India, land of diversities, does not charm just because of its beautiful landscapes, serene beaches, gigantic mountains, and eternal spirituality but along with all such qualities it offers the spectacular differences of culture and society in each region. In this post, we are presenting the festivals each of which display the character of the region and demonstrate the cultural diversity from the other region. We would write festivals for each month in a separate post, so we would start with the Month of February.
Kila Raipur Sport Festival – Rural Olympic (Jan 29 to Feb 1)
Roaring crowd, adrenaline-pumping stunts and some of the quirkiest sports activities ever. Yes! This is the way for your feisty treat at Raipur Sports Festival in Ludhiana.
Bullocks, camels, dogs, mules, and other animals competing in highly professional events must be seen to be believed! The adrenaline-pumping bullock cart race is the main attraction, with sponsored prize money worth lakhs of rupees. Other events that are big on entertainment include a dog race, horse dance, camel race, tractor race, and a tug-of-war. But the chance to see some really off-beat activities is the biggest drawcard i.e. people lifting bicycles with their teeth, pulling cars with their teeth or ears, or riding a bicycle ringed with a burning tyre, and other daredevil stunts. The Rural Olympics really is a test of endurance, skill and strength.
The fun doesn’t end at the end of the day. Each evening there’s a cultural feast featuring top notch folk singers, Bhangra, and Gidha players. The program continues well past midnight on all three day of the festival.
Desert Festival, Jaisalmer, Rajasthan (Feb 1 – Feb 3, 2015)
The exuberant Jaisalmer Desert Festival is a three-day extravaganza of colour, music and festivity, held at the golden city of Jaisalmer. For three days, you can enjoy a host of weird and wacky activities. 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.
This three-day event stresses more on local elements and heritage. Here Rajasthani folk songs and dance is showcased by some of the best professionals of the art. Similarly, local customs such as Turban tying etc have been added to make it more exotic and colorful in its outlook. ‘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. 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. This is truly a moment worth preserving.
Float Festival, Madurai, Tamil Nadu (February 07, 2015)
The ancient city of Madurai in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu is one of the oldest cities in South Asia. The magnificent shrines and temples devoted to the Hindu gods comprise one of the main attractions of the state’s culture capital. Once a year, during the full moon in the Magha month of the Hindu calendar (currently January to February), a spectacular festival of lights mesmerizes natives and tourists alike. The Float Festival, or Theppotsavam, begins with a daytime procession in which ornamented icons of the deities Sundaresa and Meenakshi are carried golden palanquins and escorted by elephants, horses, and musicians from the Meenakshi Temple to Lake Teppakolam. Here the deities are placed on large floats. When the sun sets they are drawn across the water with the aid of long ropes. Decorated with candles and other forms of illumination, the floating shrines create a myriad of sparkling colours dancing in the lake’s reflection. Fireworks go off, devotees rejoice, and then the deities return to their temples.
Goa Carnival (Feb 14 – Feb 17, 2015)
The big bash of Goa Carnival 2015 will kick start on Valentine’s Day or February the 14th which is the Fat Tuesday. The beginning of festivities is marked by the arrival of King Momo, the king of carnivals, and his retinue of fire- eaters, acrobats, clowns, jesters, dancers, brass bands and revelers in parade high on electrifying music down the main street of Panaji in the capital city Panjim.
Goa Carnival features a frenzy of tourist activities. Tourists indulge in feasting, merrymaking, drinking throughout the day. The festive mood is even more aggravated by the huge parades that move the various streets of Goa. These parades are accompanied by live bands and dances. Goa forgets to sleep during the carnival as these parades continue throughout the night. Most of the streets are decorated with attractive lighting and grand balls.
The festivities during Goa Carnival include dancing troupes, revelers wearing masks and costumes usually, electrifying music which is generally performed live, sports competitions, floats & parades and hedonistic pursuits like great food and drinking.
Taj Mahotsava (Feb 18 – Feb 27)
India’s extensive arts, crafts and culture are on display at this event of 10 days. There are a bundle of activities like folk music, shayari (poetry) and classical dance performances that keep you intrigued. Also, there are elephant and camel rides along with games and food festival that make the event even livelier.
The impressive festival commences with a spectacular procession inspired by Mughal splendor. Bedecked elephants and camels, drum beaters, folk artists and master craftsmen, together recreate the glorious past of the Mughals.
Throughout the Taj Mahotsav, one can experience a profusion of folk music and dances of Dundelkhand, ‘Nautanki’ (Drama), ‘Sapera’ dance of Rajasthan, Lavani of Maharashtra performed in the old and traditional style, just the way they used to be performed centuries ago. Visitors join in with the folk dancers enjoying swinging to a different tune and dance style.
This is few cultural fests which show cases the thrill, culture, crafts, and various aspects. It becomes tough to choose the place to enjoy the carnival. Pack your bags and run for this feast which held once in a year only.
Stay tuned with us for more festivals that will also held in February at such romantic places only.
Happy Travelling.
Team
thelazytravellers.in