Festivals in Bangalore
Bangalore, the capital of the state of Karnataka in India, holds a variety of festivals every year. Most of these festivals are yearly religious or agricultural celebrations, but there are also a few cultural festivals as well featuring entertainment such as music, film, and dance.
Kadalekaye Parishe
This is the so-called peanut festival in November. Farmers travel to the Bull Temple to pray and ask for agricultural blessings during the first nut crop of the year. This festival is basically only celebrated by farmers themselves.
Varamahalakshmi
During this festival, married women give gifts like money and jewelry to Mother Lakshmi who in turn grants them with peace in the home and financial stability. They also spend much of the day in prayer.
Yugadi
Being the Kannadiga New Year, this celebration promotes new beginnings and auspicious starts. Most people take a purifying bath and continue with prayers and celebrations throughout the day to refresh both body and spirit. Many people also choose to decorate their houses with flowers, floral designs, and mango leaves. This important festival takes place towards the end of March or early April.
Karaga Festival
This is a vibrant celebration, during March and April, that involves a long procession of people carrying earthen pots on their heads to represent Shakti. Carrying the pots tests the strength of the character of each individual. After over 10 miles of walking, all of the pots are thrown into the Sampangi tank. Everyone is led by a priest dressed as a woman and carrying a pot like everyone else.
Dussehra
In October and November, the people of Bangalore, as well as everyone living in the Indian state of Karnataka, celebrate a 10-day historic festival called Dussehra. It involves a ceremonial procession and the image of Bhuvaneshwari, the goddess of Karnataka.
Mahashivratri
This festival honors Lord Shiva, the god of creation and destruction. Locals travel to the many temples of Lord Shiva to leave gifts and to pray.
Bengaluru Habba
This is the most recently developed of the festivals, and is now an important, annual, cultural event. Visitors and locals alike are invited to join in the fun. The festival features Indian music, film, food, dance, street theater, and a variety of sports competitions. It attracts an international crowd and is a lot of fun for the whole family. Bengaluru Habba lasts for 3 weeks and normally occurs in December.
Contributors
January 15, 2010 change by nicole mesaros
January 19, 2010 change by sequoia maner
