Notable Festivals of Jammu and Kashmir

Glistening as the Switzerland of the East, the state of Jammu and Kashmir enraptures the soul of every
wanderlust who pays a visit to the beguiling state. The picturesque state is full of charismatic valleys,
meandering lakes, blur tinted rivers and ice-fed glaciers. On the contrary, the state always in limelight
due to communal tensions still manages to provide a home to different religions residing in harmony
and peace.

Jammu and Kashmir provides shelter to 68.3% of Muslims, 28.4% of Hindus and small minorities follow
Sikhism (1.9%), Buddhism (0.9%) and Christianity (0.3%), as per the 2011 census. Pertaining to the
different religious communities harmonizing and teeming in peace in the state, the state, therefore, is a
home to several festivals like Lohri, Holi, Navratri, Baisakhi or New Year Day, Guru Ravi Dass Birthday,
Tihar and Sankranti. Interestingly, all Hindu, Muslim or Sikh fairs and festivals are religiously pragmatic in
the entire state of Jammu and Kashmir. Some of the most vividly colorful and enjoyable festivals of the
state are illustrated below.

Hemis Festival:
Hemis festival is the most exquisite and widely celebrated festival in Jammu and Kashmir. It is
dedicated to lord Padmasambhava, the founder of Tibetan Buddhism. This festival marks the
birth anniversary of the lord and is celebrated for two days in the fifth month of the year, also
called Tibetan lunar month. The festivities take place in a large courtyard of the Hemis Gompa
monastery and men get dressed up in traditional attires and women also wear heavy jewelry
and headgears to dance on the beats of drums and horns and cymbals. They perform Chaam
Dance, the traditional dance of lamas.
 Tulip Festival:
The beautiful state of Jammu and Kashmir is a home to several varieties of tulips. The state
flourishes with Tulips during the spring season and has the largest Tulip Garden in Asia. The
Tulip festival boasts of the variety of Tulips found in the state and takes place at the Indira
Gandhi Memorial Tulip Garden in Srinagar, Kashmir. The festival also showcases local
handicrafts, luscious cuisine, cultural programs and copious varieties of tulips.

Eid ul Azha and Eid ul Fitr:

 With the Muslim majority in the religious state of Jammu and Kashmir, Eid ul Azha and Eid ul Fitr
are celebrated with full zeal and gusto. The festival witnesses participation of the majority of the
masses. Eid-ul-Fitr takes place on the first day of the tenth month of the Islamic lunar calendar
and celebrates the end of Ramadan. Eid-ul-Azha is celebrated on the tenth day of the last
Islamic month of Zilhij and occurs about two months after Eid-ul-Fitr. Both the festivals are
equally vital and during the celebrations of Eid ul Azha, animals are sacrificed and children
receive gifts and Eidi (money) from parents and others. While during Eid-ul-Fitr, Muslims express
their joy and happiness by offering a congregational prayer in the mosques after a month of
fasting.

Urs:
Urs is an important festival of Kashmir that showcases the diversified religions harmoniously
residing in the state. The Urs, also known as Ziarats witnesses participation from Muslims,
Hindus and Sikhs. It is a gigantic cross-community celebration and is celebrated numerous times
in a year. Essentially, this festival is celebrated on the death anniversaries of renowned Muslim
saints like Meesha Sahib, Batamol Sahib and Bahauddin.
 Baisakhi:
Baisakhi is widely celebrated in the Indian states including Haryana, Punjab and most
importantly, Kashmir. In Kashmir, it is celebrated in the Hindu month of Vaisakh (April-May) and
marks the starting of the harvest season in Northern India and is also considered auspicious for
marriage. The festival holds special importance for Sikhs as it represents the birth anniversary of
Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Sikh Guru. The Baisakhi festival in Kashmir is also characterized by
a number of fairs that are organized on the day. The festival features the performance of the
bhangra and gidda dance.
 The celebration and zest that soaks the Jammu and Kashmir atmosphere during these festivals
outnumber any other celebration within the nation. People whirl, frolic and enjoy all these
festivals with high spirits. These festivals along with the beautiful tourist places in Jammu and
Kashmir make the state a must visit. It is heaven on earth especially for the newly wed couples
who wish to spend some alone time with each other. Jammu and Kashmir is the major tourist
hub in India and it is because of this that the number of online websites that provide Kashmir
tour packages, Pahalgam holiday packages and Kashmir honeymoon packages have increased.

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