List Of Festivals Celebrated In The Month Of May
India is a country of festivals, people who believe in many religions live here and all religions have their own festivals. In this way, every day throughout the year is special for people who believe in some of the other religions. If you don’t care for the heat of summers in India then these big festivals are for you to enjoy in May.
Sita Navami
Sita Navami is celebrated as the incarnation day of Sita, the daughter of King Janak and Queen Sunayna of Mithila, and the queen goddess of Ayodhya, also known as Janaki Navami. The incarnation day of Lord Rama, the husband of Mother Sita is celebrated on the month of Chaitra Shukla Navami or Rama Navami a month before. Just as Sri Rama Navami is important in Hindu society, so is Sita Navami. On the day of Sita Navami, by worshiping Mother Sita, you can easily overcome the difficulties as well as your mother’s diseases and family strife can be overcome.
Goddess Sita was born during Pushya Nakshatra. Sita means to run a solution. Married Hindu women worship Goddess Sita for the long life and success of their husbands. On the day of Sita Navami, offer prayers to Goddess Sita with pure roli, rice, incense, lamp, a garland of red flowers, and marigold flowers and sweets. Burn a lamp of sesame oil or cow’s ghee and sit on a pedestal and chant a garland of ॐ rīsītaīye Namah mantra with a garland of a red sandal.
When: May 16, 2024.
Where: Ayodhya, the birthplace of Lord Rama in Uttar Pradesh.
What is Special: The birth anniversary of Sita, the divine consort of Lord Rama is a grand festival celebrated with huge excitement and devotion in Ayodhya.
Ramadan
The month of Ramadan is considered very holy for Muslims, it falls in the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is a month of fasting and prayers and is considered the Five Pillars of Islam. Muslims take part in the month-long sunrise-to-sunset fast that is the hallmark of Ramadan. Muslims believe that fasting cleanses the body, and the practice reminds them of the suffering of the poor.
Eating and drinking (including water) are prohibited from sunrise to sunset, and the day’s abstinence is offset by a pre-dawn meal called Sehri and a nightly meal known as iftar. At the end of the 29 or 30 days fast is Eid al-Fitr (Festival of Breaking the Fast) when there are much feasting and celebration.
When: March 10 – April 9, 2024.
Where: All over India by Muslims.
What is Special: The ninth month in the Islamic calendar, is a period of prayer, fasting for Muslims.
Eid-ul-Fitr
The festival of ‘Eid-ul-Fitr‘ or ‘Eid’ is the main festival of the Muslim community. Muslim people spread in all corners of the world celebrate it with great reverence and gaiety.
All Muslims celebrate this festival with great preparation with great pomp and show. The entire atmosphere becomes monotonous during the festival of Eid. Equal enthusiasm can be seen in all the people, rich or poor, young or old. All of them purchase new clothes, new jewelry, shoes, slippers, and other material pleasures according to their strength and ability, and interest.
When: April 9th, 2024.
Where: All over India by Muslims.
What is Special: Eid begins with special morning prayers called Salaat. After prayers, people greet each other with “Eid Mubarak” which means “Blessed Eid”.
Moatsu Festival
Moatsu Festival is celebrated by Ao people of Nagaland who celebrate it after sowing seeds in their fields. People pray to the almighty to look after their lands and seek blessings for a great harvest. They also express their thanks for the abundance of blessings received. The pre-celebrations begin with the cleaning of the local wells known as the Tsübu and elders of the house spend more than a week repairing and constructing their house. The best rice beer is brewed and served along with meat during the feast. Women wear the best of the traditional clothes and jewelry and sing and dance along with the men.
When: First week of May.
Where: Nagaland.
What is Special: This festival is celebrated for three days when you can see men and women of the tribe gather around large outdoor fires performing traditional dances.
Buddha Purnima and Buddha Jayanti
Buddha Purnima or Buddha Jayanti is celebrated in honor of the founder Lord Buddha of Buddhism. It is an important festival in Buddhism and is celebrated with great enthusiasm. On the same day, Lord Buddha had attained enlightenment and attained nirvana or salvation. Some believe that “Yashodara” was born on the day of Gautama’s wife, his charioteer Channa and his horse Kantaka Buddha Purnima. On this day, pilgrims come from all over the world to Bodh Gaya to participate in the Buddha Purnima festival.
Gautama Buddha as Prince Siddhartha in 566 BC. I was born in Kapilavastu when the young prince felt the pain and weakness of others that meant seeing old age, disease, and death, he gave up his wealth and decided to demand the higher truth and create an ascetic meditation for many years. After a lot of study, and sacrifice, he found nirvana and became Siddhartha to Gautama Buddha.
When: May 23rd Buddha Purnima is celebrated on the full moon night in the month of Vaisakh (April or May).
Where: North India.
What is Special: The day begins with prayers, sermons on Gautama Buddha’s life, group meditation, Buddhist scriptures, religious discourses, processions, continuous recitation of Buddha’s idol worship.
Akshaya Tritya
Akshaya Tritya is the annual springtime festival of the Hindus and Jains it is also known as ‘Akha Teej’. Which falls on the third Tithi (lunar day) of Bright Half (Shukla Paksha) of Vaisakha month. It is considered to be the most auspicious day to start a new venture. It is considered very auspicious to buy gold and silver on this day. Fasting, religious and spiritual pursuits, charity, japa on Akshaya Tritiya are considered sacred. Worshiping Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Vishnu will bestow upon us the blessings of the Supreme Lord.
When: May 10, 2024.
Where: All over India by Hindu, Jain
What is Special: The Hindu community considers this day as a lucky day and believes that any venture such as a business or the construction of a building started on that day will follow betterment and prosperity.
Mount Abu Summer Festival
This summer festival is organized at Mount Abu, the famous hill station in Rajasthan. This summer festival is a symbol of passion, enthusiasm, colorful life, and lively behavior of the people of Mount Abu. Mount Abu has steep hills, serene, and a stable lake, where the beautiful panoramic view of nature and the favorable weather makes it a perfect summer spot. Folk dance, folk music, classical music, the unique confluence of art and craft of Rajasthan is seen in this two-day summer festival. Also, through this festival, you can understand the life and culture of the tribals of Rajasthan very closely.
When: May 10 – May 12, 2024.
Where: Mount Abu, Rajasthan.
What is Special: Mount Abu Summer Festival is organized every year on the occasion of Budh Purnima and is the best festival to witness the ground culture of Rajasthan and its vibrant style of living.
Dhungri Mela
Dhungri Mela is an annual festival at Devi Hadimba temple at Manali and is the celebration of Hadimba’s birthday is held from May 14 to 16. During the festival, there is much merry-making, music, and dance among the devotees who intoxicate themselves with rice beer. The view of Manali during this festival celebrated for three days is very beautiful. People take out a procession of deities on this day. Local people perform a special kind of dance. In ‘Dhungri fair’ you will get to see the confluence of many cultures. When many villages gather together, they delight mother Hidimba with their respective traditions.
When: 14-16 May 2024.
Where: Manali, Himachal.
What is Special: Dungri Fair held in Manali gives a glimpse of the unique culture here.
Ooty Summer Festival
Ooty, the famous hill station in the southern state of Tamil Nadu in India, becomes one of the most popular destinations during the summers, not only because of its cool and pleasant climate but also due to its exquisite annual Ooty Summer festival. Tourists from India and abroad come to enjoy dance, music, wine, and culture. The beauty of Ooty and the beauty of the fest will increase the fun of your holiday manifold.
When: May.
Where: Ooty, Tamil Nadu.
What is Special: A month-long Ooty Summer Festival is considered very special in terms of tourism.
