Kite Festival

January 14 is celebrated in India as Makar Sankranti or the day of transition of the sun into the northern hemisphere. It is also a day inextricably related to kites in most parts of India. Children from 6 to 60 can be seen concentrating on their colorful kites with their heads turned to the sky. The recommended places to visit to witness the magnificent kite flying festival would be Jodhpur, the desert city of Rajasthan and Ahmedabad, the second largest city of Gujarat. In these two cities, kites practically blot out the sky. In Delhi, the capital of India, kites are flown in the sky to mark the celebration of the Independence Day of India on August 15 every year

Deepavali - The Festival of Lights

The festival of lights is celebrated in the month of Kartik (October - November) on Krishna Chaturdasi. The moon rotates around the earth in 28 days. We have fourteen days of light and fourteen days of darkness, Krishna Chaturdasi is the darkest night of the dark period. Diwali is one of the three festivals celebrated all over India along with Holi and Dussera. This festival is different in form and nature from all other festivals. It is associated with the cult of Kali. Diwali, literally a garland of lamps, is an apt description of this festival of lights. Tradition maintains that lamps are lit to keep alive the memory of Prince Ram's return to Ayodhya after conquering the tyrant Ravana, the ruler of Lanka, who had abducted his consort Sita. The mythological background of this festival is many and varied. It is said that when Rama returned to Ayodhya after defeating Ravana in Lanka, the people of Ayodhya celebrated the event with lights and fireworks on Krishna Chaturdashi.

Tarnetar Fair

Tarnetar, a quite hamlet in Chotila Taluka of Surendranagar, is transformed into a whirl of colour and excitement in the first week of Bhadrapad (August-September). The three-day Tarnetar Fair is held at the Temple of Shiva or Trinetreshwar. Popular belief associates the village with the Swayamvar (marriage) of Draupadi with Arjun, a hero of the epic Mahabharata, after he performed an incredible feat of archery.
The gorgeous traditional costumes and captivating dances makes the Tarnetar Fair a unique synthesis of folk art, folk dances, colour and folk music. The Tarnetar Chhatri (umbrella) is another distinctive feature of the fair. Tarnetar Fair can be a most memorable experience unparalleled in its mood and gaiety

Kutch Utsav

Like so many other regions of Gujarat, Kachchh has it's own distinctive character. It is, in fact, a peninsula, lying between the Sir river, the Sir Creek and and the Great Rann of Kachchh on the north-west, and Gulf of Kachchh on the east. Kachchh, with its colourful people, historic towns, and remarkable handicrafts, has much of interest to offer visitors. The tourism corporation of Gujarat organises an unusual tour of Kachchh, in response to the request of many who wished to visit an area quite different from urban India. This tour was called a "Mahotsava", or a great Festival, because of the great variety of sights and scenes that are offered to visitors. The "Mahotsava" consists of a six day tour of Kachchh, in which all requirement of the visitors are taken care of.

Navratri

The 9 nights festival of Navratri begins on the first day of Ashwina of the bright fortnight. Seeds are sown, sprouting is watched, the planets are consecrated, and on the 8th and 9th days, Goddess Durga, Vijayashtami and Mahanavami are worshipped.The Devi Mahatmya and other texts invoking the Goddess who vanquished demons are cited.

The day after Navratri i.e. the 10th day after Ashwina, is Dussera which celebrates the victory of lord Rama over Ravana. Ravana is burnt in effigy, often giant dummies of Ravana stuffed with fireworks are shot with arrows until they blow up before a large, applauding audience.

Holi - Festival of Colour

There are many stories of the origin of Holi. The most widely held belief is that Holi marks the day when the devotee of lord Vishnu, Bakt Prahlad, seated on the lap of demoness Holika, was saved from the effect of the fire by God and the demoness got burnt instead. Other stories relate to the death of demon Putana at the hands of lord Krishna and to the burning of demoness Hoda by children. Some link the festival with the worship of Karma, God of pleasure and destiny

Holi is a harvest celebration marking the climax of spring. Bonfires are lit, marking both the end of winter and the death of evil, and proceeds from the seasonal harvest- grains, coconuts etc- offered to the flames. The next day, dhuleti involves plenty of colour throwing, prayer, fasting and feasting. People have fun throwing coloured powder and colourful water at each other, dancing and gambling over cards. The Rajasthani and north Indian population at Kankaria and Jamalpur in Ahmedabad celebrate Holi in great style with folk dancing and colour.