Month by Month
TOP EVENTS
Pongal, January
Carnival, February or March
Ganesh Chaturthi, August or September
Navratri & Dussehra, September or October
Diwali, October or November
January
The postmonsoon cool lingers, although it never gets truly cool in India’s most southerly states. Pleasant weather and several festivals make this a popular time to travel (book ahead!).
zSankranti
Sankranti, the Hindu festival marking the sun’s passage into Capricorn and the end of the harvest, is celebrated on 14 or 15 January with mass kite-flying in Maharashtra, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh (among other states).
zPongal
Aligned with Sankranti, Tamil Nadu’s Pongal marks the end of the harvest. Families prepare pots of pongal (rice, sugar, dhal and milk), symbolic of prosperity and abundance, then feed them to decorated cows. The controversial jallikattu (bull taming) is popular during Pongal.
zFree India
Republic Day commemorates the founding of the Republic of India on 26 January 1950.
zVasant Panchami
On Vasant Panchami, the ‘fifth day of spring’, Hindus (especially students) dress in yellow and place books, instruments and other educational objects in front of idols of Saraswati, the goddess of learning, to receive her blessing. May fall in February.
February
The weather is comfortable in most areas, with summer heat starting to percolate. Still peak travel season.
3SulaFest
In Maharashtra, Nashik’s biggest party is SulaFest, three wine-fuelled days at Sula Vineyards – one of India’s best boutique music festivals.
zMaha Shivaratri
Held in February or March, Shivaratri, a day of Hindu fasting, recalls the tandava (cosmic victory dance) of Lord Shiva. Temple processions are followed by the chanting of mantras and the anointing of linga (phallic images of Shiva). Upcoming dates: 21 February 2020, 11 March 2021.
zCarnival in Goa
Carnival, the four-day party kicking off Lent, is particularly big in Goa, especially in Panaji (Panjim). Sabado Gordo (Fat Saturday) starts it off with elaborate parades, and the revelry continues with street parties, concerts and merrymaking. Might also fall in March.
March
The last month of the travel high season, March is full-on hot in most of South India.
zHoli
Holi (www.holifestival.org), an ecstatic Hindu celebration at the beginning of spring (February/March), is associated with Krishna but also celebrates fertility, love, and good conquering evil. Mumbaikars and other southerners embrace this northern festival by throwing coloured water and gulal (powder) at everyone and everything. Upcoming dates: 9 March 2020, 28 March 2021.
LUNAR & ISLAMIC CALENDARS
Many festivals follow the astrological-based Indian lunar calendar or the Islamic calendar (which moves about 11 days earlier each year, and changes annually relative to the Gregorian calendar). Check online or contact local tourist offices for exact festival dates.
April
The heat has well and truly arrived in South India; with the rise in temperature come competitive travel deals and a drop in tourist traffic.
zMahavir’s Birthday
In March or April, Mahavir Jayanti commemorates the birth of Jainism’s 24th and most important tirthankar (teacher and enlightened being). Temples are decorated, Mahavir statues given ritual baths, processions held and offerings given to the poor.
zRama’s Birthday
During Ramanavami (one to nine days) in March or April, Hindus celebrate Rama’s birth with processions, music, fasting and feasting, enactments of the Ramayana, and ceremonial weddings of Rama and Sita idols. Upcoming dates: 2 April 2020, 21 April 2021.
zRamadan (Ramazan)
Thirty days of dawn-to-dusk fasting mark the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. Ramadan begins around 24 April 2020 and 13 April 2021.
May
In most of the country it’s hot, which makes it high season in Ooty (Udhagamandalam), Kodaikanal (Kodai) and other southern hill stations. Festivals slow down as humidity builds.
zThrissur Pooram
In April or May, Kerala’s biggest Hindu temple festival sees parades of caparisoned elephants through town.
zEid al-Fitr
Muslims celebrate the end of Ramadan with three days of festivities (prayers, shopping, gift-giving). Around 24 May 2020 and 13 May 2021.
June
The monsoon begins in most areas, and where it doesn’t you’ve got premonsoon extreme heat, so June isn’t a popular travel month in South India.
July
It’s really raining almost everywhere, with many remote roads being washed out. Consider doing a rainy-season meditation or ayurveda retreat, an ancient Indian tradition.
zNaag Panchami
Naag Panchami, particularly vibrant in Pune and Kolhapur (Maharashtra) and Karnataka, is dedicated to Ananta, the serpent upon whose coils Vishnu rested between universes. Women fast at home, while serpents are venerated as totems. Upcoming dates: 25 July 2020 and 13 August 2021.
zEid al-Adha
Muslims commemorate Ibrahim’s readiness to sacrifice his son to God by slaughtering a goat or sheep and sharing it. Around 31 July 2020 and 19 July 2021.
August
It’s still high monsoon season, with some tourist-oriented businesses closed. Some folks swear by visiting tropical areas like Kerala or Goa at this time of year for the lush, glistening jungle.
zJanmastami
Marking Krishna’s birthday, Janmastami celebrations range from fasting and puja (prayers) to drawing elaborate rangoli (rice-paste designs) outside homes. Upcoming dates: 11 August 2020 and 30 August 2021.
2Nehru Trophy Boat Race
On the second Saturday of August, the fiercely contested Nehru Trophy Boat Race sees 40m-long snake boats go head-to-head, powered by up to 100 rowers each, on Punnamada Lake near Alappuzha (Alleppey, Kerala)
zIndependence Day
This public holiday, on 15 August, marks the anniversary of India’s independence from Britain in 1947. Festivities include flag-hoisting ceremonies, parades and patriotic cultural programmes.
zParsi New Year
Parsis celebrate Pateti, the last day of the Zoroastrian year, followed by the new year, especially in Mumbai. Houses are cleaned and decorated with flowers and rangoli, families dress up and eat special dishes, and offerings are made at the Fire Temple.
zGanesh Chaturthi
Hindus, especially in Mumbai, celebrate the birth of the elephant-headed god (here) for up to 10 days in August or September by displaying decorative statues then parading them around before ceremonially depositing them in rivers, lakes or the sea. Ganesh Chaturthi falls around 22 August 2020 and 10 September 2021.
zAshura
Shiite Muslims commemorate the martyrdom of Prophet Mohammed’s grandson Imam Hussain on the 10th day of the Islamic holy month of Muharram with beautiful processions, especially in Hyderabad. Around 28 August 2020 and 18 August 2021. Ashura also marks the day Noah left the ark, and the day Moses was saved from the Egyptians.
zOnam
Kerala’s biggest cultural celebration, Onam is a 10-day Hindu soirée held at the beginning of the first month of the Malayalam calendar in August or September, glorifying the golden age of mythical King Mahabali. Upcoming dates: 30 August 2020, 21 August 2021.
September
The rain begins to ease off, but, with temperatures still relatively high, the moisture-filled air can create a fatiguing steam-bath-like environment.
October
The southeast coast (and southern Kerala) can still be rainy, but this is when South India starts to get its travel mojo on.
zGandhi Jayanti
The national holiday of Gandhi Jayanti (2 October) is a solemn celebration of Mohandas Gandhi’s birth, with prayer meetings at his cremation site in Delhi, and no alcohol on sale countrywide.
zNavratri
The Hindu ‘Festival of Nine Nights’ leading up to Dussehra celebrates the goddess Durga in all her incarnations. Festivities, in September or October, are particularly vibrant in Maharashtra. Most areas will celebrate around 17 October 2020, and 7 October 2021, but in some places, Dussehra events start well before, coinciding (confusingly!) with Navratri.
zDussehra
Colourful Dussehra, big in Mysuru (Mysore), celebrates the triumph of good over evil. In South India, it’s centred
on Durga’s defeat of the demon Mahishasura; in the north and west, including Maharashtra, the focus is Rama’s victory over Ravana. Around 8 October 2019, 25 October 2020 and 14 October 2021.
zDiwali
In the lunar month of Kartika, Hindus celebrate five-day Diwali, with gifts, fireworks, rangoli, and burning lanterns to lead Lord Rama home from exile. In the south, it’s often associated with Krishna’s victory over Naraka. Upcoming dates: 27 October 2019, 14 November 2020, 4 November 2021.
November
The northeast monsoon is sweeping Tamil Nadu and Kerala, but the tourist season is in swing and temperatures are pleasant enough.
zEid-Milad-un-Nabi
The Islamic festival of Eid-Milad-un-Nabi celebrates the birth of the Prophet Mohammed with prayers and processions. Around 10 November 2019, 29 October 2020, 19 October 2021.
zGuru Nanak’s Birthday
Nanak Jayanti, birthday of Guru Nanak, founder of Sikhism, is celebrated with prayer, kirtan (devotional singing) and processions for three days. Around 12 November 2019, 30 November 2020 and 19 November 2021.
3International Film Festival of India
The International Film Festival of India (www.iffi.nic.in), the country’s biggest movie jamboree, attracts Bollywood’s finest to Panaji, Goa, for premieres, parties and screenings.
December
December is peak tourist season for a reason: the weather is lovely, the humidity lower than usual and the mood festive.
zFeast of St Francis Xavier
On 3 December, thousands of pilgrims descend on Old Goa to honour the shrivelled remains of St Francis Xavier, marking the start of a week-long festival.
zKarthikai Deepam
Celebrating Shiva’s restoration of light to the world, this 10-day festival is especially massive at Tiruvannamalai. Throngs of pilgrims arrive for the full-moon night. Upcoming dates: 10 December 2019, 29 November 2020 and 19 November 2021.
zChristmas Day
Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ on 25 December. The festivities are especially big in Goa and Kerala, with music, elaborate decorations and special masses, while Mumbai’s Catholic neighbourhoods become festivals of lights.
3Kochi–Muziris Biennale
Kicking off every other December (2020, 2022 etc), the four-month Kochi–Muziris Biennale pulls Indian and international creatives to historic Fort Cochin for a major contemporary arts celebration.
