Festivals
Diwali, Holi, Navaratri and the other great festivals of the Hindu year.
- The Hindu Festival YearA month-by-month guide to the main Hindu festivals, with their Hindu months and when they usually fall in the Western calendar, and why the dates change each year.
- Diwali: the Festival of LightsWhy Hindus celebrate Diwali, the stories behind it, the five days of the festival, customs such as diyas and rangoli, and Diwali in the UK.
- Holi: the Festival of ColoursWhy Hindus celebrate Holi, the stories of Prahlada and Holika and of Radha and Krishna, how the festival is celebrated, and Holi in Braj and the UK.
- Navaratri and Durga PujaThe nine nights of the Goddess: the story of Durga and Mahishasura, the nine forms of Durga, and how Navaratri is celebrated with garba, Durga Puja and Dussehra.
- Janmashtami: Krishna's BirthdayHow and why Hindus celebrate Janmashtami, the birth of Krishna, with fasting, midnight worship, cradle rituals and the Dahi Handi human pyramids.
- Maha Shivaratri: the Great Night of ShivaWhy Hindus celebrate Maha Shivaratri, the stories behind it, and how devotees honour Shiva with fasting, an all-night vigil and offerings to the lingam.
- Ganesh ChaturthiHow and why Hindus celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi, Ganesha's birthday, from installing images at home to the great immersion processions of Mumbai.
- Dussehra (Vijayadashami)Dussehra, the Hindu festival of victory: Rama's defeat of Ravana, Durga's triumph over Mahishasura, and celebrations from Ravana effigies to the Mysore Dasara and Nepal's Dashain.
- Raksha BandhanRaksha Bandhan, the Hindu festival celebrating the bond between brothers and sisters: the tying of the rakhi, the stories behind it and how it is celebrated today.
- Makar Sankranti, Pongal and LohriMakar Sankranti, the Hindu winter harvest festival marking the sun's entry into Capricorn, and its regional forms: Pongal, Lohri, Uttarayan kite flying and Bihu.
- Rama NavamiRama Navami, the festival celebrating the birth of Rama: when it falls, the story of his birth, and how it is celebrated in Ayodhya, Bhadrachalam and Hindu homes.
- Onam: Kerala's Harvest FestivalOnam, the great festival of Kerala: the legend of King Mahabali and Vamana, pookalam flower carpets, the Onasadya feast and the snake boat races.
- The Kumbh MelaThe Kumbh Mela, the world's largest religious gathering: its four sites, its twelve-year cycle, the legend of the pot of nectar, the sacred bath and the Naga sadhus.