The Jaipur Literary Festival, the harvest festival Lohri, the Republic Day celebrations and the teachings of the Dalai Lama in North India in January 2011.
Harvest Festival Lohri
A Lohri Bonfire
Lohri is North India’s harvest festival, the equivalent of South India’s Pongal. Lohri is celebrated on the 13th of January, as the Earth starts its move towards the sun (a period called Uttarayan). During Lohri thanks are given for a good harvest. Bonfires are a common sight during the festival as puffed rice and popcorn are thrown into the fire and the fire god Agni is prayed to for prosperity and abundance for the land. Gifts and sweets are exchanged, and as the festival symbolizes fertility, newlyweds and babies are celebrated and showered with presents.
Republic Day Celebrations
Republic Day, 26 January, is the day India adopted its new constitution in 1950. In Delhi the day is celebrated with an annual parade that attracts huge crowds and that the President and the Prime Minister attend. The parade brings elephants and horses and pompous military displays to the streets of the capital and moving around Delhi on Republic Day might be a challenge. Many other cities, especially state capitals, will host their own parades or celebrations. Republic day is a national holiday and this can affect your travel plans.
Jaipur Literature Festival
The Jaipur Literature Festival claims to be the Asia-Pacific’s largest literature festival and this year’s event is the sixth of its kind. Both Indian and international writers participate and entrance is free. Past participants include Salman Rushdie and Hanif Kureishi. The festival is held from 21 to 25 January in Jaipur, Rajasthan; here is more information about this year’s extensive programme.
Dalai Lama Teachings in India
His holiness the Dalai Lama teaches in India in January: in New Delhi on 9 January and in Sarnath (where the Buddha first taught the Dharma) near Varanasi from 12 to 16 January. The teaching on “The Different Levels of Happiness” is given on the 30th anniversary of the Tushita Dharma Celebration at the Modern School Auditorium, Barakhamba Road in Delhi. The five-day teachings in Sarnath are held near the Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies. Here is a more detailed schedule.
Photo:
Lohri Bonfire by Karen Sandhu
The northern part of India is wonderful place to spend vacations offering the number of options to the travelers like pilgrimage travel, hill stations and desert safari in Rajasthan, Historical travel in Delhi are the several options to travel in India.