Many different cultures, traditions and festivals form a part of the metropolitan city of New Delhi. All the major Indian festivals are celebrated here with full vigor. Color, gaiety, enthusiasm, feasts and a variety of prayers and rituals characterize festivals here. The multiplicity of the festivities that populate the cultural scene of this land attract most of the visitors who come on tour to New Delhi. All the major festivals of India are celebrated in New Delhi. The streets are a riot of color for Holi; they are brilliantly lit up for Diwali; giant effigies for Ravana are burnt on Dussehra, Durga idols are worshipped and immersed for Durga Puja, Santa clauses and Christmas trees make their presence felt around Christmas, Id-ul-Fitr, Guru Nanak's birthday and other religious days of the Muslims and Sikhs are celebrated with joy and friendship. You can enjoy all these festivals on your tour to New Delhi.

Delhi is home to almost the same fairs and festivals, which are celebrated in other parts of the country. These are celebrated with a view to commemorating religious or historical events or marking the change of seasons. The vigor and lifestyle of the people comes into full play. Every season brings with it numerous fairs and festivals. So throughout the year Delhi remains alive with cheerful celebrations. These festivals have their own share of cultural, religious and state extravaganza.

Holi

Holi is the day when everybody sets off to paint the town red- literally. And not just red, but also blue and green and virulent magenta. Basically a celebration of the passage of winter and the coming of spring, Holi has mythological connotations too: it celebrates the death, by fire, of the demon Holika. But that’s not all; Holi is also associated, in some areas, with the God of Love, Kama, as well as with the love of Krishna and Radha. Rather a lot of legends behind one festival!

But what really matters is that this is a day for uninhibited fun. People fling coloured powders or coloured water- along with a lot of other not-so-nice stuff- on friends, family and even strangers, and this is one day when everybody on the street looks like they’ve walked through a rainbow. Riotous singing, dancing and the consumption of huge amounts of bhang-laced lassi or bhang pakoras are also very much a part of Holi celebrations.

Mathura, in Uttar Pradesh, is especially well-known for its Holi celebrations, which centres around the love of Krishna and Radha. An interesting variation of Holi, also in Uttar Pradesh, is in the towns of Barsana and Nandgaon, where `Lathmar Holi’ is celebrated, with women literally beating the men with wooden sticks. Rather rough, but it’s all in good humour!

Lohri:

Celebrated in the month of January Lohri is a winter festival which marks the marks the peak of winter and celebrated with burning bonfires, singing and dancing.

Republic Day:

It is celebrated on the 26th of January when India became a Republic. The constitution of Independent India came into being on 26th of January 1950. A must visit event for every tourist. A military parade on the Rajpath typifies this state celebration of India's republic hood, followed on Jan 29 by the "Beating the Retreat" ceremony outside the Rashtrapati Bhavan. The parade is the most impressive pageant of Delhi. The march past includes military displays, elephant and horse pageantry, floats representing different states and union territories of India.



Independent Day Celebrations:

Independent Day is celebrated on August 15 to mark the country's freedom from the hands of the British. Processions and flag hoisting on the Red Fort are the highlights of the celebrations.


Garden Tourism Festival:

organized by the Delhi Tourism at the end of February the festival lasts for over three days and generates much interest amongst the gardening fraternity. Delhi is flooded with flowers at this time. It is also a useful meeting ground for gardening enthusiasts, as well as fun and frolic for people of all ages. Holi: This festival of color is celebrated in March to mark the beginning of spring, Men and women of all age sprinkle colored waters on each other. This is accompanied by singing and dancing. These colors and other mixtures can permanently stain clothing Hence it is advisable not to go out in your Sunday best.


Phoolwalon-ki-Sair:

Delhi is not all pollution and noisy traffic, as some would have you believe; it’s also the home of a very interesting annual festival, with a history more than a hundred years old. Way back in the 19th century, the British appointed Bahadurshah Zafar the Mughal emperor. Bahadurshah’s half-brother, Mirza Jahangir, was understandably annoyed at being thus ignored; and he, to vent his frustration, took a pot shot at the British Resident. The Resident, though uninjured, instantly exiled his would-be murderer to Allahabad. Mirza Jahangir’s mother, who missed her son terribly, made a vow that if her son returned to Delhi, she would walk from the tomb of Nizamuddin Auliya to that of Qutubuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki. Her prayers must have been powerful, for Mirza Jahangir was pardoned; and his mother’s pilgrimage, which she duly went on, has continued till today in the form of the Sair-e-Gulfaroshan, or the Phoolwalon ki Sair.

A three-day long religious (yet secular, for everybody participates in it) festival of flowers, the Sair-e-Gulfaroshan begins with the procession from Nizamuddin’s dargah to Kaki’s dargah. The procession, which is led by musicians, fire-dancers and flower-sellers, makes its way to Kaki’s tomb, where flower `chaadars’ and `pankhas’ are ceremonially laid on the dargah. This is followed by a visit to the nearby Devi Jog Maya temple, an ancient shrine where the ceremony is repeated. The festivities are rounded off with a cultural programme of kathak performances, qawwalis and devotional music.

Diwali

One of India’s most popular festivals, Diwali or Deepawali is the festival of lights- the day when each house, each shop is decorated with hundreds of tiny, twinkling clay diyas. It’s the day when crackers and fireworks, sweets and goodwill rule the roost- the day which heralds a new year, greater prosperity and more joy.

Diwali celebrations continue over a few days, starting with Dhanteras, which is dedicated to Laxmi, the goddess of wealth. For Dhanteras, homes and shops are decorated with colourful rangolis, and diyas are kept burning through the night. The day after Dhanteras is Chhoti Diwali, and the day after that is the festival itself- Diwali. Diwali is celebrated by worshipping the goddess Laxmi, but that isn’t all- what really contributes to all the fun on Diwali is the lighting of lamps; the fireworks; the crackers; the sweets; and the air of camaraderie which seems to pervade the air itself. Other `must-dos’ during the Diwali season include purchasing gold, silver or utensils on Dhanteras; and gambling during the days prior to Diwali. The tradition of gambling apparently derives from the story that the goddess Parvati played dice with her husband, Shiva, on Diwali, and decreed that anyone who gambled during the period would be favoured with wealth and prosperity. 

Eid ul Fitr

One of Islam’s most important festivals, Eid ul Fitr is the culmination of the month-long period of fasting and austerity known as Ramzan. It is believed that the Holy Quran was revealed during the month of Ramzan, and in commemoration of that sacred revelation, Eid is celebrated on the day following the sighting of the new moon. On the day of Eid, namaz at mosques is followed by the giving of fitr (alms). Family gatherings, fireworks and much feasting round off the festivities. The highlight of banquet tables is the sweet milk-and-vermicelli pudding known as `seviyan’- because of which many people refer to Eid ul Fitr as `meethi’ or `sweet’ Eid. In predominantly Muslim neighbourhoods, special Eid fairs appear, where trinkets, clothing and a whole lot of other bric-a-brac is available.

Mango Festival:

The mango festival is held in Delhi during the month of July. Choose from the 1100 plus verities of delicious mangos which are grown in India. India is the largest mango-producing country in the world, providing about 60 percent of the total world production.


Dussehra:

It is a ten days festival, usually celebrated in the months of September/October. It is associated with the vanquishing of demon Ravana by Rama. Dussehra celebrations include performances of the Ram Lila (life of Rama). Nine days are spent in worship. The tenth day is a celebration of victory of good over evil. Huge effigies of Ravana and his son Meghnath are burned on the last day of festival. The heroic deeds of Lord Rama are enacted in songs and dance.

Qutub Festival of Classical Music and Dance:

The festival is held around Sharad Pournima in the month of October at the Qutb Minar complex. Evocative and hypnotic melodies as well as the refined dances are presented by various famous artistes of the country. Diwali: Diwali (Deepavali), the festival of lights and fireworks, is celebrated throughout the country during Oct-Nov to celebrate Rama and Sita's homecoming after their exile in the Ramayana. Festivities include illuminating the houses by lighting of oil lamps and firecrackers, and the exchanging sweets and gifts.