UTTAR PRADESH
Uttar Pradesh is a state of northern India. It is the most populated state in India. Lucknow is the capital of Uttar Pradesh. The culture of Uttar Pradesh swears by its rich historical past with its roots from Urdu. It is believed to be the land of the Nawabs, of Rama and Buddha, of Taj Mahal. It boasts of vivid culture and architectural finesse and is synonymous with vibrant hues, delectable cuisine, timeless traditions, monumental heritage and astounding music. People of Uttar Pradesh take pride to be the first to introduce the two great epics- Ramayana and Mahabharat to the world. The state also has a plethora of fairs and festivals that add to the charm and charisma of the state.
FESTIVALS OF UTTAR PRADESH
Other than the national festivals like Holi, Diwali and Makar Sankranti- a few other cities have a few other festivals celebrated with a whole lot of zeal and fervour. Chhath Pooja and Kumbh Mela is supposed to be a big festival which attracts tourists from all over the country.
CHHATH POOJA
Chhath is dedicated to the worship of the Sun god and his wife Usha. This festival is celebrated to thank God for supporting life on earth and to seek the blessing of divine Sun god and his wife. The festival’s significance in Indian culture is also rooted around Lord Ram and Mata Sita, who offered prayers to the Sun after return from their 14 years of exile to the Kingdom of Ajodhya. The festival is celebrated on the sixth day of Kartik Maas, which is why it is called Chhath Puja, where ‘Chhath’
means ‘six.’
KUMBH MELA
Kumbh Mela, also called Kumbha Mela, in Hinduism, religious festival that is celebrated four times over the course of 12 years, the site of the observance rotating between four pilgrimage places on four sacred rivers—at Haridwar on the Ganges River, at Ujjain on the Shipra, at Nashik on the Godavari, and at Prayag (modern Prayagraj) at the confluence of the Ganges, the Jamuna, and the mythical Sarasvati. It is celebrated in a cycle of approximately 12 years, to celebrate every revolution Brihaspati (Jupiter) completes, at four river-bank pilgrimage sites: the Allahabad (Prayagraj) (Ganges-Yamuna-Sarasvati rivers confluence), Haridwar (Ganges), Nashik (Godavari), and Ujjain (Shipra).
LATH MAAR HOLI
Lath Maar Holi is another big festival which is only celebrated in Uttar Pradesh and specifically in the village of Barsana, located in the outskirts of the Mathura city. This event takes place some days before the actual Holi, which most probably comes in the month of March. Lath Maar Holi is celebrated as a remembrance of the event that took place in the mythological stories of Lord Krishna during his adulthood.
Lord Krishna pays a visit to the village of his ladylove, Radha, who is from Barsana and ends up chased playfully by Radha and her friends. The Lath Maar Holi is celebrated in a similar way where the young men from Nandgaon, which is where Lord Krishna grew up, visit the Barsana village and they will get chased by the young women of Barsana with sticks. The men will have shields to block the hits, and Lath Maar Holi is celebrated in this unique but enjoyable way.
RAMLILA
Ramayana, India’s best-known historical epic, tells the tale of the Indian Prince Lord Ram, whose wife Sita is stolen from him by the ten-headed demon King Ravana and taken to his mountain kingdom. Aided by his brother Lakshman and the loyal monkey god Hanuman, Ram eventually rescues Sita in a series of heroic battles. Every year during autumn, the Hindu festival Dussehra comes around to mark the victory of Lord Ram over Ravana in the battlefield, when devotees burn Ravana’s effigies to celebrate his defeat to Ram and the triumph of good over evil. In the days leading up to Dussehra, hundreds of travelling actors, artists, musicians and dancers present the epic story as a dramatic folk re-enactment in villages and cities across the country. This tradition often lasts several days and is known as Ramlila, particularly notable in spiritually important cities such as Ayodhya or Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh.
JANMASHTAMI
Mathura, being the birthplace of Lord Krishna, is one of the important Hindu pilgrimage sites. Every inch of Mathura is clothed in reverend devotion to Lord Krishna, the eternal lover of Radha, the warrior, the diplomat and the hero of the cowherd colleagues. Mathura without Lord Krishna is like Life without Water. Festivals like Krishna Janmashtami, Radha Ashtami and Govardhan Pooja are celebrated with much ardour and zest. Krishna Janmashtami, also known simply as Janmashtami or Gokulashtami, is an annual Hindu festival that celebrates the birth of Krishna, the eighth avatar of Vishnu. It is observed according to Hindu luni-solar calendar, on the eighth day (Ashtami) of the Krishna Paksha (dark fortnight) in the month of Bhadrapada of the Hindu Calendar, which overlaps with August and September of the Gregorian calendar.