Awadh · Upper Indus–Gangetic Plain
Festivals
| Festival | When | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Muharram | The first ten days of Muharram, lunar | Lucknow's defining observance. Majlis gatherings with marsiya and soz, taziya processions from the imambaras, matam, and a city that visibly changes register for ten days. Both Shia and Sunni observances run, and the protocols between them are old and carefully negotiated. |
| Ram Navami and Deepotsav at Ayodhya | Chaitra (March–April); Deepotsav at Kartik Amavasya (October–November) | Rama's birth observed with processions and continuous Ramcharitmanas recitation; Deepotsav lights the Sarayu ghats with lakhs of lamps and has become one of the largest single-night events in the country. |
| Lucknow Mahotsav | Late November–December | A city festival of Kathak, thumri, crafts and food, run since the 1970s — the modern institution through which the court arts stay publicly visible. |
| Eid and Bara Wafat | Lunar calendar | Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Zuha bring the sheermal and biryani economy of Chowk to its annual peak; Bara Wafat processions move through the old city. |
| Dewa Mela | October, at the urs of Haji Waris Ali Shah | Ten nights of qawwali at Dewa Sharif, with a cattle fair and a mushaira attached. |
| Kartik Purnima and the Sarayu snan | November | Mass bathing at Ayodhya's ghats, with fairs at Naimisharanya and along the Ghaghara. |
| Teej and the Savan jhoola | Sawan (July–August) | Swings hung in courtyards and orchards, kajri sung, and mehndi and green glass bangles worn by married women. |
| Bahraich Jeth Mela | May–June | The Ghazi Miyan urs at Bahraich, drawing pilgrims of both faiths from across eastern UP and Nepal. |
The festival calendar of Awadh — what is celebrated, when it falls and what happens. (8)