Popular Festivals in India in December
With New Year just around the corner, the last month of the year marks celebrations and fun. It is the time for merrymaking and looks back on both good and bittersweet memories that the passing year has given us all. With so many happening festivals and events in December, you can welcome another year with excitement and thrill. There are cool festivals celebrated In December. Some of these are listed as under:
Table of Contents
Festivals Celebrated In December
Hornbill festival
Hornbill festival can be considered as one of the mesmerizing festivals celebrated in December. During this festival folk dances and songs are played in the region of Kohima, Nagaland. The local people can be seen wearing their traditional attires and performing on warrior songs.
War Dance, Headhunter rituals, Hornbill National Rock Concert are some of the amazing things to witness in this festival. A night market is installed with rice beer being the major component.
This festival is held in the village of Kisama, 12 km away from Nagaland.
Christmas
Christmas is one of the biggest festivals of Christians celebrated with full enthusiasm and glory. People of all age groups join in for the festival of Christmas. People dress up in their best attires, decorate their homes with lights and Christmas trees, and delve on the yummy Christmas cake.
One of the senior members of the family dress up as Santa and leave gifts for the younger ones in the family. Midnight mass is sung followed by Christmas carols and food.
It is celebrated on the 25th of December to mark the birth anniversary of Jesus Christ.
Galdan Namchot
Galdon Namchot is one of the glorious festivals celebrated in Ladakh in India. It marks the Ladakhi New Year and birthday of Tibetan Saint scholar, Tsongkhapa.
It is held in Leh, Ladakh, and preparation is made of all kinds of local food and the locals provide Khatak which is ceremonial scarf distributed to relatives and close ones.
The monasteries and heritage houses are decorated on this day and the locals enjoy this day with music and dance performances.
The dates vary each year.
Sunburn Festival
The Sunburn Festival is the iconic electronic dance music festival which is the largest festival celebrated in India. It returns to Goa every year in December with groundbreaking performances of famous DJ’s like DJ FLUME, Jonas Blue, The Ch
ainsmokers, Julian Jordan and many others. The Sunburn campsite is made for accommodation and held in Vagator, North Goa.
A new underground music venture called SOLARIS will be featured this time and techno acts will be dedicated to two stages.
Orange Festival
Orange Festival is one of a kind festival celebrated in Dambuk, Arunachal Pradesh. This is India’s first adventure festival lined up with adrenaline rush activities in a fun and thrilling way. Campsites are prepared and activities like white water rafting, mud run, zip-lining, etc. are some organized.
This festival is held in a remote location away from the hustle of city life.
It is held between December 12 to December 15, 2020. In this festival, people can take turns visiting the orange fields and buy or get oranges at a low cost or free of cost.
Feast of Francis Xavier
This annual celebration is held in honor of Saint Francis Xavier who was one of the missionaries to visit India. His mummified body is kept in a casket in one of the famous churches of Goa, Bom Jesus Basilica. People come here every year to pray on his anniversary of burial.
The festival lasts for many days which includes a fair being held and marking the important celebration of Christians in Goa. It is celebrated on December 3 every year. The morning mass sees people from different parts of the world.
Potters Market
If you are fond of pottery, then the Potters Market is coming with its 10th edition in Gauhar Mahal, Madhya Pradesh. More than 40 potters who have made significant contributions in the field of pottery and ceramic paints can be seen gathering for this occasion. Highlights of this festival include live demonstrations, interactive sessions, and numerous workshops. This festival is held at Jehan Numa Palace Hotel.
Kumbhalgarh Festival
The Kumbhalgarh Festival held near Udaipur, Rajasthan is a 3-day festival that shows the authentic culture of Rajasthan including its folk performances, art camps, puppet shows, and also puppet making shows. It is held between 1st December to 3rd December every year. It is held on the rooftop of the Kumbhalgarh fort.
These are some of the festivals held in December. Witness these festivals and see what December has in store for you!
