Important Festivals of India for UPPSC Mains Exam

Important Festivals of India

State	Festival	Description
Andhra Pradesh	Brahmotsavam	It is a nine days long festival celebrated at the Venkateshwara Temple, Tirupati.
	Ugadi	Telugu New Year
	Dasara	It celebrated the victory of good on evil.
	Makar Sankranti	It is celebrated when Sun transit from the Capricorn.
Arunachal Pradesh	Solung	It is the agriculture festival, celebrated by the Adi tribe of Arunachal Pradesh.
	Losar	Tibetan New Year
	Murung	It is a festival of prosperity celebrated by the Apatanis of Arunachal Pradesh.
	Reh	It is a festival of the Idu-Mishmi tribe of Arunachal Pradesh. They worship goddess Nayani Inyitaya for the welfare of their family.
	Mopin	It is an agricultural festival of Arunachal Pradesh, celebrated by the Galo tribe.
	Boori Boot	Celebrated by the Nyishi tribe of Arunachal Pradesh for the successful harvest of the year.
	Monpa	New Year of Monpa Tribe
	Myoko	People worship Sun and Moon during the festival.
	Dhree Festival	It is an agricultural rite observed by Apatanis of Arunachal Pradesh. Fowls, eggs, and animals are presented to Sun and Moon Gods to avoid famine in the region.
Assam	Ambubachi	It is a Hindu festival where a fair is held at Kamakhya Temple, Guwahati, Assam. It honours the femininity by celebrating the annual menstrual cycle of Devi Kamakhya.
	Bihu	It is set of three festivals, namely Rongali Bihu, Kati Bihu, and Bhogali Bihu. It marks the harvesting of Paddy crop.
	Baishagu	Baishakhi of Assam celebrated by the Bodo tribe.
	Dehing Patkai	Celebrates the rich culture and heritage of Assam.
Bihar	Bihula	People worship Devi Mansa for the welfare of their families.
	Chhath Pooja	Sun God, along with his wife Usha is worshipped during this festival to thank them for bestowing life on Earth.
	Madhushravani	Mainly celebrated by the Maithil Brahmins of Bihar. It marks the arrival of Monsoon in the region.
Chhattisgarh	Bastar Dussehra	It is the longest celebrated Dussehra in the world. It is celebrated for 75 days from August to October.
Goa	Ladainha	Thanksgiving festival of India
	Mando festival	It is a dance festival where people perform Mando dance.
	Chikalkalo	Monsoon mud festival of Goa.
Gujarat	Navratri	It is a nine days long festival where people worship nine forms of Devi and perform Garba and Dandiya dances.
Gujarat	Uttrayana	Celebrated to mark the transit of Sun northwards from tropic of Capricorn to tropic of Cancer. Kite festival is organized on this day.
Haryana	Baisakhi	It celebrates the harvest of Rabi crops in Haryana and Punjab.
Himachal Pradesh	Magha Saaji	Makar Sankranti of Himachal Pradesh.
Jammu & Kashmir	Dosmoche festival	It is celebrated on the last day of New Year celebrations in the Leh region.
	Matho Nagrang	It is celebrated on the 15^th day of the Tibetan Calendar in the Matho Monastery.
	Losar	Celebrated in the Ladakh region. It is the Tibetan New Year.
	Galdan Namchot	It is celebrated in the Leh region. It marks the birthday of a great Buddhist saint Tsongkhapa.
Jharkhand	Sarhul	It is a spring festival which marks the new flowers at the Saal trees.
	Karma	It is a harvest festival dedicated to Karma dev for bestowing with power and youthfulness.
	Hal Punhya	It celebrates wrinkling. It marks the beginning of the ploughing.
	Rohini	It is a harvest festival and marks the start of the sowing season.
	Tusu	It is a harvest festival celebrated in January every year.
Karnataka	Makar Sankranti	It is celebrated when Sun transit from the Capricorn.
Kerala	Onam	It is the most important harvest festival of Kerala celebrated in the month of September.
	Vishu	New Year of Kerala.
	Alpashi Utsavam	It is the celebration of the annual bathing ritual of deities in the Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple.
Madhya Pradesh	Bhagoria Haat Festival	It is the festival of love where young girls and boys try to entice each other and if both like each other, then they put red powder on their partner’s face.
Maharashtra	Gudi Padwa	Maharashtrian New Year
Manipur	Yaoshang	Holi of Manipur
	Chavang Kut	It is the harvest festival celebrated by the Kuki-Chin-Mizo Tribes of Manipur on 1^st November of every year.
	Sajibu Cheiraoba	Manipuri New Year
Meghalaya	Nongkrem Dance Festival	It is a dance festival that celebrates harvest and thanksgiving by the Khasi tribe.
Meghalaya	Wangala festival	It is the post-harvest festival of Garo Tribe.
Mizoram	Chapchar Kut	It is the harvest festival and marks three different stages of the agricultural cycle.
Nagaland	Hornbill Festival	It is organized by the government every year to celebrate the rich cultural heritage of Nagaland and to promote inter-tribal harmony.
Nagaland	Moatsu festival	It is the harvest festival of the Ao tribe.
Odisha	Jagannath Puri Rath Yatra	It is a very famous festival in Odisha. It is also known as Gundicha Yatra, Chariot festival, Dasavatara or Navadina Yatra. The festival is dedicated to Lord Jagannath/Krishna, his sister Subhadra and his elder brother Balabhadra.
	Nukahai Festival	Nukahai or Nabanna is the harvesting festival held in the months of August and September.
	Raja Praba	It is a three days long harvest festival where the first day is called Pahili Raja, second day is called Raja Sankanthi and third day is called Basi Raja.
Punjab	Lohri	It is celebrated on 13^th January every year. It marks the ending of winters, as Sun moves from Winter Soloists to Equinox. Sun God is worshipped during the festival.
Rajasthan	Gangaur	It is a festival which is celebrated by females and dedicated to Lord Shiva and Parvati as the symbol of love and successful marriage.
	Teej	It is celebrated to mark the onset of monsoon and prosperity in the region. Women dress in green attire and wish for the health and well-being of their husbands.
	Braj Holi	It is celebrated in the Bharatpur district of Rajasthan before Holi. Lord Krishna is worshiped during the festival.
Sikkim	Saga Dawa	It celebrates the rich culture of Sikkim.
Sikkim	Tendo Lho Rum Faat	People worship mountains, rivers, lakes, and caves during the festival.
Tamil Nadu	Pongal	It marks the last day of a Tamil Year.
	Thaipusam	It is celebrated by the Tamil and Malayali Hindu community to mark the victory of good over evil.
	Jallikattu	It is Indian Bullfighting
	Natyanjali Festival	It is an annual dance festival devoted to Lord Shiva.
Telangana	Bonalu	It is a Hindu festival dedicated to Goddess Mahakali.
Telangana	Batukamma	It is the nine days long floral festival which starts on the first day of Navratri and ends on Durgashtami.
Tripura	Kharchi Pooja	It is a Hindu festival where 14 Hindu Gods are worshiped, including the Earth.
Uttar Pradesh	Kumbha Mela	It is a mass Hindu pilgrimage where Hindus bathe in the holy river of Ganges. It is celebrated every 12 years.
Uttar Pradesh	Kicheri	It is a harvest festival and involves ritual bathing.
Uttrakhand	Ganga Dusshera	It is celebrated for ten days in the month of May-June every year to mark the descent of holy river Ganga from heaven.
West Bengal	Durga Pooja	It is one of the oldest traditions of the Hindu community in Bengal. They worship Goddess Durga during the festival. Women put red powder on each other’s faces.