Festivals of Madhya Pradesh form an integral part of the rich and diverse culture of the state. A number of festivals are celebrated in Madhya Pradesh. An important tribal festival is Bhagoriya Festival marked by traditional gaiety and enthusiasm. Shivaratri is celebrated in Khajuraho, Bhojpur, Pachmarhi and Ujjain and has its own local flavour while Ramnavami festival at Chitrakoot and the princely state of Orchha has a unique sense of devotion imbued with tradition. Festivals of Orchha, Malwa, and Pachmarhi bring to the fore the rich culture and art of the people of Madhya Pradesh.
The long-traditional religious festivals of the Hindus, Muslims and other communities are famous in Madhya Pradesh. All these fairs and festivals link the souls of different religion and steep them in the colour of festivities.
Different Festivals of Madhya Pradesh
Following are the famous festivals of Madhya Pradesh:
Lokrang Festival: Throughout the festival, the stage exhibits various forms of folk dances, music, and ethnic dances. Lokrang is a cultural festival in which all the dancers put their top foot forwards and matches their steps with the folk music. It is held in Bhopal.
Khajuraho Festival: Khajuraho dance festival is the expression of the proper Indian dance forms. All the concerts take place in an open air stage, right opposite to Chitragupta and Vishwanatha Temple. Throughout this week-extensive cultural festival, various forms of dances are performed which have its ancestry in India.
Bhagoria Haat Festival: Bhagoria Haat Festival is one of its category in which young girls and boys have a right to escape after choosing their life partner. It is celebrated with huge splendour and show by the tribal people of Madhya Pradesh.
Ujjain Kumbh Mela: Ujjain Kumbh Mela honours the triumph of good in the clash of superiority against the evil. The festival is organized four times in every twelve years in the four cities of India- Allahabad, Haridwar, Ujjain or Nasik.
Malwa Utsav: Malwa Utsav is one of the chief leading and most amazing events in Madhya Pradesh. Performers from diverse parts of the world come to Indore & Ujjain to be part of this amazing celebration of art, music, dance, drama and culture.
Nagaji Fair: Fair of Nagaji is celebrated to memorize the great saint, Saint Nagaji. It is mostly celebrated in the tribal area of Madhya Pradesh.
Chethiyagiri Vihara Festival: During the Chethiyagiri Vihara Festival to Sanchi people can see the enormous moment of Buddhist monks and followers. People come here to see the object of the two great disciples of the Buddha, Sariputta, and Mahamogallena.
Tansen Samaroh: The festival is the oldest and one of the most excellent musical festivals in India and is an honour to famous musical maestro Tansen. During the festival, musical personages gather under Tansen Tomb and do make musical performances for four days.
Pachmarhi Utsav: In this festival, for five days, every evening a cultural evening is organized which feature the artists of national and international repute. There are also many stalls in the festival which serves delicious food. Inside the exhibition, the things on display are carpets, bamboo, dress materials, and sculptures produced specially by the local people.
Madai Festival: The Madai Festival is held in the third or fourth week of the month of February every year. The Madai Festival is one of the unique attractions of Bastar held in the different villages stretched out from Mandla to Bastar. The entire night is spent in dancing, eating and enjoying to the fullest.
Nimar Utsav: It is a three day occasion which is a complete feast of music, dance, drama, boating and canoeing. It is organized by the state government of Madhya Pradesh and is celebrated on the banks of the holy river Narmada.
Apart from these, Festivals of Madhya Pradesh include Holi, Shivratri Mela, Krishna Janamashtmi, Shab-I-Barat, Diwali etc.
