Festivals of East India

Festivity, colour and music attract lots of people to India from all over the world. The different festivals celebrated in different parts of the world have something unique about them.

The Major Festivals of East India are:

Durga Puja, West Bengal:
Durga Puja is one of the largest and most splendid festivals of East India. However with its growing popularity, today it is celebrated almost all over the country. This festival of East India is celebrated in honour of the Hindu Goddess Durga. Every city of West Bengal celebrates this festival of east India with much pomp and merry. The colourful pandals, delicious sweets and the joyour music can be enjoyed in every street. Statuesque images of the goddess are made and thunderous drums rock the city during the festival, which Bengalis have been observing for centuries now.

Sonpur Cattle Fair, Bihar:
This festival of East India is a traditional fair that has remained pristine in its charm through the ages. Legend has it that two brothers, devotees of Lord Vishnu, one wily and the other honest, cast a spell upon each other. As a result of this, one became an elephant and the other a crocodile. On a Kartik Purnima day, the honest elephant went to the confluence of the holy rivers Ganga and Gandak to bathe and was attacked by the wily crocodile. Lord Vishnu himself intervened and delivered good from evil. The central draw of the fair is cattle trade. In this festival of East India all species of birds, poultry, bovines and beats of burden, especially elephants, have a market.

Bihu, Assam:
The festival of East India ushers in the New Year, with dancing, music and feasting. There are three such festivals of East Indian state of Assam in the months of Bohang (April), Maagh (January), and Kaati (Kartik or October). Tantalizing delicacies, music and dance competitions, these are the major attractions of this festival of East India.

Konark Dance Festival, Orissa:
The Konark Dance Festival of East India brings to fore India’s eminent classical dancers, who perform against the backdropof the floodlit Sun Temple. The temple has been described as a poem in stone and is one of India’s greatest architectural sights. During the festival, the building reverberates with the beats Raga and Tala, as the performers present their interpretations of various classical dance forms, including Odissi, Bharat Natyam, Manipuri Kathak and Chhau Dance.

The few other prominent festivals of East India are Brahmaputra Festival, Guwahati – Assam, Rath Yatra, Teesta Tea festivals,Darjeeling, Losar Festival Tour –Gangtok, Sonam Losoong, Sikkim, Ganga Sagar Mela, West Bengal, Dover Lane Music Conference, Kolkata, National Theatre Festival, Kolkata, Hornbill Festival, Nagaland, Tokhu emong of Lothas, Nagaland, etc.

The festivals of East India are quite unique and does not relate to any other part of the country. The diverse language, cuisine, attire, music and dance make these festivals of East India very interesting and also attractive. If you are traveling to East India, celebrate one of the festivals of East India and you will realize the uniqueness.