18 SEASONALITY AND

DESTINATIONS
A
Structure
Objectives
Introduction
Seasons and Climate
Seasonality in Tourism
~e'stivalSeason
Measurement of Seasonality
Destination Management, Marketing and Employment
Destination
LetUsSurr Tm
Keywords
Answer to Check Your Progress bercises
Appendix

4fter reading this Unit you will be able to

appreciate the role of climate in tourism,
me know the relationship betyeen climate, destination and to,,
6 understand the concept of seasonality in relation to tourism,
know about the measurement of seasonabty,
learn about the impact of seasons on the destination and its marketing,
1 know the impact of seasonality on employment, and
learn about destinations.

r E i r y often you hear, "Oh! its tourist season*'. What does it mean? Well, there are tourists all

gi business which did not yield hiin the expected protits during that particular period. In this Unit

hey affect the movement of people from the place of origin to destination. It further discusses
Lifferent types of seaso~idity,its measurement and impact on destinations. Certain
:haracteristics of destinations have also been listed. Such information equips a tourism
rrofessional with the knowledge to eater to his clients or generate awareness.

t.2 SEASONS AND CLIMATE k

S
ieasonally a year can be divided into four main periods, recognised in the northern hemisphere

- - (21 March to 20 June)

iprinn
Summer (21 June to 22 September)
Autumn (23 September to 21 December)
. -.
I Winter (22 December to 20 March)
Geography and ouri ism ~~m kqmfaut m view of the climatic changes associated with them and their impact
human beings are not spared the rhythm of cyclic va&ams

me maqp weathex cmditions prevailing in an apea wea:dwcesive yeam is taken to Be the

climate of that region. Tbe basic elements which matitare ttbe conditions me:
* tapx&m?of the air,
hmhikydtheair,'
type ~BrnrOmt of cloudiness,
r$@ ~ ~ o uofprwipitah,
n t
a t m o s p ~ ~ u t and
&,
speed and dknxtitm of the wind.

The specificmeasmeanmtsof the above factors repment Elfe weather wnditions at my &en
t h e in a m. They, however, keep on changing over time and space leading to varied.
w d m t m d i t b s . By mdlarge similar weather m d i t i m p v a i l at rhe same @lt of b e
dmhg s u ~ v yeas e in a given place. The average measuremats, thus.disqmA over a
pcaiodof~~mdescribedastheciimateofthatplaee.

The weather change8 a mA by the revolutim af the ai%harMFnd the suu and &: -
plane to the pJmed itspathby an &Be 23"
inclination of the ~ u a $ x M
which affect the w d mdihinch% t k
radiant energy of am,
earth's a t m ~ w h l c h thepqeofsolar
m ~ 9nd
natural land?orms and geophysical features dthe eat&', like mou~wns,
vageys,
oceans, ice-caps, deserts, lakes, river, etc.

The climate of any particular region is aim de&mbeid

physiographical features. In tbe hdian mb-cmt&nll
alternating m o w a m and am&& d foar p&ldpl
Cold weather sd~$,un(Decembex to F m )
Hot weather season (Mm& ta May)
South-westmomcm season (June to S-W)

~yoa~medn~mtevery~~i&~k'wejll~toanswp
to we&=. About anyx3es-m yoa may be admi WtpentIy what 3s the
%&re?Will it& during the timeof our visit? W h ' bseason ~ to~visit? e.
L ~ ~ ~ f o i l o w i n g o f w e a t h e r f ~ a n d r e p m t sYoumWbe
~in~.
a w a m ~ 6 f i e ~ ~ a v i t a l r o b m t ~h il s y~ w ~ ~ a c e ~ ~ d o a t
IWb w d Tebvhim. The n e also reflort
~ an weather.
~ Beaides yon get Po
knzrw about the weather of cliff- d e s m o n s warld ova' p@&hed rep- and
char@&. ~exam.pleseechart1.
.- -

1
7

18.3 SEASONALITY IN TOURISM T . ,

,
-

'Ibe wwmal variations in climate make significant impact on m v d and tomism T'he
visible impact is the emergence of tourist seasons became of climatic chmges. People
to ooolex placeg like beaches m d mountainresorts during smntlaermonths and to wzwl
dufhg wink%. The development of hill stations in India is @madly due to this phenc
When the metcnry goes up m the plains of India, the hill tops are usually cool and 1
meBritishrulersin India, therefore, &vel@ a number of hill stations tohave a corn
Me W g hot weather seasons. Tbese include Srhagar, Gulmarg, Pahalgam, Shimla, Ka@-
hhudi,Maseaori, Nainital, Shillong, Dajeeling, Mount Abu,
millions of i ~ t ~ a t i o nand
a l domestic tourists visit thesFhifl resorts every year dqmg hot Seasonality and Destinations
weather season. In fact it is an escape from unpleasant weather at home. Some of them have
also become ~ o ~ u lfor a rwinter svorts activities during cold weather seasons.
3 :---<- I
India also has a coastline of about 5700 kms providing a comparatively cool climate during
summg and warmth during wintea. Beach tourism is thus becoming popular in-Indiawith the
development of some of the internationally known beaches like Goa, Kov
Mamallapuram, Pmi, KO& Gopalpur-on-Sea, etc. The climatic differences between
-3.-
different regions have thus helped India to develop beach and hill ot*.

The tourist movement m the whole of the world is, infact, influenced by climatic seasons.
Tourist looks for better weather conditions. Hence, @omthe Tourism pomt of view the hot --
season is the peak season at hill stations. Millions of tourists flock to Meditmranean beaches
in Europe and west coast beaches in United States during summer. During winter, the tourists s-.
travel to warmer regions including India. Relatively few intemafional tourists visit India ?
during summer months as compared to winter d.

The peak rourist season is from October to March with the largest arrivals during the month of
December. The lean tourist season is firom April to June with the lowest arrivals daring the
. .. , -.
month of May. 7 . :.
z7..-%
- : -
The diversity of climates in India with its several striking contrasts is also a motivati
-3'*-.
.. . -
.* -.
. :
+
,-:
5-* .

movement of domestic tourists from one part of the country to anothq. While Assam in the : . A : . - - ; ,-. .
I

east presents extreme dampness, Rajasthan in the west presents extreme drynms. Similarly, i;-.-l.,..__
>;cs
-
.-=.
Punjab in the nortb has continentalclimatewith alternating fierce summer heat and winter co14
~

, .. -
.:-- C
while Kefala in the south has a tropical maritime climate with almost invarying warmth and , -
uniformly moist air. These contrasts in climate between different regions drive millions of
'

people across the country in different seasons. There is narmally a heavy ~ s ofh
north to south during hot weather

origin. - . .
Hottex Areas
,-
..I: .:-
Winter Sports
+
Cold Wather

18.4 FESTIVAL SEASON

The differentregions of the country do have specificcrops and @ads of cultivation -ding
on their climatic seasons. The period of plenty after the harvest in every agriculhual season is
therefore, the time for rejoicing and celebrations. A oumber of fairs am8 festivals have thus
come into being as a part of Indian social life. The Pongal Festival m Tamil Nadu;Paush Meki
at Shantiniketlm, the Festival of Nongkrem m Meghalaya and Onam Festival in Kerala are a
few such festivals. Several 0 t h festivals of historic and religious significatw are also W i
celebrated m differentpart of the country. In fact, the Indian calendar is dotted witb hundreds -
of fairs and festivals whicb ace celebrated with devotion and spiritual fewour. The shem
G ~ P W TO& splendom of thmfarivals can have no rivals. They depict a passim for &m, a surrmds
to ecstasy andan undertenkg faith in the beauty of life.

These fairs amd festivals have became a source of great tourist attmtbn in recent years. A
nmnbea ofthem am thereforebeing organised sys-cally and given wide publicity to amact
tourists. These include a few-festivals celebrated everywhere or in mast parts of the country
andothem ced- only in specific regions. For example Holi is celebrat& m different p m I

of thelcountrybut it is the Holi of Mathura and Vrindawan that has become a tourist attracton.
S b i k $s the case with Dussehra at M y m or Kullu. Pair and Festival amactions of India as - I
per their seasons are mentioned in Appendix.) . .

1) Discas the link betweeu climate and tourism.

............................................................................................................................................
2) What is a festival season?

3) Why do people go to hill stations in summer? 1

i&5 MEASUREMENT OF SEASONALITY 1

in any phenolnenon is achieved through time series which is
or values of the given variable at s u ~ vintervals
e of time.
A $#&ewbii mially consists of the following four campomnts:
-
1) Tpead It is the general tendency of the series to griidudly i n a w e or decrease over a
period of time. For example the international tourist arrivals m India were increasing
steardilg avear the years from a low base during 1951.
2) Cyclfe Mmment -It repments oscWons of greater or lesser regularity about the
wend. Ihebscillation or booms and depressions occur at large inmvals of time.
wement -It represents the fluchiations in the series which occur at regular
We, not exceeding an year. For example, the inbemati& tourist arrivals are
ampfly *highest doring December and the lowest during May m India.
4) RamdamCamponent or Irregular Flmtuationa -'lhe fluctuations which are not
govented by any law or regularity z..;':,pure&]haptzazard are referred to as random
v t -

Them am myad statistical -ques for the estimation oftieachd the above components
&mia Ww seais. Seasonal movement can be rneasmed easily wiEh the help of seasonal
iadices. It is the percentage ratio of the average value of the vartaMe during the qxcifled
season to the over all average per seasan. Usually the seasonal indices am calculated either for
each month or for each quarter. In case the time series is availablefor each month for a period Seasondity and Destinations
of ten years the monthly index for any month is estimated by using the following formula.

Average value for the month "m"

Im =
Overall average value per month

-
- Total of the values for the month / 10
x 100
Total of the values for all the months 1 12 x 10

- Total of the values for the month x 1200

Total of the values for all the months

It bas already been mentioned that the foreign tourist arrivals in India are highly seasonal. It can be
quantified by calculating monthly indices of tourist arrivals as per the calculationsgiven below:

FOREIGN TOURIST ARRIVALS IN INDIA

(Including the nations of Pakistan & Bangladesh)
Month January February March April May June July
Year
1981 116130 104456 114853 105190 81338 89535 105292
1982 116148 104915 113254 105709 82393 87683 112583
1983 117065 102823 117280 101794 81513 87397 111408
1984 123013 113483 118899 112162 87285 76254 92891
1QGS l(33676 101749 108919 96979 85960 93836 109637
1986 128581 118886 137.274 108805 90558 105956 126742
1987 134292 128986 132297 108405 95435 103YL3 !276ll
1988 149156 136776 138840 108804 94649 111381 136857
1989 155633 142279 155497 114046 104237 120188 148884
1990 177984 154758 149653 122986 107989 110033 143973
1991 144173 114567 130178 113862 109988 114658 149215
1992 177475 167268 148559 134895 123446 124386 160971
Total 1643326 1490946 1565503 1333637 1144791 1227229 1526064
(tl) 02) (t5 (t6 t7)
Indices 110 100 105 90 77 83 103

FOREIGN TOURIST ARRIVALS IN INDIA

(Including the nations of Pakistan & Bangladesh)
Month August Sept. October November December Total
Year
1981 112614 88430 115281 113483 132608 1279210

1988 129419 109961 136294 162181 176343 1590661

1989 135666 130581 170321 167134 191627 1736093
1990 133941 128067 146263 151241 180270 1707158
1991 141830 122693 158942 174304 203098 1677508
1992 153529 139746 174622 189573 173182 1867651
Total 1441410 1290778 163297 1681004 1862316 17839921
(t8) 09) (tl0) (t 11) (t12) 0
Indices 97 87 110 113 125

where Index for its month = (Tix 12 x 100

(:eography a i d Tourism It may be seen that the monthly index for December is 125 while the same for the month of
May is 77. It,implies that if 77 persons visit the country during May, about 125 tourists are
expected during December.

DESTINATION MANAGEMENT, MARKETING

AND EMPLOYMENT

The primary concern of destination management is the carrying capacity which is defined as
the threshold limit of tourist traffic. Beyond that carrying capacity the tourists can cause
serious damage to the resources of the deshnation including its environment and ecology. In
the case of seasonality, the limits are applied to peak season arrivals.

In effect, the largest number of tourists who can stay in an area sets the limits of peak season
uaffic.

As a result of the above limit, there is usually a problem of excess capacity in the tourism
infrastructure during lean periods. For example, in the case of a hill station, where the tourist
@fit is mainly during summer months, the hotel rooms and restaurants may remain idle
during winter months. There has to be, therefore, proper infrastructural planning so as to
ensure optimum utilisation of available capacity. The usual practice is to create only so much
of capacity which would ensure an average capacity utilisation of about 70 per cent throughout
the year. The excess demand, if any, during peak period is normally met by "over loading"
and temporary facilities. Overloading is often achieved by converting regular rooms into
dormitories and by extending ggest accommodation to other utility areas. Temporary facilities
are usually tented accommodation, temporary huts, accommodation in transport units etc. But
sometimes this also fails. For example, In 1993 the Goa Government issued press statements
to the effect that those who have no bookings for accommodation should not visit Goa in
December and January for they were not likely to get a place to stay.

The marketing strategy for any destination or facility has to be formulated on the basis of the
extent of seasonality and the capacities available. It would involve special promotions,
off-season prices and development of new products. For example, in the case of hill resorts,
winter s p a s can be developed as a special attraction and sold at special off-seasonprices. The
development of new off-season markets to achieve demand substitution by domestic and
regional tourists is yet another method of dealing with seasonality in tourism. Thus, a clear
understanding of seasonahty is a primary requisite in formulating effective tourism marketing
strategies.

The seasonality in tourist traffic to any destination seriously affects the employmentpotential.
The providers of various tourist services tend to retain only the minimum number of persons
on a regular basis. The excess demand during peak periods is met by extending the working
hours of existing employees or by recruiting people on ad-hoc basis for short periods of time.
Even, self employed persons may have to remain ideal during lean periods as there may not be
enough demand for their services. They have to, therefore, find alternate jobs in other sectors
of the economy during such periods. At times, because of climatic variations the job market is
affected during the peak season also. For example early rains in the plains during summer
check the flow of tourists to hill stations having a chain reaction on the employment pattern
there.

Check Your Progress 2

1) How can seasonal movement be measured?

..............................................................................................................................................
..............................................................................................................................................
..............................................................................................................................................
I 2) What @ ~ v ~ l o a d h g ? Seasonality and Destinations

Destinations in India

3) Discuss the link between s e a s a w and m~lovmentmfential at a destination. 1

18.7 DESTINATION
8

In Unit 1 we discussed what a destination m m s m tourisn Here we will give you some more
information related to destination. .;-T~z:,z.

r; ,.g$$$i!
2
.Destinations can be naturally attractive like wild life sanctuaries or they can be designed with
man-made or artificial atttactions like amusement or theme parks, historical complexes or
holiday villages. People and their customs and life style including fairs, festivals, masic,
dance, and omamentatioh can also. be staged as attractions. The Jaisalmer W e n Festival is an
exercise of this kind. Many destinations have been developed as 8 modal designs, around a
I
I
central attraction or an activity complex, where supplemenmy attractions and facilities & in
close geographical proximity. Such modal atmctions can then form c h i t s that fink places of
interest where tourists can make day trips and return to a particular cenm or resort which
provides the amenities and entertainment which tourists demand. Such modal destinations are
ideal for pakkage tours which sell because they combine so many activities and cover an area
extensively.

Destinations and attractions also cover a vast area. They mencourage hear to& which is
popular with motorists and coach tours, such as the number of attractions that can be covered
between Delhi and Jaibur or Bangalore and Ooty. Tourists can make stopovers as they like and ,
I for as long as they wish.

m r e than the site or the event, the amaction of a dest&tion lies in the image that the potential
tourist has of a particular place. For example, m y tourists thinks of India as a single
destination. For others, North India is the primary atttaction because of Raj literature. For
some Jndia is a land of Temples whilst for m&y its attraction lies in Mughal Forts and Palaces.
Many reject India because it is strange and therefore fearsome and for many the poverty of
India is a deterrent. In fact the image of a destination depends on a variety of f a c m like
attitude of the host population, civic amenities, natural smundings, accessibility, food ete.

The image is neither constructed nor deconstruw over night. It tends to build up over time.
In many cases it ends up in stereotypes created by the media or the promoters of touristrelated
practices and seruices. Eor example, for a long time the image of India was that of a land of
I snake charmars and rope climbingfhkirs. Gradually many realistic things are now being added I
-1 I
No destination can become popular unless it is accessible
the tourists demand. Essential services are accommodation ~ C I food, backed up by local
transport, activities and entertainment. In some cases the ameniuc, themselves become the
attraction as is the case with handis in Rajasthan. One reason for their attraction lies in the fact
that they can be reached easily. Whilst the adventurer or explorer may enjoy the struggle to get
there, the average tourist will not.
- . -

Accessibility means regular, efficient and convenient transport at an affordable Hce. Private
- .
transport requires good roads, service stations and wayside facilities. However a
Ican become too accessible and therefore overcrowded like Mussorie, Shimla Br Nainital. 1
 ~ m p h md
y ~d- ::- . limited opening up of remote areas in difficult terrain, like Ladakh, have in a sense suffered
r: fiom the problems associated with accessibility. Most destinations which have had long-term
i ,-

successhave grown on the basis of unique attractions, like the Mount Everest or Vaishno Devi.
f
t
D~~ m ~ndk However, mass tourists aremore concerned with the pvis.ion of leisure activity like sun, sand
and surf, which have a demand because they fultilthe idea of a holiday.

Tourist destinations, iike other products, have life cycles-enjoying periods of grovrth and
expansion and tben decline and .&ray. Decline sets in becruse of overcrowdingand dtanging
trends and lifestyles. Growing environmental consciousness and alternative ideolo~ies,as
well as activism have led to changes in the perception of tourists so that such tourisu, would
l i i to dismce themselves from mass tourists, and avoid the beaten track. Such tourists want
to do things they have never done before and they want to forget comforts for a while. They
hy to establish more contact with local pezrple and use the same facilities as the local
population uses. Then there are tourists who believe that even alternatives can have a
disturbing effect, particularly in developing countries because the contact between tourists and
residents is much more intimate. For example, as in Jaisalmer as, say, compared to Khijuraho,
where the tourist is enclosed and encapsulated.

Such timrbts want to sustain the destination. They would like to clean up beaches, pick up
debris in the mountains and be responsible to destination. However, susathable tourism is idso
suspect. For example in the opinion of the World Wild Life Fund toInists are an anlid* to
pmwilay md cunserving force which has been contestedby local g o p m n s that depend on
tit& ~G.BI'+m
W-nt for their s d v J and are being denied acxsw to the m n m e s . Here,
fact thatin m y cases d e . % m m s&so dteanine the tcltanist
e wild life saneluarlesa& op%n thrmmt the year. For CXZWII
mmb tfre?y-weclosed to the visitors. The same could be the with sane pil-
d e s t i w W e Ammath or Badrinath.

'That suins np %becreation of a tourist destination.

.. -

I
1) What $the impmaw of svpgimentary amtnities. and itame&ms?

I 18.8 LET US SUM UP

Sgasonsllity has its own meaning in relation to tokism. Variations in climate have their own
h q x t o a Pravel and tourism. Tourist seasons are governed by climatic conditions at the place
of miginas well as destination. There are ways to measure sea.onality in tourism. Seasonality f
has its impact on destination management and employment. Destinations have their life cycle
and their image is built over the years. In certain cavles the supplementary attractiom and
services become primary attractionsover a petiodof time. .
 Seasonality And Destinati

Amenities : Facilities
Antidote -:@?EL: Medicine against a diseases
. .. -...
climate -- : Average weather condition prevailing m an area over successive years
: Heap of rejected articles
Destination : Place to be visited
: Sleeping room with several beds
: Excessive happiness

Infrastructure : Permanent mstallation of basic nature

: Off-season time
: In the form of line
: Denoting manner
: Maximum

: Illegal killing of wild-life

: To be able to measure

: Of the same type

8.10 ANSWERS TO CHECK YOUR PROGRESS

Check Your Progress 1

1) Mention how climate &ides the destination of a tourist place e.g. hill station in su

2) A period of festivals that serves as an attraction to a tourist to visit the destination. See Sec.

Naturally, in order to escape from the heat and dryness.

2) Overloading in tourism languagemeans meeting the ex

in the existing infrastructure.e.g. converting a single

) Base your answer on the last para of Sec.18.6

The quality of supplementary services like local armsport, entertainment etc. are linked to

tourists. See Sec. 18.7.

 :,+ .
-.,
Geography wad Tourism

SEASONALITY AND TOURIST AT'I'RACTIONS:

I FESTIVALS AND FAIRS OF INDIA
> The year starts with a festive note. The NEW YEAR DAY is celebrated throughout the country
with enflwsiasm and pageantry. The festival of harvest, PONGAL is J s o celebrated in the
.same month in Tamil Nadu, Kamataka and Andhra Pratlesh. Newly haivested rice is cooked
and offered to the Sun God, Surya, and village cattles are decorated and paraded ai a part of
. the PAUSHMELA at Shantiniketan and in Uttar PradeIsh, it is MAKAR S A N K P m on
which day millions of devotees take a dip in river Ganga at Prayag (AUahabad). A spectacular
KITE FESTIVAL is held at Ahmedabad on the day and the skies are dappled with bright hi.
The festivities include kite flying competitions, cultural shows, food fests and exhtbitions of
exciting handicrafts.

. The REPUBLIC DAY is celebrated on 26th ~ano&. It is a national fe:;tival and

commemorates the day India became a republic in 1950. National flag hoisting and pageantry
parades are held at all the State Capitals on the day. Thz most magnificent show of pomp is at
New Delhi with parades, floats and cultural extravaganza.

The GRENT ELEPHANT MARCH is a major iourism went in Kerala in the month of January.
An usual elephant marathon of over 100 decorated elephants is held
ts like tug of war between elephants, boat race etc.

anuary or tn me beginning of February, a fair called GANGA SAGAR

I MFLA is held at the estuary of Ganga in West Bengal where millions of pilgrhs gather to-take :
a holy bath.

The month of February is also equally coJour?uI WIUI several resuvals and fairs A unique
cattle fair is held at Nagaur, a place in Thar desert, during February-March every year.
T h o ~ofsh o w , caWes, camels and other a n W are brought and uadd in the fair. Folk
dances, music and other cultural shows are also organised during the fair for the entertainment
of the visitors. The other festivals which make Rajasthan ariot of colours during the month are
Ule DESERT FAIR at Jaisalmer and the HADOTI FESTIVAL at Kota. A major event of the
month in Harya~ais the SURAJKUWD CR'AFTS MELA where handicraft items from all over
the country are displayed in a recreated village. The cultural events and food stalls in the
village regresent the rural India in its entirety. While the Indian craftsmen adorn Surajkund,
the classicaldancers of India bring alive lhe sculptexl panels on the temples of Khajuraho
d u h g a week long DANCE FESTIVAL. The festival attempts to revive the intimate
relationship between classical dances and temples culture. HOLI the festival of colours is
celebrated almost all over India except a few States in the South. People of all ages participate
in the holy celebrations and throw colours and water cln their friends. The exeberr~nt festival is
preceded by VASANT PANCHAMI, a spring festival dedicated to Saraswati, the goddess of
learning.

No less festive is the month of March. An ebullient festival of the month is !ZHIVRATRI
devo~edto the worship of Lord Shiva The temples devoted t this deity are thronged by
devotees the whole day and night on Shivratri.

The month of April brings the Hindu s o h new year day BMSAKHI which is celebrated with
dances and festivities throughout north India. In Punjab, it is celebrated with astoupding
--
revelry and featjny and the elabed Bhangra dance is performed at every village. !&. -. -
,
Xi

two week long spring festival called GANGAUR FESTIVAL is celebrated at Jaipur in
vaneration of goddess Gauri on the last day of the celebrations, a procession ,with chariots, ',
1

I 2
dancers, musicians, decorated camels, horses and elephants takes the idol of godtless Gauri out
in a planquin.

I@ the south at Madurai, a matriage ceremony is enac€ed every year betiveen goddess
Meenakshi and her consort Sundareshwarar. It is called CHITRAI FESTIVAL which
culminates in procession with the dieties carried in a chariot. Another spectacular temple

:-E
,
 :Sea..odty and Destinations
arisoned hered of elephants accomp ythm of fast beating temple

An important festival in the month of May is ID-UL- s celebrated by Muslims all

over India. It is a festival of prayers, family reunion and feasts to celebrate the end of Ramzan,
the month of fasting. In Rajbthan, URS is celebrated at the dargah of Ajmer to commemorate
the symbolic union of sUfm.int Khoja Moinuddin Chisti with God The International Flower
Festival at Gangtok is anotber spectacular event of the month in which flora and fauna along
with ovex 500 varieties of orchids are displayed.

As heat wave condition prevail in the plains of north India during the month of June, visitors
move to Leh to enjoy HEMIS FESTIVAL which include mask-dances in the courtyard of
Hemis Monastery.

One of the most spectacular temple festivals of India is the RATH YATRA held at Puri during
June-July. The most impressive part of the festival is a chariot procession m whici~Lord
Jagannath is taken out in an ancient and huge chariot of 14m high along with other chariots.
All chariots are drawn entirely by thousands of devotees, displaying deep devotion and

ID-UL-ZUHA or BAKRZD is celebrated by Muslims all over India in the month of July. The
festival commemorates the sacrfice of prophet Ibrahims son is obedience to a command of

INDEPENDENCE DAY is celebrated throughout India on 15th August every year. Rat
hoisting, bands by armed forces and cultural shows are the highliits of the debratioas. In
Delhi, the Prime Minister hoist the national flag and receive salute at Red Fort.

festivities 'include staging of Krishna Leela and offering prayers in temples. In Manipu~
'Ras-Leela*dances are staged. Elaborate rituals are observed at Mathura and Brindavan where
Lord Krishan is believed to have spent his childhood and youth.

The most exciting festival of the W,od is the harvest festival, ONAM, celebrated in Kerala
The people of this tine State irrespective of their age, sex, caste and creed welwme their
beloved king Mahabli back from his exile with clean and decorated houses, flower columns,
music and dances. A special attraction of the festivities is the Nehu Boat Race held at

GANESH CHATURTHl is celebrated in Maharashha, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and

Karnataka during September. The elephant headed God, Ganesh, is worshipped for 7 days and
then the idols are taken out in spectacular processions with devotees chanting and dancing, to
be immersed in the sea or lakes.

1 *--=. II
The birth annivetsary of Mahatma Gandhi is celebrated on second October every year as
GANDHI JAYANTI. Prayer meetings and social activities are organised throughout India on
the day. Special functions are held at Rajghat in Delhi and at Sabamati Asbram in
Ahmedabad.
-"7
I
A most coiourful festival cedebrafed in almost all pacts of India is DEEF'AWALI. ?he hooses
are lighted with lamps and sweets ark exchanged.

The year closes with CHEUS'IMAS which is celebrated on 25.December. Prayers are
organised at Churches and cakes distributed among people of all coomuniti&.

.
:.
-. .: