Festivals present opportunities for people of different cultural backgrounds to come together. Through such festive gatherings, people from various communities get to know each other’s traditions, cuisines and folklore. Jammu and Kashmir festivals witness the mingling of varied cultures; they are an amazing mix of religious gatherings, fairs, and carnivals. Here is a list of 23 popular festivals celebrated in Jammu and Kashmir.
Pahalgam Festival
The Pahalgam festival is a carnival-like event organized in winter every year, which was started with the purpose of promoting Kashmir tourism. During this festival, the streets come alive with dance performances and skits, and there are jugglers, magicians and sketch artists to entertain the visitors.
Shikara Festival
This festival is organized at the Dal Lake, Srinagar, every year, and is an amazing blend of cultural activities as well as adventure sports like kayaking. The event usually concludes with Sufi music being played on the shikaras.
Saffron Festival
This festivity celebrates the harvesting of saffron and the culture of Kashmir. It was started by the Tourism Department of Kashmir with the intent of promoting tourism. Various cultural events are organized on this occasion.
Tulip Festival
It is an annual festival held in April to celebrate the arrival of spring. Visitors get to see beautiful tulips in full bloom and they can also catch a glimpse of the rich culture and traditions of Kashmir. Apart from enjoying the beauty of tulips, tourists can attend cultural shows, musical evenings and relish Kashmiri cuisine. Travelers across the globe attend this festival to see one of Asia’s most beautiful tulip displays.
Gurez Festival
It is celebrated in the Gurez Valley in Bandipora district with the aim of promoting tourism and introducing visitors to the food, handicrafts and culture of Kashmir. Various sports like cycling and trekking as well as cultural activities and camps are organized for this festival.
Kheer Bhawani Mela
For the Kashmiri Pandits, this festival is one of the biggest religious events. It is observed on Zyestha Ashtami every year at the Kheer Bhawani temple located in the Tulla Mulla village near Srinagar. Several devotees visit the temple for worship. This event is a symbol of harmony between the Hindu and Muslim communities, as all the arrangements for this festivity are made by Muslims in the locality.
Baisakhi
Dogra Hindus of Jammu celebrate Vaisakhi as the harvest festival, when they gather on the banks of Devika River and enjoy folk music and dance, and attend fairs that are held at various places in the region. A day-long celebration is held at Gurdwara Dera Nangali Sahib in Jammu. Sikhs in Kashmir celebrate Baisakhi as the day when Guru Gobind Singh baptised the Panj Pyare.
Eid-ul-Fitr
It is a two-day festival celebrated by the Muslims in Jammu and Kashmir. It falls on the first day of the tenth month of the Islamic Lunar calendar and marks the culmination of the sacred month of Ramadan. For this festival, several Muslims gather to pray, great feasts are prepared, and fairs are organized at various places in the region.
Holi
Holi is celebrated in Jammu and Kashmir with Holika Dahan followed by splashing of colours and water on one another. This festival displays the true culture of India as people of different communities get together for merrymaking.
Ram Navami
Kashmiri Pandits celebrate this festival by holding prayers and reciting bhajans at the Ram Mandir, Hanuman Mandir and various other temples in Kashmir.
Bahu Mela
It is celebrated during the Navaratras twice every year, in March-April and in September-October, at the Bawey Wali Mata Temple in Bahur Fort, Jammu. Several pilgrims attend this festival, and various stalls are held at the fort area.
Purmandal Mela
This festivity celebrates the marriage of goddess Parvati and Lord Shiva, and is celebrated during Shivratri in Purmandal, a village located on River Devika. Pilgrims who attend this festival take a dip in the Devika river.
Jhiri Mela
It is held annually at the Jhiri village near Jammu, during the Karthik Purnima (which falls in October or November). This festival honours the efforts of farmers and commemorates the sacrifice of Baba Jittoo, a farmer who lost his life in a protest against an unjust zamindar, 500 years ago.
Hemis Festival
This festivity marks the birth anniversary of Buddhist Guru Padmasambhava. It is celebrated in the Hemis Monastery of Ladakh on the tenth day of the lunar month of the Tibetan Calendar. On this day, people of Kashmir enjoy dancing and playing musical instruments.
Lohri
This festival marks the passing of Winter Solstice and the commencement of the harvest season. The Lohri night falls on the Winter solstice and this festival is celebrated with great enthusiasm in Kashmir. Many people take a dip in the holy rivers, a dance called Chajja is performed on this occasion, bonfires are lit, and people pray to the element of fire and the Sun God.
Spituk Gustor Zanskar
It is a two-day festival that is held each year at the Spituk Monastery in Ladakh. Priests perform a mask dance on this occasion. This festivity is celebrated in the 11th month of the Tibetan calendar and it symbolizes the victory of good over evil.
Amarnath Yatra
It is a 56-day pilgrimage to the holy cave shrine of Amarnath which is located at an altitude of 3880 metres. Devotees travel on foot from Srinagar or Pahalgam to see the iced stalagmite Shivlinga located at the shrine. Tents have been set up on the way for food and resting, and pilgrims can also take helicopter services from the base camp. It is among the most famous pilgrimages and considered one of the toughest treks in India.
Losar
It is also known as Tibetan New Year and marks the beginning of a new year of the Buddhist community. It is an important Tibetan Buddhist festival celebrated with traditional songs, folk dances, a procession, cultural events and feasts.
Dosmoche
While one festival of New Year Celebrations in Kashmir is Losar, the other is Dosmoche. It is a two-day festival celebrated in Ladakh in the Leh, Likir and Diskit monasteries. Stalls for food, shopping and gaming are set up and mask dances are performed on this occasion.
Ladakh Festival
It is a 15-day festival that combines the flavours of Central Asia, Tibet and North India. A procession is held which includes folk songs and dance. The wild lion and yak dancing is a striking feature of this festivity. Polo and archery competitions are organized for this event.
Sindhu Darshan Festival
It is a three-day festival celebrated on the full moon night in June to honour river Indus. Visitors get water from their own states in pots and immerse them in the Sindhu River. Prayers are held, bonfires are lit and cultural programs are organized for this festivity.
Matho Nagrang
This two-day festival held in the Matho monastery is characterized by the Cham Dance and the public appearance of oracles who return after two months of meditation in isolation, and predict the future.
Galdan Namchot
It is mainly celebrated in Ladakh to mark the day of birth, death and attainment of Buddhahood of Je Tsongkhapa, a famous teacher of Tibetan Buddhism. Monasteries and building are lit up for the occasion, traditional dishes are prepared and ceremonial scarves called Khataks are gifted to dear ones.
This list of popular festivals of Jammu and Kashmir serve as excellent examples of the cultural diversity of this region. At most festivals, people gather and celebrate, irrespective of their community or religion. They greet each other and wish and pray for the peace and prosperity of humanity at large.
