Festivals and Fairs in Gujarat

Gujarat has a busy calendar of events. Some of the main ones include:

January - Makar Sankranti, An end of winter festival celebrated with kite flying contests.

January/February - Muharram Tazias, large replicas of the tombs of two Moslem martyrs are paraded in the evening, particularly in Surat, Junagadh and Ahmedabad.

September/October - Navaratri, Nine nights of music and dancing celebrate this festival of the mother Goddess Amba. The Dandiya Ras, which Lord Krishna danced with his milkmaids or gopis, is featured. Champaner celebrates this festival with particular fervour.

October - Dussehra The 10th day of Navaratri culminates in the celebration of Rama’s victory over the evil Ravana in the Ramayana.

October/November - Sharad Purnima Song and dance celebrates the end of the monsoon on the full moon night of the month of Sharad.

Gujarat has many fairs in temple towns and also in small villages. They’re a chance to see religious festivals and celebrations and also, in the villages, a shop window on to local handicrafts.

Ambaji, a village 177 km north of Ahmedabad, celebrates four major festivals in the year. At the Bhavnath Fair, at the foot of Mount Girnar in the month of Magha (January/February) you have a fine chance to hear local folk music and see folk dances. The tribal Adivasi people have a major festival at Dangs near Surat - it’s known as the Dangs Durbar.

Lord Krishna’s birthday or Janmashtamia falls in August and his temple at Dwarka is the place to be. Along the coast at Porbandar the Madhavrai Fair is held in the month of Chaitra (March/April) and celebrates Lord Krishna’s elopement with Rukmini. In the same month there is a major festival at the foot of Pavagadh Hill by Champaner, near Baroda.

Mahakali is the Goddess it honours. Somnath has a large fair at the full moon of Kartika Purnima in November/ December. Lord Shiva, the three-eyed one or Trinetreshwar, has an important festival in his honour in Bhadrapada (August/September) in Ternetar village - a chance to see colourful local tribal costumes.