Besides all the other festivals common
to the rest of the country, Haryana celebrates Lohri with deep religious fervour.
It is celebrated on the 13th of January every year. The temperature at this
time drops to an all time low and there is a biting chill in the air. Bonfires
are made into which sugarcane, parched rice, sesame seeds and monkey nuts are
put as offerings to the fire and the blessings of the goddess of Lohri are invoked.
The Harvest festival (in April) of Baisakhi in Haryana is an experience of
a lifetime. Both in Haryana and Punjab, farmers start harvesting with great
jubilation. It is one of the liveliest celebrations and involves dance, music
and feasting.
The most picturesque festival is the Teej festival, celebrated with the onset
of the monsoon. This is the time when the oppressive summer heat is cooled by
welcome showers. In Haryana, it is seen as a rejuvenation of life-in leaves,
in grass, in man. Woman walk around with hennaed hands wearing tinkling glass
bangles and colourful dresses and fast for the long life of their husbands.
In the rural parts of Haryana, the festival of Sanjhi is celebrated in the month
of October. 'Sanjhi' is the name given to the image of the mother goddess Durga
as designed by the women of rural Haryana.
A modern day celebration in Haryana is the Vintage Car Rally. An event organized
by the owners of a newspaper 'the Statesman'. It is a day of shining brass,
tooting horns, period costumes and happy smiles. The Sohna Hill climb is the
test for the old models-a perfect path dotted with delightful tourist facilities.
The Surajkund Crafts Mela is the largest crafts fair in India, is celebrated
in the month of February for fifteen days. Every year thousands of craftsmen
come from all over the country to show and sell their wares. Cultural programmes
are organised during the festival every day.
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