Varanasi, Banaras, Benaras or Kashi is the much admired pilgrimage and tourist place in India for the Hindus all over the world. Varanasi is full of prosperous cultural customs and traditions which makes this city a “Cultural and Traditional Capital of India”.
It is believed that from the era of God (when Varanasi city was created by God), Varanasi city has become the biggest center for learning Indian philosophy, classical music, spiritualism, religious studies and other education. According to Hindu religion, it is considered that Benaras is the melting pot of the Indian culture. It is also believed by pilgrims that the person who is cremated at Varanasi after his natural death, he will ultimately get rid of from the sequence of the births and re-births because he gets intermingled into the Lord Shiva. Varanasi is the city of temples, muths and ashrams because of its linking with the variety of Hindu traditions and religious activities.
Varanasi has religious and cultural importance by its pilgrims so it has become the great center for a variety of fairs and festivals of the whole year. At least two or three festivals held here every month, some are celebrated at Ganga ghats, some at temples, ashrams or muths. People at Varanasi are very happy while celebrating festivals or go to any fair, they celebrate festivals with cheerfulness and great passion. On the occasion of festivals a large crowed of pilgrims stay here in Varanasi and live their each moment of life very happily and peacefully. The festive atmosphere of Varanasi is continued to go on the whole year without ending.
The festivals and fairs which celebrate in Varanasi are:
- Diwali
- Ganga Mahotsav
- Dev Diwali
- Buddha Mahotsav / Buddha Purnima
- Maha Shivaratri
- Hanuman Jayanti
- Ramlila
- Bharat milap
- Nakkatayya
- Dhrupad mela
- Panch Koshi Parikrama
- Nag nathaiya
- Bhai Duj/Chitragupt Jayanti
- Choti Diwali
- Dhanteras
- Main Diwali
- Padwa
- Kumbh Mela
- Govardhan Puja
- Holi
- Rathyatra
- Chhath pooja
- Dussehera/Vijaya Dashami/Maha Navami/Maha Ashtami/Rama Navami
- Krishna Janmasthmi
- Saraswati pooja/vasant panchami
- Durga pooja
- Durga ashtami
- Sawan mela
- Shilp mela
- Burhwa Mangal
- Vishwakarma pooja
- Balmiki jayanti
- Makar Sankranti/ khichadi/festival of kites
- Tulsi Vivah
- Naag panchami/Guga navami
- Ganesh Chaturthi/Vinayak Chaturthi
- Karavachauth in Varanasi
- Raksha bandhan
- Christmas
- Easter
- Id
- Muharram
- Pitra Visarjan
- Ghandhi jayanti
- Mahavir Jayanti
- Guru Ravidas jayanti
- Guru Nanak jayanti/Kartik Poornima
- Navami pooja
- Lakshmi Puja/Kumara Purnima
- Hartalika Teej
- Vaisakhi mela
- Dr. B R. Ambedkar’s Nirwan Diwas
- Anant chaturdasi
- Ganga Dashahara
Cuisine during fairs and festivals:
Each and every homes, restaurants, guest houses, hotels and other road side shops at Varanasi have their Banarasi thali full with the delicious foods such as naan, Kachauri, Puri, sabji, pulav, salad, sultani dal, raita, shahi paneer, kanahi paneer, egg kari, veg kari, papad, chaach with a tasty desert of sewai or malai kheer in thali. Cuisines depend on the religion of people such as Hindu, Jains, Kayasths, Muslims but they enjoy together. Awadhi cuisine is the world famous for the dishes like kebab, nihari, biryani, and keema. Desserts are of great importance in Hindu religion and eaten after meal at every social rituals. Other famous desserts of Varanasi are Gulab jamun, khurchan, peda, makkhan malai, chamcham, jalebi, basan laddoo, dry fruits laddoo, bundi laddoo, ras malai, kaju barfi, balu sahi and many more. Banarasi Paan is the worldwide famous for its essence and constituents and eat by all the people at festival.
Dress of the people in Varanasi at festivals and fairs:
People at Varanasi are very happy while celebrating any festival and whole family wears new clothes of their religious importance, traditional as well as western styles. Woman wears sari, suit, lahanga-choli, anything of choice and man wears kurta, dhoti or jeans, t-shirt or sherwani or kurta and chooridar pajama etc.