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.
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.
