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FAIR & FESTIVALS OF WEST INDIA

GANESH FESTIVAL, Maharashtra (September/October)

Durga Puja is one of the largest and most splendid festivals in the country. Community pujas (prayer service) in Bengal are organized in every locality. Families visit each other and spread the communal goodwill. On Bijoya Day, idols of Durga are taken in elaborate processions and immersed in the river or sea.

GOA CARNIVAL, Goa (Februray-March)

The carnival is a secular event, celebrated all over Goa. On the eve of the festival (Fat Saturday), a colorful procession of bedecked floats, led by King Momo, is taken throuzgh the main street in the city.

NAVRATRI, Gujarat (September/October)

Navratri is the celebration for the divine goddess, Durga. According to the Hindu calendar, the festival occurs four times a year but the one in the month of Ashwin (September/October) is the most popular. During the festivities, the streets throng with devotees performing the Garbas and the Raas (unique folk dance forms), especially in the state of Gujarat.

ELEPHANTA FESTIVAL, Elephanta Island, Mumbai (Februray)

Nine nautical miles away from Mumbai, the Elephanta Island is now a World Heritage Site, in recognition of the Elephanta Festival celebrates classical music and dance forms. It is recognized as a hub of creative activity across the country.

KALA GHODA FAIR, , Mumbai (On eight successive Sunday, from November to January) This fair showcases traditional Indian arts & crafts, ethnic food, street performances as well as village and classical arts. The event is very popular among the people of Mumbai and tourists alike.

KITE FESTIVAL, Ahmedabad (14th January)

This festival is celebrated on Makara Sankranti. This day has a special significance. For the sun, symbolizing knowledge, wisdom and spiritual light – that recedes from us when we revel in the darkness of ignorance, delusion and sesuality – now joyously turns on its northward course and rushes towards one and all, to shed its light and warmth in abundance. The day prior to Makara Sankranti is called the Bhogi Festival. On this day, old, worn-out and dirty things are discarded and burnt. Houses are cleaned and whitewashed. Kites are flown, in a celebration of the light and warmth of the sun.