Each state in India has its own culture, traditions, and festivals, and Maharashtra is no exception. Maharashtra has a perfectly contrasted image; it brings up an image of a diversified state where people of all religions live in harmony. And what makes these people closer are the festival celebrations, which take place almost every month in the state.
Although most of the national festivals are celebrated with great pomp and splendour, there are some festivals and festivities which are unique to this diverse state.
Here are some of the unique festivals of the state which is a cultural melting-pot of the country.
- Makar Sankranti
- Gudhi Padwa
- Vat Pournima
- Ashadhi Ekadashi
- Mangala Gauri
- Naag Panchami
- Narali Pournima
- Janmashtami (Dahi Handi)
- Pola
- Ganesh Chaturthi
- Kozagiri Purnima
- Bhau beej
- Bangana Festival
- Ellora Festival
1)MAKAR SANKRANTI
Makar Sankranti, also known as Uttarayan or Pongal in various areas of the country. It marks the beginning of spring when the sun leaves the southern hemisphere and begins its journey in the northern hemisphere.
Makara Sankranti is considered important for spiritual rituals, so people take holy bath in rivers, particularly the Ganga, Yamuna, Godavari, Krishna, and Kaveri. Bathing is believed to result in forgiveness of past sins. They also pray to the sun and express gratitude for their success and riches. Because the festival takes place in the winter, dishes like til-gul and gulachi poli (jaggery flatbreads) are prepared to keep everyone warm.
The festival is observed in Maharashtra by flying kites. On this day, kites can be seen dotting the sky, continuing the great history of kite-flying.
Married women invite friends and relatives to celebrate Haldi-Kumkum. As part of the process, guests are handed til-gul and a small gift. Women make it a point to dress in black. Because Sakranti happens during the winter months and wearing black helps to keep the body warm. This is one of the primary reasons for wearing black, which is otherwise restricted on festival days. According to another tradition, Lord Surya pardoned his son Shani and paid him a visit on Sankranti. As a result, people hand out sweet sesame laddoos to everyone and say, “Til gul ghyaa ani god god bola,” meaning “Accept this til-gul and speak sweetly.” It is a day when everyone agrees to put old quarrels and misunderstandings aside and move forward with mutual love and respect.
2)GUDHI PADWA
Gudhi Padwa signifies the beginning of a prosperous new year and is regarded as one of the most auspicious days of the year. It falls on the first day of the Lunar Year. It is celebrated with great pomp and splendour throughout the state. Households are decorated with garlands and rangolis, and a gudhi is raised outside the door to welcome prosperity and good health. Gudhi is a victory emblem made out of a bamboo staff and silk fabric. Gudhi is offered flowers and sweets. People celebrate the new year by worshipping the gudhi and distributing prasad like Shrikhand and Basundi among the people in the community.
This is one of the saade-teen muhurtas, and any new venture begun on this day is considered to be prosperous and successful. As a result, this day is considered extremely lucky for buying or moving into a new home, buying a car, establishing a new business, and so on.
3)VAT PURNIMA
Vat Purnima is celebrated in the month of Jesht (May-June) in Maharashtra. It is observed by the Maharashtrian women to pray for the husband’s longevity and good health, much like the Karva Chauth festival is celebrated in Northern India.
Women fast and tie threads around a banyan tree while praying for the same husband in every birth and for the longevity of their lives. This festival honors Goddess Savitri’s rescue of her husband’s soul from Yama’s clutches.
4)ASHADHI EKADASHI
Ashadhi Ekadashi is celebrated in honor of the great Hindu god Vishnu.
The famous Pandharpur chi Vari concludes on Ashadhi Ekadashi. Pandharpur, located on the banks of the Chandrabhaga River in Maharashtra, is thought to be the home of Vitthal, a local manifestation of the mighty God. Millions of people begin a pilgrimage to the holy city on foot almost a month in advance. It is a sight to behold as millions and millions of people visit this tiny city, driven only by their faith in the Lord. The Warkaris (those who have completed this journey) chant holy melodies throughout the journey, and the atmosphere is one of great devotion and mutual support, as everyone’s ultimate goal is to reach the Lord and fall at his feet. People across the state observe a fast and eat only simple foods as a reminder of the Warkaris’ journey, as well as a sign of devotion and faith in their Vithu Mauli.
5)MANGALA GAURI
A significant event for newlywed ladies, especially among the state’s Brahmin community. The new brides are expected to have a prosperous and happy marriage as a result of this event. It is celebrated on a Tuesday in the month of Sharavan.
On this day, the new bride performs a pooja for her husband and new family’s well-being. A get-together is planned for later in the evening. Women gather to enjoy singing, dance, and unique activities such as Jhimma (clap dance), Fugdi, and others. The guests are fed food, and the new bride is invited to recite her husband’s name in a rhyme known as a Ukhaana.
6)NAAG PANCHAMI
On the fifth day of the holy month of Shravan, Nag Panchali is observed in honor of the Snake God Shesha Nag. In India, snake worship is a significant ceremony, and clay cobras are worshipped in households during this festival.
It is celebrated primarily for two reasons. To begin, the abode of the nags (snake’s) forms the bottom of the pataal lok, and the nags’ blessings are sought for the family’s well-being. Second, the nags (snakes) protect the crops from mice and rodents, so farmers pray to the nag-devta and express their gratitude. Since the nag is so strongly identified with Lord Shiva, people go to nag temples as well as Shiva temples and offer sweets and milk to the snake deity.
7)NARALI PURNIMA
The full moon day in the month of Shravan is known as Narali Pournima and is observed in many regions of Maharashtra. The sea is dangerous for fishing during the monsoon, therefore fishermen avoid going out into it. Narali Pournima marks the end of the monsoon and the beginning of the new fishing season and fishermen please the sea deity before sailing out in their magnificently decorated boats.
‘Naral’ means ‘coconut,’ and ‘Pournmia’ refers to the full-moon day when coconuts are offered to the sea god. As the fishing season begins, the fishermen offer coconuts and prayers to the sea god, asking for his blessings to avoid any mishaps. On this day, coconut-based sweets are enjoyed.
8)KRISHNA JANMASHTAMI (DAHI HANDI)
Krishna-Janmashtami, the birth of Lord Krishna, is celebrated at midnight in temples and homes with bhajans. Devotees fast till midnight on the eve of the birth of Lord Krishna.
The next day is known as Gokulashtami. Devotees recall the Lord’s fondness for butter and his determination to go to tremendous lengths to obtain it. The dahi-handi is a ritual conducted on this day in honor of the adored Lord. Curd, puffed rice, and milk are strung high over the streets in clay pots. In the same way that Lord Krishna and his friends would sneak into the homes of gopis to steal butter, groups of excited youngsters create human pyramids to reach up to them and smash them open. People come out in great numbers to observe these human pyramids and their attempts to shatter the butter pot.
9)POLA
Pola occurs on Pithori Amavasya, the new moon day of Shravan’s holy month. Farmers throughout Maharashtra celebrate the harvest festival of Pola, which is similar to Lohri in North India. Bullocks, which are an important part of agriculture – basically its backbone – are worshipped on this day. They are bathed, ornamented, and carried through the village in processions accompanied by music and dance.
10)GANESH CHATURTHI
Ganesh Chaturthi took the form of a huge public celebration when the Maratha ruler Shivaji (c. 1630–80) used it to encourage nationalist sentiment among his subjects, who were fighting the Mughals. In 1893, when the British banned political assemblies, the festival was rejuvenated by the Indian nationalist leader Bal Gangadhar Tilak. Today the festival is celebrated in Hindu communities worldwide and is particularly popular in Maharashtra and parts of western India.
Lord Ganesha, the God of prosperity and wisdom, is the most loved God in Maharashtra, and Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated with great pomp and splendour. Ganesh Chaturthi is an 11-day festival that commemorates the birth of the elephant-headed god Ganesha. It begins on the fourth day (chaturthi) of Bhadrapada (August–September), the sixth month of the Hindu calendar.
Preparations for the auspicious day of Lord Ganesh’s arrival begin with great enthusiasm. It all starts with the installation of beautifully sculpted Ganesh idols in homes and large pandals, which are colourfully decorated and portray religious and cultural themes. The worship begins with the ritual of pranapratishtha, or invoking life in the idols, followed by shhodashopachara, or the 16 ways of giving tribute. The idols are bathed with red sandalwood paste and yellow and red flowers while chanting the Vedic hymns from religious scriptures such as the Ganesh Upanishad. Ganesha is also offered coconut, jaggery, and 21 modaks, which are said to be Ganesha’s favourite food.
Lalbaugcha Raja is the popular Ganesh idol of the Lalbaugcha Raja Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Mandal.
On the 11th day comes the time to bid farewell to Ganesha.The idols are taken in huge procession to local rivers, accompanied by drumbeats, devotional singing, and dance. They are involved in a ritual that represents Ganesha’s homecoming to Mount Kailas, the home of his parents, Shiva and Parvati.
11)KOJAGIRI PURNIMA
On the full moon day of Ashwin, Kojagiri Poornima or Ashwin Poornima is observed to mark the end of the rainy season and the beginning of the harvest season.
The sky becomes clear, and the moon shines brightly in the sky. On this day, the moon and the earth are thought to be unusually close, thus everyone is encouraged to remain up all night because the moon’s rays are claimed to have healing properties. Some believe that Goddess Laxmi appears at various locations throughout the night, causing people to remain up late playing games, dancing, singing, and generally having a good time.
12)BHAU-BEEJ
In the same way that the country honours sibling love on Raksha Bandhan, Maharashtra celebrates this special tie for an extra day. It is a spectacular celebration of all the joy and rivalry of this lifelong friendship, held on the fifth and final day of Diwali. Sisters welcome their brothers to their homes on this day since brothers are traditionally thought to be their protectors. A delicious meal of basundi poori, shrikhand poori, and other brother favourites is cooked. The sister offers the brother an aarti and asks for his protection. The brother blesses her and promises to always protect her and gifts are exchanged.
13)BANGANA FESTIVAL
The Banganga Festival is a musical tribute to Lord Ram. It is a two-day festival held every year at Malabar Hills in Mumbai organized by the Indian Heritage Society and the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation.
Lord Rama is said to have come to this spot in search of fresh water, and when he couldn’t locate any, he shot an arrow. The spot where the arrow landed on the ground is believed to be the exact spot of the Banganga tank, which had provided Lord Rama with water from the Ganges.
This musical festival honors and preserves the state’s rich cultural heritage. A cultural festival is held in Banganga in January, where culture fans can see some of the country’s top artists perform live classical music concerts. It also contributes to raising awareness about the need of preserving the historical Banganga tank in the Walkeshwar temple’s rich cultural heritage.
14)ELLORA FESTIVAL
The Ellora caves, which are also a UNESCO world heritage site, are one of the state’s most important historical landmarks. Ellora festival is a cultural, classical music, and dance festival held against the theme of the magnificent Ellora caves. The Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation is hosting this spectacular event, and the performances are sure to fascinate you. The Ellora Festival honors the richness of Indian art and culture in one of the country’s most beautiful and historically significant locations. There are also a number of stalls with local artisans’ and sculptors’ arts and crafts on exhibit. It is a must-see for everyone interested in Indian arts, crafts, and customs.
