Festivals in Kolkata
kolkata many festival throughout year largest magnificently celebrated festival city durga puja feature colourful pandals decorative idol hindu goddess durga family lighting decoration firework major festival diwali kali puja holi saraswati puja poush parbon poila boishakh christmas eid alfitr eid aladha etc bengali new year poila baisakh first day month baisakh celebrated around april basis lunar calendar bangabda visitor home greeted sweet trade establishment decorated auspicious garland marigold aam leaf shopowners businessmen offer puja dakshineshwar kali temple kalighat kali temple morning new ledgershalkhata businessmen also offer free sweet goodwill gesture day celebrated cultural programme throughout kolkata durga puja held september–october biggest important festival west bengal well kolkata mark victory tenarmed goddess durga buffalo demon mahishasur signifies victory good evil festival commences mahalaya week actual puja celebration begin sashthi continue saptami ashtami navami vijaya dashami festival come end pandals set idol goddess durga four child lakshmi saraswati kartik ganesh worshipped displayed five day across state especially kolkata pandals erected throughout kolkata suburb pujas also conducted sizeable number family household elaborate ritual performed priest amid sound drum dhaak conch shell shaankh bell many devotee join prayer although root durga puja essentially religious festival slowly changed social carnival religious festival people religious ethnic background freely participate festivity become kolkata biggest public spectacle glamorous art event consumerist carnival city decked lighting decoration loudspeaker play popular song well recitation mantra priest shop restaurant eatery stay open night fair set numerous park public space road become overcrowded hundred thousand devotee reveller pandalhoppers visiting pandals puja day number crowd estimated million festive day night possibly second largest annual human congregation hajj creates chaotic traffic condition vehicular movement come standstill many place elaborate security arrangement made kolkata police additional personnel deployed prevent untoward incident well maintain crowd movement train bus taxi mode transport operate whole night crowd pour city nearby district town festival celebrated shopping giftgiving usually new clothes family social gathering communal feasting different cultural performance modern day puja celebration also include reading special pujabarshiki magazine going tour watching movie special programme tv preparing special food item dining etc puja holiday bijaya dashami day festival people bid adieu goddess durga offering sweet sindoor bidding adieu goddess married woman assemble near idol apply vermilion foot forehead smear vermillion part last celebration idol taken grand procession song dance music immersed water idol immersion ceremony continues next day people distribute sweet visit friend family member relative exchange bijoya greeting kali puja coincides north indian festival diwali major festival west bengal probably second largest durga puja goddess kali worshipped night thousand pandals home temple kali puja lightup night bengal well kolkata people decorate home diyas candle light draw colourful rangolis floor home child adult burst firecracker burn sparkler throughout night large number devotee visit temple offer prayer goddess animal especially goat sacrificed place two day bhai phonta bhatri dwitiya virtually brother day bhai phonta sister fast morning till put mark sandalwood paste brother forehead treat gift delicacy pray god sound health safety prosperity brother brother return present gift sister saraswati puja festival honouring goddess learning art celebrated domestic pujas familial gathering kolkata date last week january middle february day sacred saraswati goddess learning whose worship celebrated great splendor mainly student artist book often worshipped lieu clay image goddess girl worshiper usually wear saffron yellowcoloured cloth puja especially celebrated school educational institute give chance freemixing among school kid equivalent valentine day typical bhog accompanies puja depends dramatically whether family initially west bengal ghoti east bengal — bangladesh —or bangal ghotis vegetarian fare bangals offer paired ilish fish goddess consume north indian festival holi celebrated supposedly coincident advent spring holi bengal known dol yatra holi dol yatra locally known festival color celebration start city burning holika bonfire night holi known nera pora local occasion lord krishna goddess radha worshioped also auspicious birth tithi th century vaishnav saint sri chaitanya mahaprabhu festival colour involve throwing sprinkling smearing powdered colour aabir water colour jal rang others unknown passersby often get drenched coloured water balloon celebration often get rowdy rambunctious men partaking intoxicating drink shiddhi bhang often laced stronger chara nowadays holi party usually mean frolicking dance various delicacy like sweet beverage etc dover lane music festival hindustani classical music performance established musician several country well new musician held past year january conglomerate holiday – january period comprises three allnight recital initially held open air dover lane ballygunge area south kolkata due large crowd held openair theatre nazrul mancha southern avenue ballygunge area held conjunction dover lane music conference kolkata international book fair kolkata boi mela world largest nontrade annual book fair well largest book fair asia held milan mela ground near science city embypass fair stall selling r worth book attracting million visitor annually started publisher bookseller association monmarte new poet artist annual theme country author like günter grass richard dawkins visiting fair chief guest offer typical fairground experience literary theme picknicker singersongwriters artiste candyfloss vendor start last wednesday january continues twelve day including two weekend kolkata international cinema festival screened annually november largest kind india started affiliated international federation film producer association fiapf paris kolkata strong tie filmmaking icon satyajit ray mrinal sen recently rituparno ghosh boosted festival screen number international critically acclaimed new film every year nandikars national theatre festival initiated commemorate nandikars silver jubilee annual event kolkata festival organized nandikar theatre group national theatre festival annual event first week june organised kolkata eso natak shikhiwwwesonatakshikhicom kolkatabased group theatre working child since team india abroad participate perform rabindra sadan festival assisted ministry culture information government west bengal ministry transport sport government west bengal eastern zonal cultural centre ministry tourism culture govt india international history heritage exhibition also known itihaas utsav আন্তর্জাতিক ইতিহাস উৎসব organised sabarna sangrahashala event held every february barisha four day long event display rare artifact document information cultural heritage bengal india world kolkata international dance festival established promote indian classical folk dance form among youth beyond international boundary started one youngest cultural festival kolkata team india abroad participate perform dance festival festival assisted ministry culture government india bharatiya vidya bhavan hosted month january last hosted january celebrated th kolkata international dance festival kolkata international dance festival also holdes world record hour non stop indian classical dance marathon created successfully september dancer around india neighbouring country performed indian classical dance event photo kolkata durga puja kolkata durga puja pandals committee photo od eid namaz calcutta photo soul day calcutta photo chinese new year calcutta