Delhi Tourism

Religious celebrations are a large part of Delhi's multicultural social life, and it’s worth trying to take time out to enjoy the city's fanfare traditional dances and vibrant costumes. The city is a host to several secular festivals, when performers gather for music, dance and drama events.

Lohri
On 13th January, a rural festival, Lohri, invades the streets of Delhi and is celebrated with bonfires in parks and open spaces. Traditionally, Lohri marks the end of winter.

Kite-Flying Festival (January)
The colourful kites cascade the horizons of Delhi
on Makar Sankranti ,from the green lawns of Palika Bazaar and Connaught Place, this extravaganza attracts national as well as international participants.

Basant Panchami
The biting winter winds during the end of January-early February, brings along the Hindu festival of Basant Panchami as welcome to the spring. This is the season when the prestigious Mughal gardens behind Rashtrapati Bhavan are opened to public for a month.

Holi
On the day of the full moon is in the month of Phalguna, Delhi braces itself for a day of uninhibited reverly as Holi is celebrated with great vigour and joy. All morning people smear Gulal (coloured powder) often mixed with water on one another and dance to the beat of drums. There is a tradition in north India of consuming bhang (a derivative of cannabis) on Holi.

The night before Holi bonfires are lit at street corners, symbolically burning the demon Holika and celebrating the triumph of good over evil.

Thyagaraja Festival (February)
An enthusiastic display of south Indian music and dance,is held opposite Jawaharlal Nehru University in Vaikunthnath temple.

Maha Shivratri (March)
Maha Shivratri is celebrated on the 'Amavasya' night of 'Phalguna'. It is said , that on this dark night Lord Shiva danced the 'Tandava Nritya',( cosmic dance). He is worshipped at temples with all night vigils and prayers and unmarried women keep day-long fasts so that Shiva may grant them good husbands.

Dussehra
Dussehra or Vijay Dashmi is celebrated with great joy and festivity for 10 continuous days during the month of September or October. Dussehra celebrates Lord Ram's victory over ten-headed Ravana, the evil king of Lanka who abducted Rama's wife, Sita, and was subsequently vanquished in battle. It is also considered to be a symbol of the victory of Good over Evil.

During the ten days of celebrations, the story of Lord Ram is enacted in dances and dramas (Ramlila, the story of Rama) all over North India. On the last (tenth) day, effigies of Ravana, his brother Kumbhkaran, and his son, Meghnath, are packed with firecrackers and burnt at sunset. Large crowds gather to watch the effigies being burnt.

Durga Puja
Durga Puja is celebrated by Bengalis on the last four days of Navaratrey. Images of the mother goddess, Durga, all fiery power and exquisite beauty, are worshipped with flowers, incense of the beating of drums.

Baisakhi
At the onset of summer, when the sun gets fierce in the mid of April, north India, celebrates the Hindu New Year as Baisakhi... This is also the beginning of the harvesting season.

Rakshabandhan
On Sravana purnima Rakshabandhan is celebrated. Sisters tie rakhis on their brother's wrists as a ledge of love and receive their promise of protection and normally a gift or money.