Festivals and Fairs are events meant to bring various cultures and religions close to each other. No other city expresses it so lively than the City of Joy. All the festivals irrespective of caste and creed are celebrated with much fun and frolic in the city.The City of Kolkata becomes a lively place during festive season.
Durga Puja
The most marked festival of Bengalis is the worship of three consequential deities, Goddess Durga, Saraswati and Laxmi. Heralding the Durga Puja festivities, hundreds of kite flyers engender a riot of colors in the sky proclaiming the celebration of the Kite festival as a mark of tourist festival and the beginning of the much awaited Durga Puja in Kolkata.
During the festive season, Kolkata gets dressed in sublime lights and stays aroused 24 hours adoring the city with flashes of the splendid decor of the goddesses in various imaginative forms. It is this time of the year, Kolkata decks up like a vivid puerile bride. The streets get embellished with pandals (ephemeral decorative scaffolds of temples), imaginatively adorned architectural models of the Goddesses magnetizing visitors from around the country.
Kali Puja
Kali Puja is celebrated with much enthusiasm in Kolkata. The citizens leave no stone unturned in the arrangements for this very popular auspicious occasion. Kali Puja is very famous festival of the city.
You will get mesmerized by visiting the two most important temples i.e. Kalighat Kali and Dakshineswar Kali Temple in Kolkata where mammoth size arrangements are made to celebrate this special occasion . Devotees across sections of society throng to the temples to seek the blessings from the Goddess Kali.
Rath Yatra
The credence of the Hindus that every year in the midsummer Lord Jagannath with his sister Subhadra and his elder brother Balabhadra goes travelling on grand chariots on vacation has given elevate to one of the most immensely colossal religious festivals in India -the Rath Yatra or the Chariot Festival.
As the year draws to a close, Kolkatans get into the celebration of yet another year of prosperity and bliss to welcome the first day of the Bengali calendar. This period of time (entire month of Boishakh) is considered to be an auspicious time for marriages.
Bengali women and men adorn themselves in their traditional wear, white saris with red borders , dhoti-kurta to take part in the grand processions called Probhat Pheri early in the morning as a mark of delight to welcome the first day of the year.
The season of Pohela Boishakh additionally rejoices the birthday of Rabindranath Thakur celebrated with love and reverence in schools and colleges.
Christmas
Kolkata Christmas Festival is held annually during the month of December in Kolkata on Park Street, Kolkata, which is one of the largest dedicated Christmas carnivals in India. In this festival various Bands and choir groups perform on the stage at Allen Park on Park Street. A two-hour Christmas Parade is also organized on one of the days in which allows around 500 school children to participate.
Among the attractions on the opening day are performances by the Loreto Sisters Choir, Methodist Church Choir, and the Church of North India Choir etc.