Travel_Booklet_Single

Festivals & Event in India
Ganesh Chathurthi (September 19 –29, 2012): Ganesha Chaturthi, also known
as Vinayaka Chaturthi, is the Hindu festival celebrated on the birthday
(re-birth) of Lord Ganesha, the son of Shiva and Parvati.
The belief is that Lord Ganesha bestows his presence on earth for all his
devotees during this festival. Ganesha Chaturthi is the day Shiva declared his
son Ganesha as superior to all the gods, barring Vishnu, Lakshmi, Shiva, and
Parvati. Ganesha is widely worshipped as the god of wisdom, prosperity and
good fortune and traditionally invoked at the beginning of any new venture or
at the start of travel. The festival, also known as Ganeshotsav ("festival of
Ganesha") is observed in the Hindu calendar month of Bhaadrapada, starting
on the shukla chaturthi (fourth day of the waxing moon period). The date
usually falls between August 19 and September 20. The festival lasts for 10 days,
ending on Anant Chaturdashi (fourteenth day of the waxing moon period).
While celebrated all over India, Ganeshotsav is most elaborate in Maharashtra,
Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Goa, Orissa, Tamil Nadu, and Chhattisgarh.
Outside India, it is celebrated widely in Nepal and by Hindus in the United
States, Canada, Mauritius, Singapore, Thailand, Cambodia, Burma , Fiji, and
Trinidad & Tobago.
Gandhi Jayanti (October 2, 2012): Gandhi Jayanti is a National Holiday
celebrated in India to mark the the birthday of Mohandas Karamchand
Gandhi, the "Father of the Nation." He was born on October 2, 1869. The
holiday is one of the three official declared National Holidays of India and is
observed in all Indian states and union territories. The United Nations General
Assembly announced on June 15, 2007 a resolution which declared the 2nd of
October the International Day of Non-Violence.
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