India 2020-22 Brochure

44 For more information or to book, call 020 8423 3000 or contact your travel agent. Most festivals are religious in origin, but many feature recurring elements celebrating life in general, including thanksgiving, feasting and fasting, as well as looking to the future with positive anticipation. We have highlighted three of the most popular festivals, but there are many others throughout the year and we can tailor-make an itinerary for you to co-incide with your own celebrations. Call us for the latest festival dates. Holi is one of the most famous festivals celebrated in India, renowned for people, friends and strangers alike, throwing coloured powder and water on to one another. It typically takes palce every year at the end of February or the beginning of March, dependent upon the lunar cycle. The festival marks the end of winter and welcomes the spring, as well as celebrating the triumph of good over evil. Diwali is known as the Hindu Festival of Lights and is probably the most widely celebrated during the year. It celebrates the triumph of light over darkness, victory over evil, and welcomes happiness and wealth into peoples' homes. It typically takes place over a five- day period at the end of October and the beginning of November and is usually marked by the lighting of lights, candles and fireworks. Makar Sankranti is a feast day celebrated by Hindus during the month of January, the date timed to coincide with the winter solstice welcoming the warmer summer sun days, and immortalised by the flying of kites. As with most Indian festivals, celebrations will include feasting and spending time with family and friends promoting peace and harmony. Festivals of India Wherever you travel in India, your senses will be constantly bombarded with exotic aromas, vibrant colours and outbursts of noise. During the many festivals that occur throughout the year, both nationally and locally, these sensations become even more enhanced, and scheduling your holiday around one of these festivals will leave you with memories, and a fabulous array of food, that you will never forget.