16 Religious Festivals India Will Celebrate Before the End of 2016

So many festivals, so little time.

Published: August 23, 2016 9:37 PM IST

By Soni Satpathy-Singh

16 Religious Festivals India Will Celebrate Before the End of 2016

So many festivals, so little time. In India, there are at least 20 important festivals celebrated by Sikhs, Hindus, and Muslims before the end of 2016.

All of these religious holidays are based on different calendars. Several variations of the astrological calendar are used by practicing Hindus in different parts of the country.

The Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar and the dates are often based on the first sighting of the crescent moon after sunset each month. Sikhs base their observations on the moon’s movement through signs of the zodiac.

This list does not exhaust all the upcoming festivals and observances and any exclusion of one is not intentional. Have more to add to our list? Please comment below.

1. On August 7th, Hindus celebrated Nag Panchami, a festival dedicated to the worship of snakes. People go to temples and snake pits, offering snakes protection with milk and jewelry.

  nagpanchami

2. Nag Panchami is followed closely by Varalakshmi Vrat. Varalakshmi was the consort of Lord Vishnu and is believed to bestow favors on her followers, mostly women.

vrat

This holiday is more popular in the southern part of the country, and a good day to fast and ask for blessings from the goddess Lakshmi.

3. Raksha Bandhan followed on August 18 this year. It is what is called a restricted holiday, meaning that government and most businesses are open and people can decide whether and how to celebrate.

rakshabandhan

Raksha Bandhan has special meaning for siblings and is devoted to strengthening the bonds of love and caring between brothers and sisters.

4. Celebrated on August 25 this year, Janmashtami is the occasion of Lord Krishna’s birth. It is celebrated on the eighth day of Ashtami each year in the Hindu calendar.

janmashtami

Human pyramids are formed to break the pot containing butter, yogurt and other good favored by Lord Krishna in a ceremony known as Dahi Handi.

5. On September 5 is Ganesh Chaturthi, the birthday of Lord Ganesh, the god of wisdom, prosperity and good fortune. The celebrations are filled with enthusiasm and joy as people pray to the Lord and on the final day of Visarjan, the idol is sunk into the waters.

ganeshchaturthi

Supposedly anyone sighting the moon during this holiday will be accused of stealing something.

6. Waqf al Arafa is an Islamic holiday that is celebrated on the same day every year. People not on a pilgrimage are encouraged to fast.

7. The holiday is followed by the major celebration of Eid-al-Adha, a day when government offices and most businesses are closed. This day marks the end of the Hajj or the pilgrimage to Mecca and it will be observed on September 13.

eidmubaraka

8. The Hindu holiday of Onam occurs on Sept. 14. It is a harvest festival set by the Indian National Calendar, the most important holiday in the region of Kerala.

onam

9 & 10. Vishwakarma Puja and Mahalaya Amavasya are also celebrated by Hindus in September.

11 & 12. Beginning October 1, Navratri is celebrated for a period of nine days, followed by Dussehra on the tenth day. The festival is dedicated to worshipping Hindu Goddess Durga. During each night of the festival, a different form of the Devi is prayed to, such as Bhavani, Kali, and Lalita. It is often associated with Gujarat due to the Dandiya dance performed during the festival.

navratri

13. On October 20,  Sikhs celebrate the birth of Guru Granth Sahib, marking the completion of the Sikh holy text in 1606. Birthdays of all Gurus are celebrated on a grand level.

gurugranth

14. Diwali is on October 30 and is now observed by both Hindus and Sikhs around the same time.

diwali

15 & 16. All religious groups celebrate India’s Independence Day on August 15 and the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi on October16 2.

indiaindependence

These holidays are observed in all states and territories of the country. With so much cultural diversity in this vast country, it seems likely there is at least one celebration each week!

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