Festivals of Punjab

 Lohri is celebrated as a mark of the end of the winter season. It is one of the most famous festivals of Punjab. It is celebrated around 13th January. It is also celebrated as the harvesting time of  Rabi crops(winter crops), etc.  They also celebrated the harvest of sugarcane in this festival. It is celebrated by beating Dhol, Nagadas and singing traditional Lohri songs. There are special celebrations in the house of newborns and newlyweds, people share sweets with their neighbors too.

Vaishakhi is also pronounced as Baisakhi, is a famous festival celebrated by Hindus and Sikhs. It is celebrated for marking the beginning of the Hindu Solar New year.  It is celebrated on the first day of the month Vaishakha and is usually celebrated on the 13th of 14th April every year. It is also known as the festival of harvest.

Teeyan is also known as Punjabi Teej. It is a cultural festival celebrated by women at the onset of the monsoon season. It begins on the third day of Saawan Maas and ends on Saawan Purnima. It is a total of 13 days duration. Girls and women tie swings on trees and enjoy swinging on them. They dance together in their traditional dance form, Giddha. Earlier, married women needed to spend the entire Saawan Maas at their maternal home but now women fast on the Saawan full moon day and eat a well-prepared meal after that fast is over.

Guru Parab or Guru Nanak Parab is also known as Guru Nanak Jayanti is celebrated on the 13th of November every year. It is a Sikh festival. It celebrates the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev Ji who was the first Guru of the Sikhs and the founder of Sikhism. It is celebrated with a lot of excitement by the Punjabi and Sikh community all over India. This festival is celebrated to thank Guru Nanak Ji for shaping the religion and preach the importance of religious devotion. During this time, many processions are held in various parts of Punjab in Delhi, offer selfless service to everyone, offering food and drink, regardless of their caste or background. There is a non-stop reading of the Sikh's holy book by Guru Granth Sahib Ji. This is also called an Akhand path, which starts 2 days before the actual day.

Hola Mohalla is a famous festival of Punjab celebrated by the Sikh community especially.  It is celebrated for three days. According to the Nanakshahi calendar used by Sikhs, the celebration starts from the second day of the lunar month of Chett. This procession takes place in Takht Sri Keshgarh Sahib located in Anandpur in the district of Rupnagar, Punjab. It is one of the 5 Sikh takhts that hold special historical significance. This place marks the birth of Khalsa point and has real artifacts from those days. Hola means the charge of an army and Mohalla means an organised procession. During this festival,  Sikhs gather together and exhibit their martial arts, swordsmanship, and horse-riding skills. People play gatka, enjoy delicious food served at various food stalls and listen to soothing hymns that recite the name of God.

  Karwa Chauth is celebrated on the fourth day after Purnima in the month of Kartika in North India. During this festival, Hindu women fast from sunrise to moonrise for the safety and longevity of their husbands without having food or a single drop of water. When the moon rises the fasting woman has to view the moon or its reflection in a vessel filled with water through a sieve or cloth or dupatta. Women then offer the water to the moon and pray for the long life of their husbands. At the end, when the moon rises, husbands, feed their wives with water and sweets. Women celebrate this festival to show their love towards their husbands.

Bhai dooj also called in regional name, Bhau Beej, Bhai Tika and so on. This festival is celebrated on the 2nd day of Shukla paksha (bright fortnight) in Kartik Maas (a month in the Hindu samvat calendar). It is observed on the second day after Diwali. This festival follows the same customs like that of Raksha Bandhan. This festival is all about the special bond shared between brothers and sisters. The sister ties Kalawa on her brother's wrist to keep her safe and protect her. Then she applies Tikka on her brother's forehead. This festival is celebrated with lots of sweets and foods.

Basant Panchami is a festival celebrated to mark the beginning of Basanta or the spring season. It is celebrated on the fifth day of the lunar month of Magha, according to the Punjabi calendar. During this festival, people fly kites from the rooftops. This festival marks the importance of ' yellow' as a colour. It marks the harvest of yellow mustard, whose flowers bloom in Yellow colour. People wear yellow clothes, Namdhari Sikhs distribute langars at Gurudwara and share their harvest with others. This festival is not confined to any religious identity, even Punjabi Muslim celebrate this festival with great enthusiasm.

Chhapar Mela, an annual fair organised in the village of Chhapra in the district of Ludhiana of Punjab. This Mela celebrates the advent of the local folk deity known as Gugga Pir or 'Snake God '. It is organised on the fourth day of Bhadas Maas( September). Chhapar Mela has been organised for over 150 years in the Malwa belt. There are many folklores behind the worship of this deity, one such is: there was a farmer who had a son and a snake. The two of them were very close to each other and felt each other's pain. But one day, the snake died accidentally and the boy also died later. The boy, Gugga and the snake were assigned a particular spot where people come and worship them.

Shaheedi Jor Mela, also known as Shaheedi  Sabha. It is a 3 days long religious congregation (sabha). It is celebrated every year in the month of December at Gurdwara Fatehgarh Sahib in the district of Fatehgarh Sahib, Punjab. During this period,  Sikhs come together to pay honour to the martyrdom of Sahib Zaade Baba Zorawar Singh and Baba Fateh Singh, who were the younger sons of the tenth Guru of the Sikh order, Guru Govind Singh Ji. On the first-day people do prayers and kirtans. These brave hearts are remembered for their sacrifice. They were imprisoned along with the mother of Guru Gobind Singh, Matu Gujri. They were forced to convert to Islam but they refused abhorrently. Due to continuous refusal, the governor of Zirhind, Wazir Khan buried them alive. The three of them sacrificed their lives for the sake of their beloved community and religion.