| Delhi being the capital of India is home to people
of all religions and communities that come from
different parts of India and settle down here. Thus,
the religious and state festivals have all found
their way to Delhi and are especially with pomp
and show, wherever there is concentration of population
from same community and state. Besides the festivals
such as Durga Puja, Diwali and Holi celebrated by
Hindus and the Muslim festivals of Eid and Bakrid,
there are National events such as the Republic Day,
when the Republic Day Parade is organized on the
Rajpath, Independence Day and Gandhi Jayanti, celebrated
with great zeal and enthusiasm in Delhi. Besides
these, there are secular festivals specific to Delhi
that we are discussing here.
Lohri, celebrated annually on 13th January, is
basically a festival of Punjabis. It marks the
end of winter and people arrange grand bonfire
parties on this day and dance and sing all night.
On the very next day, Hindus celebrate Makar Sankranti.
A Kite Flying Festival is arranged every year
in Delhi on this day on the green lawns above
Palika Bazaar at Connaught Place. The colorful
kites of all shapes and sizes are beautiful to
look at as national as well as international participants
display their skills and fly their kites with
dexterous movements. Basant Panchami or the Spring
Festival of Hindus is celebrated usually at the
end of January or early February. At Delhi, it
is in this season that Moghul gardens at Rashtrapati
Bhavan are in full bloom and are opened to public
for a month.
Thyagaraja Festival generally organized in February
at the Vaikunthnath temple opposite Jawaharlal
Nehru University is the best opportunity to see
some of the magical performances of classical
South Indian music and dance. Maha Shivratri celebrated
on the no-moon night in the month of 'Phalguna',
according to the Hindu calendar, usually falls
in March. It is said to be the day when Lord Shiva
performed 'Tandava Nritya', the cosmic dance.
People observe fasts on this day and pray to Lord
Shiva for his blessings. Amir Khusrau's anniversary
is celebrated in April and a fair is organized
in his honor at Nizamuddin. Prayers are offered
to him and 'qawwalis' are sung in the evening.
On this occasion, the National Drama Festival
is also held where plays are staged, mostly at
the Rabindra Bhawan.
Baisakhi celebrated in mid-April just marks the
beginning of the harvest season while Buddha Jayanti
is held on the first full moon night in May to
commemorate the birth of the Lord Buddha. In Delhi,
prayer meetings are held at Buddha Vihar, Ring
Road and Buddha Vihar, Mandir Marg on this occasion.
Mahavir Jayanti is also celebrated in May to commemorate
the birth of Lord Mahavira, founder of Jainism.
Tourists would certainly love to visit the International
Mango Festival held in July at Talkatora Stadium,
where one can have free tastings to sample over
five hundred types of mangoes that are displayed
here. Phoolkwalon ki Sair or the Flower Sellers'
Procession organized at Mehrauli in early October
originated in the 16th century.
The procession highlights people carrying decorated
floral fans that blessed at the Mehrauli shrines,
namely, the Hindu temple of Jogmaya and the 13th
century Sufi saint known by the name of Khwaja
Utb-ud-din Bakhtyar Kaki. The procession ends
at Jahaz Mahal, a 16th century pleasure resort.
Qutub Festival organized by Delhi Tourism October
showcases performances of musicians and dancers
at night, with the 12th Qutub Minar as the chosen
backdrop of the event. In November or December,
Sikhs celebrate Guru Purab, the birth anniversary
of first of the ten Sikh gurus, Guru Nanak, organizing
processions known as 'Nagar Kirtans' through the
streets of Delhi. In the Gurdwaras, there are
recitals of verses from the Guru Granth Sahib,
the holy book of Sikhs on this day. Besides there
are Christian festivals such as Christmas and
New Year, when special events are organized throughout
Delhi.
|