6 Noteworthy Festivals To Experience In Bihar

Festivals are a reflection of the rich diversity and also bring communities together. Feasts and festivities are tools to bring exuberance and enthusiasm to the monotonous life. While the celebrations happen all over the year in India, festivals are the time when cultures are seen at their vibrant best.

Coming to Bihar, a state where people from different religions coexist harmoniously is a true manifestation of rich culture and traditions. Festivals are the soul of Bihar and each festival has intriguing fables attached to it. Festivities here are marked with fasts, feasts, and folk songs that are peculiar to this culturally bound state.

If you are looking for some distinct and noteworthy experience of festivals in this part of the country, then here is a piece of information. Take a look:

# Chhath Puja

Chhath Puja is the famous and main festival of Bihar. Bihar is an ancient land having deep roots in religion. Folks in Bihar, being spiritually inclined, celebrate many festivals to worship God. Chhath Puja is the only Vedic festival that is dedicated to the Sun God. The festival is celebrated twice a year, in Chaitra Maas (March) and in Kartik Maas (November). It is 4 days of festivity where people fast and offer prayers during the sunset gathering near the river banks.

They also sing folk songs and dance in praise of Surya Dev and Chhatti Maiyya. People in Bihar have immense faith in this festival and they maintain sanctity and purity in their households. It is believed that through this festival many negative energies are eradicated from the surrounding.

# Makar-Sankranti

Makar Sankranti is the harvest festival of Bihar. Similar to Pongal in South India and Lohri in North India, Makar-Sankranti, known as Tila Sankrant in Bihar incorporates religious as well as mythological significance. Every year in January, Makar Sankranti Mela is held at Rajgir. During this festival, devotees offer flowers to the deities in the temples and take a dip in the holy water of hot springs.

Another part of Bihar that lies in the Banka district celebrates the festival by organizing a massive fair at Mandar Hills. With its origin in Mahabharata, it is believed that the conch shell -the shank of Lord Krishna has been found on the hills. To celebrate the mythological roots, Makar Sankranti is therefore amongst the most famous and most auspicious festivals in Bihar.

# Buddha Jayanti

Bihar being the place where Gautam Buddha attained enlightenment, Buddha Jayanti is, therefore, the revered festival in Bihar. It is celebrated in Bodh Gaya and Rajgir on a full moon day (Purnima) in May. Buddha Poornima is the most sacred day for Buddhists which is why an outsized number of individuals belonging to the Buddhist community pay a visit to the Mahabodhi temple in Bodh Gaya.

This can be considered to be the holiest shrine for Buddhists. The celebration begins with a procession from the 80-ft tall Buddha statue up to the Bodhi tree behind the temple. The temple premises and adjoining locality are decorated with typical colorful flags of Buddhism. Except for the disciples of Buddha, the festival is additionally attended by many international tourists.

# Sonepur Cattle Fair

It is Asia’s largest cattle fair that is celebrated in Sonepur and has its roots in ancient mythology and folklore. It is believed that Chandragupta Maurya used to buy elephants and horses across the river Ganges and since then the fair is being held once a year in November. Except for being famous for the trade of domestic cattle, this festival is also famous for taking a holy dip in the river and offering prayer at Hariharnath Temple.

As Sonepur is situated at the confluence of river Ganga and Gandhak, it is regarded as a holy site. During the fair, handicrafts and handlooms are also displayed along with folk dances and magic shows. One of the many attractions of the Sonepur cattle fair is the sight of well-decorated elephants that are delivered to the fair with the aim of selling. Every year the fair observes a large number of Indian as well as foreign tourists.

# Rajgir Mahotsav

An annual event, Rajgir Mahotsav is a festival of dance and music. A three-day affair in Rajgir which is an ancient capital of the Magadha Empire in Bihar is held in the last week of October. Organized by the Tourism Department of Bihar, the event is a cultural depiction of diverse art forms and folk dances and music of Bihar.

Many renowned artists from all over the world take part in the cultural event besides organizing various engaging activities and contests such as martial arts, tonga race, mehndi art, Mahila Utsav, etc. The vibrant amusement of the fair attracts many tourists from around the world.

# Sama-Chakeva

Celebrated in November, the ten-day festival Sama-Chakeva has a special significance in Mithila. It marks the bond between brothers and sisters and it begins soon after the arrival of colorful migratory birds that are regionally named Sama And Chakeva. It tells the story of Sama who is believed to be the daughter of Lord Krishna. She was falsely accused to which her father got furious, eventually punishing her by turning her into a bird.

It is believed that the love and sacrifice of her brother Chakeva helped her to get back to her human form. The festival is celebrated in a unique style by representing the local art form of making idols. The hand-made clay idols of these brother-sister birds are then immersed in the river by the girls following certain rituals and traditions. Folklores being exquisite in Bihar, every festival is incomplete without folk songs. The festival ends with a wish of their return in the following year and bidding adieu (Vidai) by singing folk songs.