The New Year is but a fortnight away. And with festivities only getting bigger with each passing day, we can only imagine how terrible it will be on the evening of January 1, when the hangover is cured, the party has ended and everyone is back home, ready to head to work the next day. But India is a land of diverse cultures and we always seem to find something to celebrate. While some of the December 2015 festivals and events celebrated in India will carry on into the New Year (read Festa de Diu, Mamallapuram Dance Festival and Rann Utsav), January will have its own set of fresh festivals and events that should cure you of your New Year Blues. And so here is our list of the festivals and events celebrated in India in January 2016.
1. Kochi-Muziris Biennale 2016
Photograph courtesy: Kochi-Muziris Biennale/ Facebook
When: December 15 to Mid March 2016
What: The Kochi Muziris Biennale was started in 2012 when the Government of Kerala approached artists like Bose Krishnamachari and Riyaz Komu to promote contemporary art in the state. Kochi- Muziriz Biennale 2016 will have an array of global artists who will be addressing the audiences at the third edition of the Biennale.
Where: Fort Kochi, Kerala
Kochi travel guide
2. India Yoga Festival
Photograph courtesy: India Yoga Festival/Facebook
When: January 4 to January 8
What: The India Yoga Festival is often referred to as a celebration of Yoga, Bhakti and Spiritual Expansion. A combination of traditional yoga and various global styles of exercises over a span of three days. Gurus and swamis will address participants about spirituality. Three days of over 20 styles of Yoga, 25 renowned Yoga teachers and artistes along with over 50 Yoga sessions is lined up for you. There will also be four sunset kirtans, chantings of Hanuman Chalisa and traditional fire pujas and aartis.
Though there is a registration fee, there are some activities do not need registration and are free of cost.
Where: Ashvem Beach, North Goa
Entry: Three-day pass (January 5 to January 8): Approximately Rs 8,000
One-day pass: Approximately Rs 3,000
Pre-festival pass (January 4): Approximately Rs 3,000
Post-festival pass (January 8): Approximately Rs 3,000
Goa travel guide
3. Island Tourism Festival
When: January 5 to January 14
What: The Island Tourism Festival is a 10-day carnival that celebrates the culture and customs of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The archipelago is one of the most sought-after travel destinations for New Year’s Eve and the party is expected to continue from January 5 when the Island Tourism Festival begins. Organized by the Andaman and Nicobar Administration to boost tourism in the Andamans, the festival showcases exhibitions, dances and song performances during the festival days put together with handicrafts stores and adventure sports like parasailing and boating.
Where: Port Blair, Andaman and Nicobar Islands
Andaman and Nicobar Islands travel guide
4. The Kabir Festival
Photograph courtesy: Kabir Festival/Facebook
When: January 7 to January 10
What: The Kabir Festival works on spreading messages of the poet saint by introducing people to his thoughts and teachings. Expect three days of live music, documentary films screenings and storytelling sessions that are open to all. There will be several events at different locations, and events will simultaneously be conducted.
The Kabir Festival Mumbai, was inspired by the Kabir Project headed by Shabnam Virmani, a documentary filmmaker who traveled with folk singers who have been singing Kabir Dohas for generations now. After gathering material for six years, he worked on four documentary films and several recordings of folk as well as classical musicians who have expressed the words of Kabir through their music.
Where: Mumbai
Entry: Free
Mumbai travel guide
5. International Kite Festival
Photograph courtesy: Cam Buff/Creative Commons
When: January 7 to January 15
What: The International Kite Festival ends with the festival of Uttarayan, commonly referred to as Makar Sankranti. It is a festival unique to the Gujarati community. It marks the end of the winter season and is celebrated on a grand scale in Gujarat. There are several events organized locally in the state by the government in order to promote tourism and an understanding of deep routed traditions. Skies are usually filled with kites of all colors, shapes and sizes from dawn to dusk during this festival.
Where: Sabarmati River Front, Ashram Road, Ahmedabad, 8 am to 5 pm
Entry: Free
Ahmedabad travel guide
6. Hampi Utsava
When: January 9 to January 11
What: Hampi Utsava is locally known as Vijaya Utsava. It is hosted to celebrate and honor the cultures and art of the Hampi. The three day event has various elaborate dance and theater performances. Folk music performances are also looked forward to. Just like the Mysore Dassara procession, there is a procession with elephants carried out in Hampi, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, to celebrate the rich inheritance of the Vijayanagara Dynasty. It is believed that when the kingdom was in its glorious days, the king would be weighed in precious metals and the sum would be distributed among the poor. However, these days the biggest and grandest highlight of the festival is the light-and-sound show that is a must visit.
Where: Hampi
Hampi travel guide
7. Pongal
Photograph courtesy: Sunciti Sundaram/Creative Commons
When: Janaury 14 to january 17
What: Pongal is a four day long harvest festival celebrated in the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is one of the most important and popular Hindu festivals of the year. It’s a thanksgiving festival and its name loosely translates to- boil.In the month of Thai (January-February), when rice, cereals, sugar-cane and turmeric are harvested. The first day is Bhogi, observed in honor of Indra. the god of rains, the following day, an earthen pot of rice is boiled in milk and is offered to the sun god. This preparation was meant to be cooked outdoors. The third day is known as Mattu Pongal, a day dedicated to cows and the fourth and final day is called Knau or Kannum Pongal. Various traditions and rituals are carried out to sum up the festival.
Where: Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu travel guide
8. Lohri
When: January 13
What: Lohri falls on winter solstice, the shortest day and the longest night of the year. It is believed that on the night of Lohri, villagers in the Punjab region would set up a bonfire in order ton stay warm and together get through the longest, gloomy night of the year. However, over the years, the Georgian calendar and the Hindu calendar haven’t been coinciding. The longest night falls on December 21 or December 22, and hence, Lohri has become a harvest festival that marks the end of the winters.
Where: Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir
9. Makar Sankranti
Photograph: Shutterstock
When: January 14
What: Uttarayan is celebrated across Gujarat as Maka Sankranti. It is celebrated as the beginning of the new farming season, the end of the previous farming season and the end of the winters. Major cities of Gujarat celebrate the festival with great zest and express their joy by kite-flying in groups. competitions are held, elaborate meals are prepared and families and friends are hosted well. Cities like Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot, Nadiad, among others have extravagant celebrations that are worth your time. The International Kite Festival was started by the Gujarat Tourism Development Corporation in order to boost tourism in the state during this time of the year.
Where: Gujarat
Gujarat travel guide
10. Mukteshwar Dance Festival
Photograph courtesy: Wikimedia Commons
When: January 14 to January 16
What: The Mukteshwar Dance Festival is held to promote and encourage talented performers who have been mastering the art of Odissi dance and music. It offers a podium for solo, duet and group Odissi performances. Every year, famous dance and folk music troupes from Cuttack, New Delhi, Bhubaneshwar, Kolkata and Bangalore perform here. This year, several international dancers are also expected to perform here.
Where: Bhubaneshwar, Odisha
Bhubaneshwar travel guide
11. Kerala Village Fair
When: Mid-January
What: The Kerala Village Fair in Kovalam is one of the many events in Kerala that get the villages of the state bustling in enthusiastic preparations of events and festivities. Music, dances, food, and exhibitions are the main highlight of the event. This ten day long fair locally known as Gramam, is to revive the cultural traditions of Kerala. During the fair, everyone in Kovalam dresses ethnically, consumes trational food and participate in activities alike. During the first and second day, the traditional thatched-roof houses are decorated and illuminated with lights at night. The following datys are spent in preparing delicacies like Savor delicacies like puttu and kadala and enjoying folk dance performances of Pulikali, Villupattu, Theyyam, and Thullal.
Where: Kovalam, Kerala
Kovalam travel guide
12. Magh Bihu
When: January 15
What: Magh Bihu is the harvest festival of Assam, observed Magh, the month of January. Uruka is the first day of the Magh Bihu and it falls on January 14 2016. On this day, men build mejis and bhelghars in open farm spaces with hay and bamboo. Bhogali means feasting in Assamese. and the following day is called Bhogali Bihu. Community meals are held for everyone to enjoy the end of the farming season and the mejis and bhelghars are burnt. The ashes are then scattered in the fields to increase the fertility of the soil for the next season of harvest. On Magh Bihu, people visit their relatives and share Assamese food like pithas, sweet rice cakes, chira, rice flakes, chunga pitha, rice cake in bamboo tubes, among other savories. Buffalo fights are organized during Bhogali Bihu in rural Assam.
Where: Assam
Assam travel guide
13. Guru Gobind Jayanti
When: January 16
What: According to the Georgian Calendar, the birth date of Guru Gobind is December 22, 1699. However, in 2016, according to the Nanakshahi calendar, Guru Nanak Jayanti falls on January 16. Guru Gobind was the tenth and the last Guru of the Sikhs. He became the Guru at a tender age of nine. Born in Patna, Bihar, he succeeded his father, Guru Tegh Bahadur, the ninth Guru who lost his life, fighting for the religious freedom of the Sikhs. Along with being a spiritual and religious leader, Guru Gobind was also a seeker of Philosophy and was a poet. He wrote the Guru Granth Sahib, the holy scriptures that the Sikhs worship. He was the last living Guru and lived his last few years in Nanded, Maharashtra. Takht Sri Hazur Sahib, a gurudwara is built at the spot where the guru was cremated. For Sikhs all around the world, celebrations are grand on this day.
Where: All around the world
14. Jaipur Literature Festival
Photograph courtesy: Jaipur Literature Festival/Facebook
When: January 21 to January 25
What: The Jaipur Literature Festival is the largest free literary festival in the world. It is considered to be one of the greatest literary gatherings on the planet. World renowned writers, novelists, journalists and film makers visit the festival. Several esteemed Nobel Laureates and Man Booker Prize winners among others address the audience.
Where: Jaipur, Rajasthan
Entry: Free
Jaipur travel guide
15. VadFest
Photograph courtesy: VadFest/Facebook
When: January 23 to January 26
What: VadFest is an event supported and mapped out by the Government of Gujarat along with the Gujarat Tourism Development Corporation in order to boost tourism in Vadodara. The festival will conclude on the Indian Republic Day. It is one of the country’s buggest multi-arts and multi-venue events, with over 50 events scheduled over four days taking place simultaneously at 15 venues. From concerts, dance and music performances to theater, art and food, what else do you need for a perfect weekend?
Where: Vadodara, Gujarat
Gujarat travel guide
16. Republic Day Parade
Photograph courtesy: Wikimedia Commons
When: January 26
What: Republic Day is celebrated in order to commemorate the date on which the Indian Constitution came into existence. Every year, the Republic Day Parade from the Raisina Hill near the President’s residence, Rashtrapati Bhavan, along the Rajpath, past India Gate. The Beating retreat, is conducted on January 29 and is performed by the Army, Navy and the Air Force.
Where: New Delhi
New Delhi travel guide
17. Madurai Float Festival
When: January 27
What: Madurai is known as a city of festivals and one of the biggest festivities in the city is called Teppothsavam, when Meenakshi, along with her consort, Sundareshwarar is taken out on a grand procession in the lake Teppakolam. The shrine is moved around the little island in the lake. The festival is estimated to have bee started in the 17th century during the reign of Thirumala Nayyak. He was getting a palace built for himself, when a lot of the land was getting excavated. He soon got the depression filled with water to form the man-made lake, then he built a Ganesha temple on an island. Each year on his birthday, he would take the idols from the temple on the banks on a boat ride. The festival is now carried out on a grand scale. A procession starts from the main temple, escorted with decked up elephants and then the floating ride follows.
Where: Vijayawada Kanaka Temple, Madurai, Tamil Nadu
Madurai travel guide
18. India Art Fair
Photograph courtesy: India Art Fair/Facebook
When: January 28 to January 31
What: Founded in 2008, the India Art Fair is a fancy affair that gives you the opportunity to catch some of the year’s best artworks from around the globe. It was started to promote appreciation of art. Performances and, meet and greets with artistes and a line up of many other interactions.
Where: NSIC grounds, Okhla Industrial Area, New Delhi
19. Adoor Gajamela
Photograph: Shutterstock
When: January 20 to January 30
What: This is a beautiful elephant carnival, a pageant rather that must not be missed by elephant lovers!/ The pageant takes place at the Parthasarthy Temple in Adoor. Popular as Adoor Gajamela, the 10 day annual celebration invited hundreds and thousands to be a part of this magnificent festival. The Parthasarathy Temple is dedicated to Krishna, who is also known as Parthasarathy — the charioteer of Partha, another name for Arjuna who is one of the five Pandavas in Mahabharata.
Where: Parthasarathy Temple, Adoor, Pathanamthitta district, Kerala
20. Sirpur National Dance and Music Festival
Photograph courtesy: Chhattisgarh Tourism/Facebook
When: January 29 to January 31
What: The Sirpur National Dance and Music Festival was started in 2013 as a part of promotion for tourism in Chhattisgarh. Various renowned artistes perform at the event that will be held over a span of three days. Last year, the esteemed Birju Maharaj performed at the event. This year, a performance by Padma Vibhushan, Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia is expected. Visit Sirpur for this grand confluence of traditional art in its best form.
Where: Lakshman Temple, Sirpur, Chhattisgarh
Chhattisgarh travel guide
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