Festivals of West Bengal

Festivals in the state of West Bengal is always celebrated with great pomp and show, be it a big event or a small one. The Bengali year starts with the first Baisakh that is the Naba Barsho which is in mid April. It is the beginning of a new year for this state. The day is celebrated throughout the state especially by the Bengalis.  The day is marked with news clothes, flowers, and offerings at temples and visiting shops that have been decorated for this day.  

The most important of the state is the Durga Puja, held in autumn. This Puja seasons is the longest holiday of the state.  Diwali, the festival of light is celebrated on the night after the Kali Puja. Every Hindu home is illuminated with numbers of lamps and a grand display of fire works is held.  

Orthodox Vaishnava festivals like Ras Purnima celebrated in the late autumn; Jhulan Purnima and Janmashtami celebrated in mid-monsoon, Dhulat Purnima in late winter are held at Nabadiwip and all seats of Vaishnava saints. The Holi festival is held on a full-moon day in early spring. This spring carnival in which men and women delight in daubing one another with colours especially red, has been associated with the Krishna legend and has some to acquire on esoteric significance with the elite, particularly with Vaishnavas who solemnly observe the day as the Birthday of Chaitanya. Rabindra Jayanti, falling on May 7 or 8 is the most widely observed cultural festival in West Bengal. All cultural associations and groups in town and village celebrate this day with programmes of song, dance and drama composed by Tagore which run for days together. The birthday of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose fall on January 23 and is considered a national holiday.