Symbolizing the victory of good over evil, ‘Dussehra’, which is one of the most auspicious festivals in India, gets a special celebration in the state of Karnataka. Unlike the other places of India, where Dusshera is celebrated only for a day, the regal city of Mysore in Karnataka has its celebrations going for 10 days. Famous as Mysore Dasara, the festival is celebrated in a grand fashion.

During the month of Thadingyut, four of the five Buddha images resident in Phaung Daw U Pagoda make a grand circuit of Inle Lake's villages, taking eighteen days to complete the tour.

Loaded onto a golden barge built especially for the occasion, the four Buddha images make the slow trip, towed by boats rowed by Inle Lake's famous leg-rowers. The barge tours the lake in a clockwise direction, with the four Buddha images spending each night in a different town monastery.

The Tshechu is a religious event celebrated on tenth day of a month of the lunar calendar corresponding to the birthday of Guru Rimpoche (Guru Padmasambhava). However the exact month of the Tshechu varies from place to place and temple to temple.
Tshechus are grand events where entire communities come together to witness religious mask dances, receive blessings and socialize. . In addition to the mask dances tshechus also include colorful Bhutanese dances and other forms of entertainment.
It is believed that everyone must attend a Tshechu and witness the mask dances at least once to in order to receive blessings and wash away their sins. Every mask dance performed during a Tshechu has a special meaning or a story behind it and many are based on stories and incidents from as long ago as the 8th century, during the life of Guru Padmasambhava. In monasteries the mask dances are performed by monks and in remote villages they are performed jointly by monks and village men.

Location: Tashi Chhodzong, THIMPHU

Observed for 15 days, Dashain festival is one of the most widely celebrated festivals of Nepal. The victory of Goddess Durga over the devil Mahishasura is celebrated during Dashain through worships, feast, fairs and family gatherings. Nepalis also celebrate Dashain festival for the fertility of the land and good harvest. Ghatasthapana is the first day of the festival and the last day is known as Kojagrat Purnima. Seventh day is celebrated with phulpati or sacred flowers and Brahmins carry kalasha with jamara and bamboo stalk from Gorkha to Kathmandu. Animal sacrifices are common on the 8th and 9th day of Dashain, in Nepal. Vijayadashami is celebrated on the 10th day when friends and families meet to exchange greetings and blessings.

Key attractions: Kite flying events and worship of Ashta Matrikas (8 tantric goddesses) and nine avatars of Durga.

Rajasthan International Folk Festival (also known as Jodhpur Riff) is an annual music and art festival organized to promote traditional folk music and arts held at Mehrangarh Fort, Jodhpur, Rajasthan.

Details: http://www.jodhpurriff.org

The full moon of the Thadingyut month is when Buddhists believe the Buddha descended back to earth after three months of preaching in the spiritual realm above. While the rest of Myanmar celebrates it by lighting the Buddha's way home, the town of Kyaukse near Mandalay commemorates it a little differently: with a “Dancing Elephant” festival, populated not by real elephants, but by pairs of dancers in gigantic elephant costumes.

The intricately-designed elephant costumes are made of paper, bamboo, glitter, satin, and glass. The dancers in the costumes move to the beat of drums, circumambulating the Shwe Tha Lyaung Pagoda a total of three times. Dancers are awarded prizes for their dancing skills and the beauty of their costumes; the rest of the community celebrates with feasting and entertainments throughout the temple grounds.

Bihu is the national festival of Assam thrice in a year. The Bohaag Bihu is the month of April (baishak), Magh Bihu in January, and "Kati" in October. The months of Bihu are set according to the farming calendar as it is a harvest festival.

Dates: TBA (Oct)

Tihar festival is a grand celebration of 5 days, right after Dashain festival. Known as ‘festival of lights’, Tihar is celebrated by worshipping Goddess Laxmi with vigour and enthusiasm. Numerous candles and lanterns are lit up in front of the idol, to mark the end of evil days and commencement of prosperous times.

Along with worship of Goddess Laxmi, on the first two days people worship crows and dogs, cows on the third day and oxen on the fourth day. The 5th day is celebrated with Bhai tika- where sisters put tika on the forehead of their brothers praying for their long life. The Newar community celebrates Mha puja on the fourth day as well.

Tihar in Sikkim is also known as the fiesta of lights and is the most popular carnivals in Sikkim. Since Sikkim is populated with Hindus and Tribal People, there are numerous festivals including the Hindu carnivals and Tribal Fiestas.

Hampi in Karnataka was once the flourishing capital of the glorious Vijayanagar Empire which was one of the greatest empires of the Indian history. The city, now almost in ruins comes alive with a lot of color, music and dance once a year, during the Hampi Festival.

Dates: TBA (Nov)

Held each November at the time of the Kartik Purnima full moon, Pushkar Camel Fair is one of India's most highly-rated travel experiences, a spectacle on an epic scale, attracting thousands of camels, horses and cattle and visited by over 400,000 people over a period of around fourteen days with a multi-day livestock fair and cultural fête held in the town of Pushkar.

Details: http://www.pushkarcamelfair.com

In Taunggyi, Shan State, about 160 miles southeast of Mandalay, locals celebrate the end of Buddhist Lent with a Hot-Air Balloon Festival. The Festival Grounds outside Taunggyi becomes a tourist hotspot – quite literally – at 8pm, when the organizers launch large, gaudily-decorated fire balloons made out of papier-mache.

Sedate the sight is not: as the balloons rise to a height of 60 feet in the air, fireworks on the balloons explode, sending streaks and sparks all across the sky to the delight of the viewers on the ground!

Details: http://icelandairwaves.is

On the full-moon day of Tazaungmon (the eighth month of the Buddhist calendar), the Myanmar mark the end of the rainy season with festivities all across the country. This is the traditional end of Buddhist Lent, known as Kahtein in the local language, when monks are traditionally presented with new robes by the communities they serve.

Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon marks Kahtein with a robe-weaving competition, where teams of weavers work on traditional looms starting on the night before the full moon's eve and ending at the night of the full moon itself. This is repeated throughout the country, with devotees visiting major temples to present new robes to their local monks.

The annual black-necked crane festival is organized to generate awareness and understanding on the importance of conserving the endangered Black‐necked cranes; to strengthen the linkages between conservation, economic welfare and sustainable livelihoods of the community; provide an avenue for the local community to renew their commitment to conservation of the black-necked cranes, and to showcase their cultural heritage and skills.

Location: Gangtey Gonpa, Phobjikha, WANGDUE PHODRANG

This festival is very close to the hearts of the Khasi tribe. It is a thanks giving festival celebrated for five days. Heavenly beings are thanked for showering their blessings in the form of good harvest, peace and prosperity. The venue for this festival is Smit, the cultural centre of Khasis. It is held in the month of October/November. The inception of the festival is marked by a dance performance by the Syiem(the administrative head of the Khasi region) in front of a wooden pillar called “ U Rishot Blei”.This ritual is followed by sacrifice of goats and then offerings are made to the deities and to the ancestors. After following these rituals, dance performances are held. Other festivals belonging to the Khasis are Ka Shad Suk Mynsiem, Ka Pom-Blang Nongkrem, Ka-Shad-Shyngwiang-Thangiap, Ka-Shad-Kynjoh Khaskain, Ka Bam Khana Shnong, Umsang Nongkharai and Shad Beh Sier.

Dates: TBA (Oct/Nov)

The Cambodian Water Festival (Bon Om Touk) takes place once a year, on the full moon of the Buddhist month of Kadeuk (usually in November). It celebrates a major natural occurrence: the reversing flow between the Tonle Sap and the Mekong River. This natural occurrence is celebrated in Cambodia with three days of festivals, fluvial parades, boat races, fireworks, and general merriment.

People come from far and wide to join the celebrations. Upwards of a million Cambodians attend the celebrations at Phnom Penh to take in the wholesome carnival atmosphere. Food and drink overflow in the streets, Khmer pop bands entertain the crowds, and the riversides are packed to capacity with punters cheering their favorite boats on.

The stupa of That Luang in Vientiane plays host to this festival, as monks gather here to accept gifts and alms from worshipful townsfolk. For a whole week, the temple comes alive with fairs, contests, fireworks, and music, topped off with a "wien thien", or candlelight procession, around That Luang.

An international trade fair also takes place during Bun That Luang, promoting tourism around the countries in the Mekong sub-region.

While all Laos celebrates this festival at their local temples, the celebrations are obviously more vibrant in Vientiane.

Thousands of small, candlelit floats are released on rivers and waterways as offerings to the river spirits. In Chiang Mai and other parts of Northern Thailand, the Loi Krathong festival also coincides with a Lanna festival known as Yi Peng, which involves the launching of thousands of fire-powered paper lanterns into the air for good luck. The sky appears to be full of burning stars, creating a dreamlike world that appears too surreal and beautiful to be real. Standing on a bridge in Chiang Mai during Loy Krathong and Yi Peng is truly unforgettable as both the Ping River and sky appear to be on fire at the same time. Adding to the beauty are perpetual fireworks displays — both sanctioned and illegal — that contribute even more fire and brilliant lights to the setting!

The popular Elephant Festival is held in the north eastern state of Assam in India. The State of Assam organizes for one of the largest elephant festivals in India for the purpose of conservation and safeguard of Asiatic elephants. The Elephant Festival of Kaziranga in Assam draws a huge crowd in the state during this period. Thousands of tourists flock to Kaziranga in Assam to witness this fantastic Kaziranga Elephant Festival.

Location: Kaziranga National Park

Sangai Festival is an annual cultural extravaganza in Manipur. Every year the Government of Manipur, headed by the Tourism Department, celebrates the Sangai Festival. The ten-day long festival lasts from 21st to 30th of November. The cultural celebrations showcases the uniqueness of the North Eastern State. Homage is paid to the shy and gentle Brow-Antlered Deer popularly known as the Sangai Deer which is found only in the state’s floating Keibul Lamjao National Park in Loktak Lake. The tourism festival promotes Manipur as a world class destination.

The state of Nagaland in the North East of India is home to several tribes each of which are distinct in their language, culture and customs. The festivals are important to the tribes as these revolve around agriculture, which is a major profession in the state. The Nagas consider their festivals sacred and so participation in these festivals is essential. To encourage inter-tribal interaction and to promote cultural heritage of Nagaland, the Government of Nagaland organizes the Hornbill Festival every year in the first week of December. The festival is named after the Indian hornbill, the large and colourful forest bird, which is displayed in folklore in most of the state’s tribes. If you are headed to the Hornbill festivel, it’s a great opportunity to combine this trip with a stay and safari at the popular Rhino destination – Kaziranga National Park. And then further explore the North-East and get mesmerised by Meghalaya.
This experience will allow you to do just that.

Magnetic fields is one of the largest fort festivals in India. The majestic festival takes place in the Alsisar Mahal in Rajasthan. Magnetic Fields is a playground for the young at heart, within a luxurious and indulgent backdrop. Glimpses of the rich local culture delicately weaved in between the contemporary programming.

Details: http://magneticfields.in

Christmas in Manipur is celebrated with the typical North East flavour. A great time to be here.

Christmas in Meghalaya is celebrated with the typical North East flavour. A great time to be here esp. in Shillong.

The Magh Bihu festival of Assam is celebrated with great fervor by its entire populace. Characterized by merry making and feasting, this festival marks the end of the harvesting season when there is abundance of everything. This is the time when the hard working agricultural folk of the state sit down to reap the benefits of their labor. However, it must be pointed out that the Magh Bihu festival is not limited to the agricultural pockets of the state. Right from the smallest of villages to the big towns and cities of Assam, people celebrate this festival with great joy, though it must be mentioned that the mode of celebration differs from the villages to the cities.

Tamladu Festival in Itanagar is one of the ancient festivals of Arunachal Pradesh. The hills and valleys are the homeland of various tribes. These tribes still hold on to their conventional tradition and beliefs. Cultivation is the main livelihood of the hilly tribes. These tribes mainly depend on the agriculture and harvest and that make them to worship Nature.

Tamladu Festival is prayer that is offered to the God of Earth and the God of Water. The tribal people believe in nature worship and according to their belief, nature protects them from natural calamities. The supreme god of the tribe is Lord Jebmalu. Jebmalu is worshipped for the welfare of the people and crops and domestic animals.

Losar is celebrated by the Monpas who are a majority in Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh. Belonging to the Mongoloid stock, the Monpas are mainly into agriculture and animal husbandry. It must also be mentioned that Losar is the most important festival of the Monpas in Tawang.

Commemorating the advent of the new year, Losar is the occasion when the Monpas feast, drink and make merry. Relatives and friends get together and celebrate this festival in a very pompous manner. The festival of Losar falls in the end of February or early March and is celebrated for 8 - 15 days. Indeed, the joie-de-vivre that characterizes this festival is simply fascinating.