Tamilnadu Fairs and Festivals
Tamilnadu is a south Indian state of rich in religious culture and traditions. There are many festivals and fairs are celebrated with great pomp by the people in Tamilnadu. Each and every festival and temple is famous for its festival and fairs related to the temple which are very famous in the state.
Festivals of Tamilnadu:
Kavadi Festival:
Kavadi Festival in Tamil Nadu is the most important festival where it is the festival to carry a devotee of Lord Muruga called as Kavadai decorated with flowers on the Palani Hills. Devotees take a vow to offer the Lord a Kavadi for the sake of tiding over a great calamity. According to the tradition only men participate in singing and dancing in the processions. The religious dance is performed in the honor of Lord Murugan, the second son of Lord Shiva and the men dance while balancing a pole – with pots filled with milk or coconut water suspended on either end – over their shoulders.
Some devotees also offer Agni Kavadi to the Lord, a tough feat where devotees walks through the bed of burning coals with the kavadi slung over their shoulders.
Car Festival:
In Tamil Nadu the car festival is a unique festival celebrated every year at the Kaliyaperumal Temple in Ariyalur. It is a ten days festival falls in the month of March or April starts on the day of Srinavame. During the car festival, the six chariots of the four different temples are decorated beautifully with flowers and flags, and then sanctified with the idols of the Gods. Devotees pull the chariots around the village Nagara Pradakshinam for three days.
A mini car festival is organized on the fifth night where the idols are taken out in decorated cars and on the ninth day of the car festival special rituals are performed.
Cape Festival:
Cape festival in Tamilnadu is the most famous festival celebrated in the month of October at Kanyakumari. Kanyakumari is a scared place where the three sides of are surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea. During the Cape Festival, devotees take bath at the convergence of the three oceans since it very sacred. The cape festival is celebrated for three days with many cultural programmes organized.
Karthigai Deepam Festival:
Karthigai Deepam Festival is the oldest festival in Tamilnadu celebrated in the month of Karthigai that falls in November month. Karthigai Deepam festival occurs on a full moon day is also called as “the Festival of Lights”. This festival of Karthigai has most important significance as the legend Lord Shiva arrives with with His divine light, created Lord Muruga, in this month. During this festival, people light small lamps, near Shivalinga placed in the temples respresenting the Agni Linga.
Pongal the Harvest Festival:
Pongal is a festival harvest festival celebrated throughout the country as a festival of harvest with different names. In Tamilnadu the harvest festival Pongal is the most widely celebrated festivals falls in the month of January where people gives tribute to the Sun, Nature and the Cattle wealth for helping farmers with a rich harvest and prosperity. It is festival of thanksgiving to the god celebrated for four days. The word Pongal means ‘boiling over or spill over’. The tradition of boiling over of milk in the clay pot is observed during the festival.
Dance Festivals:
Every year in the month of December the Dance Festival starts on the 25th of December and is held on all Saturdays. These dance festivals are organized in the open air stages that were built in 13 century in. the ancient city of Mamallapuram. There are beautiful monumental rock sculptures of the Pallavas situated in this city next to the sea. Many classical dances like Bharatha Natyam, Kathakali, Kuchipudi and Odissi are performed by the best of classical dancers in this event.
Chithirai Festival:
In the city of Madurai at Tamilnadu the Chithirai Festival is celebrated at the starting of Tamil month Chithirai, and ends on the tenth day of the month. The Chithirai Festival is held at the Meenakshi Temple in Madurai where the parades takes place in the streets around the temple. This begins with a flag hoisting ceremony on the first day and is a great opportunity to experience traditional Hindu wedding ritual of local life in Madurai. This festival is celebrated as re-enactment of the marriage of the Pandiyan princess Meenakshi to Lord Sundareswarar.
Koda Festival:
Koda festival is a festival of offerings to the divine Mother that is celebrated at the coastal area in Tamilnadu. The Koda festival falls in the Malayalam month of Kumbam in Febraury and ends at the last Tuesday of the same month. Devotees offer pepper, rice, jaggery, turmeric, silver and wood pieces being replicas of parts of the body. On the last day, the priest offers Odukka puja at mid night surcharged with devotion and fear. A liquid made of lime, turmeric and other ingredients is offered to the goddess.
Natyanjali Dance Festival:
The Natyanjali dance festival is dedicated to Lord Shiva, the the Lord of Dances the on Mahashivaratri festival and lasts for five days. This festival is the perfect platform for dancers to showcase their talen t as the participants from across the country come together during the festival. The Natyanjali dance festival is celebrated in Chidambaram, by the people with great enthusiasm
Tea and Tourism Festival:
Tea and Tourism festival is celebrated for 3 days in Tamilnadu in the month of January organized by the Department of Tourism, Government of India and Ministry of Tourism, Government of India. During this festival a huge variety of tea is available at one place wher one can taste and buy. Many cultural programmes are orgamised that attracts people who attends Tea and Tourism festival of Tamil Nadu.
Thai Pusam festival:
In Tamil Nadu, the festival of Thai Pusam is celebrated in the temples dedicated to Kartikeya or Mariamman. Thaipusam festival is a ten day festival celebrated with great dedication. The temples have trenches of burning coal laid out for the devotees to walk over. The chief priest of the temple and the twelve “hero-youths”, who are to perform this feat, first go out in a procession from the temple to bathe, smear themselves with turmeric powder and begin the dance. A decorated image of the temple deity is held over the priests head and colourful chhatris (kavadis) is held by the devotees over their heads. Then they walk over a long pit covered with burning coals and come out unscathed.
It is believed that people who volunteer to undertake this experience with faith, come away unharmed and unscathed.
Fair of Tamilnadu:
Tourist Fair:
The tourist fair in Tamilnadu is held in the month of January when the sun gets pleasant. This fair is organized by the Tamilnadu Tourism Development Corporation Trade Fair where it re-presents a panorama of Tamil Nadu with all places of tourist interest, cultural wealth and economic progress.
Pollachi Fair:
This Pollachi fair is the most important fairs in Tamilnadu that takes place on Thursdays. Pollachi fair is a well-known market for the products of the Palghat area, Annamalai hills and the Pollachi valley. The products sold in this fair are paddy, pulses, coconuts, garments groundnuts, fruits, vegetables, varieties of oil. And also elephants captured from nearby forests and also timber are sold in this Pollachi fair.
The cattle fair:
The cattle fair in Tamilnadu will be held for four days during the month of Karthikai Dheepam festival. This cattle fair is one of the busiest fairs where about 20,000 cattle are brought and sold in this fair such as varieties of animals, buffaloes, cows, bulls, sheep, goat and ponies.
Cattle fair conducted in tamil nadu also drew animal lovers even from abroad. Cattle fair is held to spread awareness among people and farmers to make sure they understand the importance of saving cattle and livestock as they are part of agriculture. Villagers dressed in traditional attire bring hundreds of cows and bulls of different breeds at the cattle fair ground.
Cattle fair offers opportunities to farmers to share their ideas and thoughts with each other about the health of animals.
The animals were judged on fitness.Prize money will be announced for the cattle in different categories.