Raksha Bandhan — August

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Few festivals wear their meaning as plainly as Raksha Bandhan, the Sanskrit name for “bond of protection.” Rooted in ancient Hindu texts and mythology, from the story of Draupadi tearing her saree to bandage Krishna’s wound, to the legend of Goddess Lakshmi tying a sacred thread on King Bali’s wrist, the festival has carried the same quiet promise across centuries: a thread, a vow, and a sibling who shows up.

Observed on the full moon of the Hindu month of Shravana, it is celebrated warmly across northern and western India and Nepal. Sisters prepare a ceremonial thali with a rakhi, sweets, and a lit diya, tie the thread on their brother’s wrist, and pray for his well-being.

Brothers offer gifts in return, pledging their protection. In Nepal, the day coincides with Janai Purnima, where Hindu men renew their sacred thread, and priests tie protective threads on the wrists of both Hindus and Buddhists.

For travellers, it is a rare and tender window into how love is ritualised.

FESTIVAL ARCHIVE

December +-

  • Losar — December to March (date varies by community)
  • Christmas — 25th December
  • Mahindra Kabira Festival — December
  • Jaigarh Heritage Festival — December
  • Jodhpur RIFF — October
  • Konark Dance Festival — 1–5 December
  • Hornbill Festival — 1–10 December

    • November +-

  • Sonepur Cattle Fair — November
  • Shillong Cherry Blossom Festival — November
  • Black-Necked Crane Festival — 11th November
  • Pushkar Camel Fair — October / November
  • Rann Utsav — November to February
  • Guru Nanak Jayanti — November

    • October +-

  • Royal Highland Festival — 23 – 24 October 2026
  • Bhai Dooj / Bhai Tika — October / November
  • Diwali — October / November
  • Jomolhari Mountain Festival — October
  • Dussehra — October
  • Jambay Lhakhang Drup — October / November

    • September +-

  • Durga Puja — September / October
  • Thimphu Tshechu — September / October
  • Ziro Festival of Music — September
  • Ganesh Chaturthi — August / September
  • Onam — August / September
  • Wangdue Phodrang Tshechu — September / October

    • August +-

  • Raksha Bandhan — August
  • Pulikali, Thrissur — August / September
  • Aranmula Boat Race — August / September
  • Nehru Trophy Boat Race — August / September
  • Independence Day — 15th August
  • Janmashtami — August / September

    • July +-

  • Teej — July / September
  • Hemis Festival — June / July

    • June +-

  • Rath Yatra, Puri — June / July
  • Eid al-Adha — Late May / June (date shifts annually)

    • May +-

  • Buddha Purnima — May
  • Thrissur Pooram — April / May

    • April +-

  • Haa Spring Festival — April
  • Easter — March / April
  • Baisakhi — 13/14th April
  • Mahavir Jayanti — March / April
  • Apricot Blossom Festival, Ladakh — April
  • Ura Yakchoe — April / May

    • March +-

  • Eid ul Fitr — Late February / March (date shifts annually)
  • Paro Tshechu — March / April
  • International Yoga Festival, Rishikesh — March
  • Holi — March
  • Gangaur — March / April

    • February +-

  • Maha Shivratri — February / March
  • Taj Mahotsav — 18–27 February
  • Punakha Tshechu — February / March
  • Punakha Drubchen — February / March

    • January +-

  • Hampi Utsav — January / February
  • Republic Day
  • International Kite Festival, Gujarat — 14th January
  • Makar Sankranti — 14th January
  • Kumbh Mela — Dates vary by city and cycle
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