Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Chandigarh City - Festivals

The Festival of Gardens is a three-day celebration which is organised in the last week of February is also on the national calendar of festivals. Earlier it was known as Rose Festival it intended to encourage people to walk through the Rose Garden and enjoy the beauty of roses. The festival includes performances of music and dance, both classical and folk, flower shows, events for children, exhibitions by local artists, photographers and craftsman and a wide range of amusements. Since 1997 it is known as the Festival of Gardens. The various competitions are organised i.e childern competetion, dog show, flower decoration competetion. The various companies put up their stall to show various products.

April Fools' Day (April 1) a unique gathering of various poets from all over the country gather at Chandigarh on this day. Even those who do not ordinarily enjoy poetry look forward to the Maha Moorkh Sammelan, or Conclave of Colossal Fools. Chandigarh is the only city in India hosts such a gathering.

Baisakhi is the first day of the new year in the traditional Vikrami calender, it celebrates the wheat harvest, and it is main festivals for Sikhs as this is the day of foundation of Khalsa. As the capital of two states, Punjab and Haryana, this day sees festivities organised by both the state governments as well as the Administration of the UT, and by all Chandigarhian.

The Mango festival is held in June. Mango-growers from all over India are invited to enter their prize fruits in the various competitions. Visitors to the fair can see and taste all the traditional varieties of the fruit as well as the latest hybrids from the agricultural universities. It is also an occasion for agro-industries, and food industries processing mango into jams, pickles and canned fruit to display their wares.

Teej In the first week of August this traditional festival is celebrated by the women. The Rock Garden with its swings and pavilions is the festival venue and the day is basically a grand picnic with songs and dances, purchase of new bangles, painting the hands with mehndi.

The Chrysanthemums Show In the month of December Chrysanthemums Show is held at Terraces Flower Garden in the city's Sector 33. You can see a multi-coloured wall-to-wall carpet of chrysanthemums. Hundreds of varieties of the flower are on display and city gardeners vie for coveted honours in the competitions.

The Plaza Carnival is held on an open-air stage set up in Sector 17's central piazza every evening of Saturday. The weekly almost three-hour programme draws a large crowd and provide an opportunity for talented local artists to do their stuff.

The Chandigarh Carnival. This carnival is celebrated in the second week of November every year for three days. The carnival opens with a colourful procession which everyone is encouraged to join. The carnival is a time for students and Childerns to show their talent and elders too participate in a number of competitions held at same venue.

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