5 Indian traditions to get excited about on holiday
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Most tourists heading to India realise that they’ll have a very different experience depending on where they travel in this vast country – but many may not be aware that the same is true for the time of the year.
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And so here we present some of the incredible traditions you should bear in mind when planning a trip to this ancient and mystical destination:
Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay
Taj Mahotsav
An annual ten-day event, held in Agra each February, this is one of India’s greatest gatherings of artisans.
Work exhibited includes wood and stone carvings, hand-made carpets, pottery and prints – as well as goods fashioned from bamboo and cane, marble and brass, and silk and paper. There are ceremonial elephant parades to open the festivities, with troupes of folk dancers following in their wake.
Best of all, the whole thing takes place just a short walk from the Taj Mahal, which visitors are invited to view in the light of the full moon.
Photo by Shubham Bochiwal on Unsplash
Holi
In the past few years, the street celebrations of Holi in India have become well-known across the internet for their exuberance and colour. Welcoming the spring (in March), the ancient Hindu tradition is also known as the Festival of Love, and encourages those taking part to repair any strained or damaged relationships.
Festivities last a night and a day – beginning with bonfires under the full moon, seen as a symbolic sacrifice of personal evils. This clears the way for the next day’s giant water fight – in which both balloons and water pistols are used to splash those around you with powdered (temporary) dyes. Meanwhile, seasonal food and drink (including bhang, a cannabis-laced milkshake) is served as bands march through the throng.
Image by Prasanta Sahoo from Pixabay
Rath Yatra
Also known as the Chariot Festival, and held in June or July, this popular spectacle sees huge floats representing Hindu gods and heroes carried through busy streets.
The huge wooden chariots are constructed anew by craftspeople from wood each year, typically taking two months (including the labour of artists who paint the structures in rich festive colours). Joining in with the processions, they then emerge from temples to weave through the surrounding neighbourhood, stopping at sacred sites along the way. Specially baked seasonal cakes are offered to the gods, and later shared with those in attendance.
Image by BISWAJIT TRIPATHY from Pixabay
Diwali
Another celebration that’s become well-known internationally due to tourists sharing their own pictures of taking part, Diwali is also called the Festival of Lights from India
Although originally a Hindu tradition, the modern celebration sees Jains, Sikhs, some Buddhists – and travellers! – join in for five days in autumn (September). Homes, holy places and even shops and offices are illuminated throughout this period – with these lights celebrating good dispelling evil, and knowledge vanquishing ignorance.
Image by Gaurav Kumar from Pixabay
Wedding season
In India, December is the most popular month for marriages, presenting some of the country’s most magnificent sights. These are parties that tend to last for days, and tourists can even join in for an experience to remember.
Modern Indian weddings often quite spectacular grand and lavish. They incorporate Bollywood songs, meaning there’s plenty of singing and choreographed dancing as the families come together. The groom will lead a parade – on horseback – through the streets to the wedding venue, complete with drummers. Once together again, the couple exchange garlands and light a sacred flame – it’s a timelessly moving scene.
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