Festive India – A Celebration of the Subcontinent | Travel Scope

Life is a song – sing it. Life is a game – play it. Life is a challenge – meet it. Life is a dream – realize it. Life is a sacrifice – offer it. Life is love – enjoy it.

                                                                                 – Sai Baba

 As the end of October draws near, excitement crackles as the air turns cooler and as India gears up for Sharad Navratri. Families and social organizations compete to throw the best Navratri parties, and food, drink and entertainment flow like there’s no tomorrow.

For the mythical demon King Ravanna, there really isn’t a tomorrow since these nine nights traditionally lead up to Dussehra , when he was finally slain by Lord Rama in that epic of Hindu mythology – the Ramayana. 

 

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The South Indian cultural center of Mysore celebrates Dussehra with pomp and pagentry!

But in fact, Navratri is really a celebration of Shakti – or feminine power, and each of the nine days is devoted to a celebration of her spirit in each of its different avatars. While in principal, Navratri is observed four times throughout the Lunar Calendar year, it is the Sharad Navratri which usually falls in October, that is the most celebrated of them all.

 To see the celebration of this festive spirit in its wildest abandon, head west to Gujarat. Here, the traditional way of celebrating these nine long nights is with a typical dance called the Garba, or the Dandiya, which involves groups of young men and women, decked out to the nines, dancing feverishly to the latest beats with a set of sticks that are beat rhythmically as they whirl in a mad exchange of partners. 

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Whirling to the Dandiya Raas beats in Gujarat

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A colourful Garba get up in Gujarat

On the eastern side of the sub-continent and even as far as Nepal, Durga, the most popular avatar of Shakti, is celebrated in truly epic proportions. Durga Puja is a five day celebration that sweeps through the entire east of India and Nepal.

 In mythology, Durga Puja is a celebration of Durga and her consort Shiva, as well as her children Lakshmi, Saraswati, Ganesha and Kakatiya – in fact, Durga Puja is an exquisite celebration of the arts and culture of the Indian subcontinent and the festival become a platform for some of the finest local artisans to display their skill. Calcutta springs to life and it’s worth visiting the city to witness the raw energy, emotion and excitement that fill the air.

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A Durga Puja procession in Calcutta – celebrating female power!

 As one of the countries with the most number of festivals and holidays in a year, India is a perpetual celebration. No matter which month you travel in, there is always a festival happening somewhere, and there’s really no better way to take your India travel moment and turn it into the memory of a lifetime than being immersed in this celebratory spirit.

 Indian festivals are all-embracing. So if you decide to don your oldest rags and play Holi, or want to immerse your Ganesha idol into the Arabian sea, or march in the procession behind the Dussehra elephants, or don a mask and participate in the Hemis festival, or kick back your heels to the Garba reel (Click here to see a great Garba video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fCGGToNK8k) , you’ll be welcomed, no matter where you are.

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The masked men at the Hemis Festival, Ladakh

Visit our Festival Calendar on Facebook to learn more about festivals in our part of the world!

https://www.facebook.com/456637484377809/photos/pcb.838403986201155/838402849534602/?type=1&theater

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