In all fairness, Kashmir is a paradise on Earth. Its picturesque valley vistas and lush surroundings make it charming, but the festivals give the state’s beauty a special touch. Individuals put aside existing tensions within their communities to peacefully celebrate the holidays, which beautifully captures the splendour of this sacred land. The UT celebrates every festival with zeal, elaborate feasts, and exuberant revelry. This land is holy and rich in culture. Here is a list of festivals giving you a brief idea about the diverse communities and their beliefs in Jammu and Kashmir.
1. Hemis Festival
Hemis Festival in Kashmir is one of the mysterious celebrations. The festival honors Lord Padmasambhava, also known as Guru Rinpoche in the area, and is held every 12 years at the Hemis Monastery in Hemis (approximately 45 kilometers from Leh). There is a belief that people achieve spiritual and bodily health through the traditional festival. The ceremony is extensive and includes several Tibetan ritual objects. But the Mask Dancers, who perform the Chams Dance, are what we find fascinating about the celebration.
The festivities are held in this monastery’s spacious courtyard for two days during the fifth month of the year, also known as the Tibetan lunar month. Both women and men dress in elaborate traditional garb and accessorize with heavy jewelry. Hemis festival in Kashmir is unarguably the most vibrant and famous festival in Jammu & Kashmir.
2. Tulip Festival
Kashmir is home to hundreds of tulip gardens, which bloom throughout the spring. Srinagar hosts the enormous Tulip Festival each year and boasts the largest Tulip Garden in Asia. The event takes pride in the diversity of tulips that grow here. The sight of the tulips in any of these gardens throughout the spring is magnificent and enchanting, especially for someone not from Kashmir. Every year, during the first 15 days of April, the location is ready for Asia’s largest tulip show, attended by locals, tourists, and nature enthusiasts alike.
The festival-specific tulips come in around 50 types and dozens of different colors. The Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip Garden in Srinagar hosts the Tulip Festival in Kashmir. Tulip Festival in Kashmir includes a display of regional crafts, delectable food, cultural events, and unforgettable tulips. It is one of the famous festivals in Jammu and Kashmir.
3. Shikara Festival
Without a doubt, the shikara represents Kashmir’s lifeline and its identity, so the authorities in Kashmir recognize it annually. The Shikara festival was established in 2016 by the Kashmiri government to draw tourists and advance tourism. The Shikara race is a tourist favorite in Kashmir. It often takes place in the well-known Dal lake in Srinagar. Owners decorate and paint their boats magnificently during this occasion.
During the event, you can see several vibrant Shikaras taken out, allowing tourists to partake in this unusual and daring sport with the natives. The Shikara Race, Dragon Boat Race, Canoe Polo Match, and other cultural events give you a glimpse of Kashmiri culture and are the festival’s main attractions. The Shikara festival is one of the famous festivals in Jammu and Kashmir.
4. Baisakhi
Baisakhi observed nationwide on April 13th, is the Sikh community’s well-known holiday. The Sikhs celebrate their new year on Baisakhi, which also marks the beginning of the Indian harvest season. Baisakhi is observed as Jammu and Kashmir’s harvest festival due to the state’s large Sikh population. Due to the massive celebrations, Baisakhi is one of the famous festivals in Jammu and Kashmir. It commemorates the start of the new year.
The festival is well-known for Punjabi bhangra dance. You can see numerous fairs where thousands of people mark their attendance. Baisakhi commemorates the day in 1699 when Jammu’s tenth Guru, Gobind Singhji, founded the Khalsa sect. A number of people visit the Gurudwaras to worship, listen to Kirtans, and eat prasad from the communal kitchen (Langer).
5. Gurez Festival
Gurez is a peaceful valley at an altitude of 8,000 feet. It is 123 kilometers from Srinagar. The Gurez Valley is well-known for water rafting because the famous Neelum River runs through it. The expansive valley once lay along the ancient Silk Road. It boasts beautiful views. In addition to its natural beauty, the Gurez Valley holds one of Kashmir’s most lively festivals every year, where its residents display their handicrafts, mouthwatering cuisine, and colorful culture, making it one of the most famous festivals in Jammu and Kashmir.
River rafting, trekking, zorbing, and cycling are the Gurez festival’s primary events. Painting and drawing contests are held, which draw a lot of participants. The Gurez festival promotes tourism both inside and outside the valley.
6. Lohri
Every year on January 13, the Lohri celebration, which commemorates the harvest of crops, signals the end of the coldest part of the year. Bonfire nights commemorate Lohri, which marks the arrival of spring and the return of longer, bright days. In the past, starting a bonfire represented the return of long days. Havan Yagnas are set alight in homes and temples around Jammu.
People come together to enjoy a feast, which includes dishes like gurh and gachak, nuts, radish, and mustard greens made using wintertime crops. It’s customary to start a bonfire after sundown, add sugar sweets, sesame seeds, jaggery, and rewaries to it, and then gather around it to sing and dance while listening to traditional music. On the day of Lohri, Jammu residents bathe in the holy rivers. It is one of the famous festivals in Jammu and Kashmir.
7. Eid Ul Azha
Eid-ul-Azha is a Muslim festival and is one of the famous festivals in Jammu and Kashmir. The event occurs on the tenth day of the final month of the Islamic lunar calendar. The festival commemorates the incident when Prophet Abraham was about to sacrifice his only son as part of Allah’s test. As he began to kill his son, the Almighty Allah spared his son’s life through a miracle and substituted a lamb. As a result, every Muslim must sacrifice an animal if they are financially able, as this Eid is exceedingly important. For Muslims, it is a reason for joy and happiness.
Muslims in Kashmir travel to the Eidgah, a sizable plaza where they worship Allah. Muslims make duas for fellow Muslims and the world’s stability and peace. Following the prayers, people hug and wish each other a good Eid. After that, everyone goes back home and gets busy offering sacrifices.
8. Eid Ul Fitr
Eid-ul-Fitr is a Muslim festival celebrated in Jammu and Kashmir with much zeal. The celebration, which follows the lunar calendar, takes place after the conclusion of the fasting month of Ramadan. Muslims celebrate the festival on the first day of the Islamic lunar calendar’s tenth month. Muslims pray their Eid prayers in Eidgah and hud and wish each other after their prayers.
The event is a time for celebration, and the residents often enjoy food, make lavish feasts and partake in them for lunch and evening. To greet each other with a merry Eid, people visit each other. Every Muslim dress a new attire, and the elderly give money to children as a sign of happiness, which makes the latter joyful. Eid-ul-Fitr is one of the famous festivals in Jammu and Kashmir.
9. Spituk Gustor Zanskar
It is a traditional celebration of Jammu and Kashmir known as Spituk Gustor Zanskar. The Ladakhi monasteries of Thiksey, Spituk, and Karsha Nanzkar participate in this Tibetan celebration. Every year on October 30 and 31, the event takes place to honor sacrifices. There are special early-morning prayers to commemorate the holiday.
Visitors can see a recreation of the Buddhist monks’ assassination of Tibet’s anti-Buddhist monarch Langdarma. The sacrifice cake, Torma, is consumed at the festival’s conclusion. The monk leading the Black Hat dancers distributes the dessert itself. Gustor, one of the most endearing and ceremonial celebrations in Jammu and Kashmir, symbolizes the triumph of good over evil. It is also one of the famous festivals of Jammu and Kashmir.
10. Saffron Festival
Another unique celebration held in the Jammu Kashmir Valley is the Saffron festival. It is one of the most famous festivals in Jammu and Kashmir. The only Indian state that produces saffron of the highest caliber is Jammu and Kashmir. The saffron festival commemorates the saffron harvesting season. Saffron harvest celebrations have their origins in pre-Mughal times. People in this region work in the manufacture and trade of priceless spices, either directly or indirectly.
Around the beginning of November, this region celebrates the annual festival of the saffron harvest. Cultural events take place throughout the city. This celebration is known for its traditional tea, “Kahva,” with saffron as its highlight ingredient. The celebration is held in Pampore’s saffron fields and lasts for eight days. There are set-up stalls selling various varieties of saffron. The Kashmir valley sees a large influx of tourists during this festivity.
