Sankranti / Pongal (Jan 13-15, Telugu/South): THE festival in Andhra and Telangana, bigger than Diwali for many Telugu families. It is a three-day celebration that marks the harvest…
Basant Panchami (Jan-Feb, Pan-India): The festival of spring and knowledge, dedicated to Goddess Saraswati, who presides over learning, music, arts, and wisdom. On this day…
Maha Shivaratri (Feb-Mar, Pan-India): The "Great Night of Shiva," one of the most important festivals in the Hindu calendar and absolutely massive in Telugu states. Millions of…
Holi (Mar, North): The festival of colors, one of the most visually spectacular celebrations in the world. On Holi morning, people of all ages take to the…
Ugadi (Mar-Apr, Telugu/South): Telugu New Year, the day Brahma is said to have begun the creation of the universe. It is one of the most important days in the Telugu…
Sri Rama Navami (Mar-Apr, Telugu/South): The birthday of Lord Rama, celebrated with particular intensity in Telugu states. The highlight for Telugu families is the Sitarama…
Hanuman Jayanti (Apr, Pan-India): The birthday of Hanuman, the mighty son of Vayu (the wind god) and Rama's greatest devotee. Hanuman is one of the most actively worshipped…
Vaisakhi (Apr 13-14, North): The spring harvest festival celebrated mainly in Punjab, Haryana, and North India. Vaisakhi falls on April 13 or 14 each year and marks the…
Bonalu (Jul-Aug, Telugu/South): A distinctly Telangana festival with an energy unlike anything else in Indian culture. During Bonalu, women dress in their finest sarees…
Guru Purnima (Jul, Pan-India): The day to honor your teachers and gurus, one of the most meaningful observances in Hindu culture. Guru Purnima falls on the full moon…
Raksha Bandhan (Aug, North): A festival celebrating the bond between brothers and sisters. On Raksha Bandhan, sisters tie a colorful decorative thread called a rakhi…
Krishna Janmashtami (Aug-Sep, Pan-India): The birthday of Lord Krishna, one of the most widely celebrated festivals across all of India. The story of Krishna's birth is dramatic…
Vinayaka Chavithi (Aug-Sep, Telugu/South): The Telugu name for Ganesh Chaturthi, and in Telugu states, this festival hits differently than anywhere else. While Mumbai is famous for…
Onam (Aug-Sep, Kerala): Kerala's grandest festival, a ten-day harvest celebration that commemorates the annual return of the beloved King Mahabali. The story goes…
Bathukamma (Sep-Oct, Telugu/South): Telangana's most beautiful and unique festival, a celebration of feminine energy, nature, and regional identity that has no equivalent…
Navaratri / Dasara (Sep-Oct, Pan-India): Nine sacred nights dedicated to the Divine Feminine, celebrated in dramatically different ways across India but always with tremendous…
Durga Puja (Oct, Bengal): Bengal's biggest and most spectacular festival, five days of worshipping Goddess Durga with an intensity and artistic grandeur that is hard…
Karva Chauth (Oct, North): A festival in which married women fast from sunrise to moonrise for the long life and well-being of their husbands. The fast is strict: no…
Diwali / Deepavali (Oct-Nov, Pan-India): The festival of lights, celebrated all across India but with fascinating regional differences. In Telugu states, the main celebration falls…
Kartika Pournami (Nov, Telugu/South): The full moon day of Kartika month, which holds a special sacred status in Telugu states. The entire month of Kartika (October/November) is…
Chhath Puja (Nov, North): A four-day festival of extraordinary devotion to Surya, the sun god, and Chhathi Maiya (the sun's sister and a form of the goddess). Chhath…