of Sabrimala) 5) Soorya Festival - at Thiruvananthapuram Ladakh 1) Hemis — on 10" day of Tibetan Lunar month, it is dedicated to Lord Padmasambhave.Madhya Pradesh 1) Dhamont Urs Fair ~ At shrine of Mastan Shah Vali 2) Tansen Samaroh — at Gwalior 3) Bhagoriya Festival — by Bhil Tribe at Maharashtra & Madhya Pradesh Maharashtra 1)Banganga —2) Ganesh Chaturthi Manipur 1) Lai Haraoba — Mary making of the Gods 2) Yaoshang Sngai 3) Senegal Festival Meghalaya 1) Wangala - by Garo Tribes Mizoram 1) Chapchar Kut-in March —_ 2) Anthurium Nagaland 1) Hornbill Festival 2) Tsokum Samai 3) Mong Mong 4) Moatsu — by Ao Tribe 5) Sekhrenyi — By Angami Nagas Tribe in Feb. Odisha 1) Bali Tritiya 2) Baliyatra— at Cuttack 3)EcoRetreat 4) Nabakalebara 5) Nuakai— one day after Ganesh Chaturthi 6) Raja Parba — Celebrated onset of monsoon and earth’s womanhood 7) Dhanu Yatra — by Bargarh Community devoted to Lord Krishna 8) Rath Yatra — For Lord Jagannath Puducherry 1) Bastille Day Festival — also known as French National day. Punjab 1) Lohri — Harvest Festival (Sugarcane Harvest), 2) Teeyan — Monsoon Festival Rajasthan 1) Pushkar Mela — also known as Kartik Mela or Pushkar Camel Fair . It is for Camel Trading. 2) Elephant Festival — at Jaipur during Holi Sikkim 1) Saga Dawa/ Triple Blessed Festival — itis Biggest Buddhist Festival. It is Celebrated for birthday, enlightment & Death of Gautama Buddha. 2) Vesak/ Buddha day is same as Saga Dawa it is celebrated slightly earlier than Saga Dawa 3) Bumchu Festival 4) Drupka Tsechi — associated with Lord Buddha 5) Sakewa — For Kirat Khambu Ral community. Chandi Puja or Bhoomi Pooja is done in it. Tamil Nadu 1) Theemitht — in honour of Draupadi. Fire Walking Festival held at this time. 2) Thaipusam — Dedicated to Lord Muruga 3) Float Festival — at Madurai, Kanthuri Utsav 4) Valvil Ori Vizha — In August Month 5) Jallikattu — Traditional Bull Taming Sport Part of Pongal Festival Telangana 1) Bathukamma 2) Bonalu Uttar Pradesh 1) Lathmar Holi - at Barsana & NandgaonUttarakhand 1) Nanda Devi Fair — at Almora in September Month West Bengal 1) Durga Pooja 2) Keduli Fair — on Makar Sankranti Some Important Previous Year Questions 1) Which Festival is known as Phagwa? — Holi 2) Which Festival is dedicated to Goddess Durga & her nine avtars? - Navratri 3) Eid-ul-Fitr is celebrated on 1" day of Shawwal month, which number month is it in Islamic Calendar? 10" 4) Paryushan is important Festival of which ‘community? ~ Jain, celebrated for Sdays by Shvetambar Community & 10 days as Dasalakshan Parva by Digambar Community. 5) Which festival UNESCO has inscribed on representative list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity? —Kumbh Mela 6) Kartik Purnima in India is called as - Hunter’s Moon in the West. 7) Gurpurab is celebrated by which community — Sikh, at month of Kartik 8) Hemis Tsechu Festival Commemorates Birth of - Guru Padmasambhava 9) Pola Festival is celebrated in which states? — Ashtrayshtra, Chattisgarh : In this Bullocks and Other Cattle used for Agriculture are Worshipped. 10) 10" day of Sharad Navratri is Celebrated as — Dussehra or Vijayadashmi. 11) Navanna Festival held in which Country- Bangladesh 12) Papeti is Festival of which community - Parsis 13) Puthari Festival is celebrated by which tribe - Kodava 14) All Souls day is festival of which community - Christian 15) Milad-un-Nabi is celebrated to commemorate - Birth Anniversary of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) Festivals in News (2022) 1, Spituk Gustor Festival 2022 - Ladakh 2, Torgya Festival - Arunachal Pradesh (tawang Monastery) 3, Mandu Festival -Madhya Pradesh (Dhar District) 4, Kanchoth festival - 1&K 5, Maru Mahotsav : A Desert Festival - Rajasthan 6, Medaram Jathara - Telangana 7. Khajuraho Dance Festival -Madhya Pradesh {inaugurated by governor Mangubhai Patel) 8. Weeklong Kharchi Festival — Begins in Tripura 9. Bonalu - Telangana (The festival involves the worship of Kali in her various forms) 10. India’s First Lavender Festival - Bhaderwah- Jammu & Kashmir 11. Baikho Festival -Assam (for Good Harvest and Rain) 12. Piyush Goyal inaugurates ‘Mango Festival’ in Belgium 13, 1&K Is Organizing Its First Ever Bird Festival 14, Shirui Lily Festival - Manipur 15, Nature Festival ‘Sarhul’ - Jharkhand (verbal ‘meaning of Sarhul is “worship of the Sal tree) 16. Gangaur Festival Celebrated Across Rajasthan {1st day of the month of Chaitra) 17. Losar Festival’ - Ladakh (itis ‘the traditional new year of Tibetan Buddhist celebrated at the onset of the New Year in traditional schedule of Tibetan Buddhism.) 18. Losoong/Namsoong Festival - Sikkim (it is annually celebrated across the Indian State of Sikkim on the 18th day of the 10th month of the Tibetan Lunar Calendar, which also marks the beginning of the harvest season. 19. The Sth Edition of North East Festival - Guwahati 20. Herath Festival - Kashmir (Herath or the ‘Night of, Hara(Shiva}', generally known as Maha Shivratri) 21. ‘Dol Utsav’ - West Bengal (to Welcome Spring Season Lord Krishna and Radha)