Diwali and festivals in November
Replies: 3 - Last Post: Oct 28, 2012 11:52 PM Last Post By: sarahg22
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Diwali and festivals in November
Hi everyone,We are traveling next week to India and are still putting together the final details of our trip. One of the big question marks for us is Diwali-so what are people's top recommendations for locations to be for Diwali celebrations? By mid-November we will probably be in central-west India around Mumbai, but if there is reason to be somewhere else for celebrations we could be more north or south.
Also are there any other major festivals in November or early December to see? Please list any you recommend countrywide, as we would reschedule our travels for something truly amazing to see.
On the flip side, given that festivals in India can often mean massive numbers of people and difficult travel and accommodation bookings, are there any places you would NOT recommend we go due to festivals in Nov and early Dec? I realize this may be the same as the "great festivals" listed above, in which case any tips on navigating big festivals would be appreciated as well.
Thanks,
Will and Emma
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Travel is difficult from September on. Back to back festivals and holidays help with that but so does wedding season and the loads of foreign tourists wanting good weather. Accommodation is easier to accomplish than train travel. Indian tourists don`t usually stay in the same places as foreign tourists.Diwali, though primarily a family affair, is done differently wherever you go. Never been in Udaipur for Diwali, so I`ll be there for a couple of days of it this year.
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Diwali is primarily a North Indian Festival, It is also celebrated in West and East India. South India is not that good to enjoy Diwali.Capital Delhi is best place to celebrate Diwali. The major commercial centres of Delhi get packed with shoppers and shopping offers. People start to splurge on new dresses, gifts, fruits, sweets and firecrackers for the preparation of Dhanteras and the Diwali.
Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh State is a remarkable place to celebrate Diwali. Varanasi, the holy city of India, wears a colourful look throughout the festival of lights. On Diwali evening, the 50 odd Ghats of Varanasi are illuminated with thousands of diyas (i.e. earthen lamps) transforming the proverbial “city of lights” into mesmerizing reality.
Diwali of Jaipur, a city in Rajasthan state , is also very famous. The city, a popular tourist destination for the westerners, is decorated in all the available colors found in a dreamer’s palette. If you explore the highly embellished markets, you will find at least 2000 different varieties of earthen lamps in the form of deities, birds, and animals. Handicrafts, firecrackers, gift items, and local traditional clothes also flood the marts during Diwali.
