There are festivals galore around the month of July across the country, quintessentially reflecting the cultural diversity of the subcontinent. So, traveling in July will be a blessed release if you are looking for reasons to beat the summer heat. Quality music, ethnic dance, and local food, to name a few, are some of the treats these exciting festivals bring during the month.
1. Champakulam Boat Race
When: June 22nd, 2024
Where: Champakulam, Alappuzha district, Kerala
Undoubtedly, the boat races of Kerala are a one-of-a-kind sporting event.
The Champakulam Boat Race is the oldest snake boat race in Kerala and the first boat race of the season. Colorful boats with fascinating designs attract locals and travelers to witness this unique speed, skill, and endurance spectacle.
2. International Mango Festival
When: July 22nd, 2024
Where: Delhi
Indian summers are incomplete without mangoes, and this festival is an opportunity to relish them to the fullest. Head to the Mango Festival, which celebrates everything about the ‘King of all tropical fruits,’ for some juicy mango tasting. Organized by Delhi Tourism, the Mango Festival exhibits hundreds of mouthwatering varieties of mangoes like Dussehri, Langra, Chausa, Fazli, Neelam, Banganpalli, Alphonso, etc., along with new hybrids from different Indian states.
Everything here is about mangoes. Mango-based products are displayed along with the cultural programs, culinary demonstrations, quizzes, and competitions at this mango extravaganza. The festival aims at promoting the domestic mango industry and exporters.
3. Dree Festival
When: July 5th, 2024
Where: Ziro, Arunachal Pradesh
Dree is a one-of-a-kind agriculture-related festival of the Apatani Tribe of Arunachal Pradesh. This annual festival is celebrated to seek the blessings of the Gods and Goddesses of crops for harvest and protection of their crops, mainly rice. Singing, dancing, sacrificial offerings, prayers, and other cultural performances exist. Dree Festival of Arunachal Pradesh is one of the most famous events in the state.
The festival of Dree reflects the rich traditional cultural heritage of the Apatani community.
4. Karsha Gustor Festival
When: July 3rd - July 4th
Where: Zanskar, Ladakh
Karsha Monastery, the largest and most important monastery in Zanskar, celebrates the Karsha Gustor- a festival that marks the victory of good over the evil. During the festival, a Black Hat Dance performance is followed by a Masked Dance performance by the monks. The masked Hat Dancers symbolizes the guardian divinities. Apart from music and dance, one gets to witness vibrant coloursat the Karsha Gustor Festival.
5. Eid ul-Fitr
When: April 11th, 2024
Where: All across India
Eid-ul-Fitr marks an end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting. Eid-ul-Fitr festival is celebrated to commemorate Islamic prophet Muhammad and his attainments by the God by breaking fast after a long period of fasting by eating delicious foods as a mark of brotherhood. Eid-ul-Fitr is observed with great enthusiasm across all parts of India.
6. Puri Ratha Yatra
When: TBA
The festival at Puri’s Jagannath Temple marks the annual journey of the deities Lord Jagannath (a reincarnation of Lords Vishnu and Krishna), along with and his elder brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra on a chariot which are replaced by new idols symbolizing reincarnation.
It is the oldest, biggest and most visited Rath Yatra in the world.
This year, the festival takes on special importance as the idols are being replaced with newly crafted ones (the last time this occurred was 19 years ago).
Know more about the Jagannath Rath Yatra here.
