Festivals in Chennai
Chennai is a beautiful city which is famous for its numerous unique South-Indian festivals. Some of the local festivals in Chennai include Good Friday, Easter, Christmas, Prophet Mohamed’s Birthday, Muharrum, Eid-ul-Zuha, Holi, Diwali, and Navratri.Arubathimoovar Festival in Chennai:
A religious festival that needs special mention is the Arubathimoovar Festival.It was during the 8th century that the Pallava kings had built this ancient temple.
Amongst all major festivals that are celebrated for these 10 days, the Arubathimoovar Festival also needs to be mentioned; on the day of this festival all 63 Saivite (Narayanas or Narayanmars) saints would take part in a long processions alongside Lord Shiva.
Vaikuntha Ekadesi Festival in Chennai:
Tirumala Tirupati, Sri Parthasarathy Temple and Sri Ranganatha Temple depicts much of their gusto in celebrating this day as the Vaishnava temples observe the Vaikuntha Ekadasi. Much to the delight of devotees worth hundreds of thousands, Lord Ranganatha arrives at Thirumamani Mandapam leading a grand procession via Parampada Vasal on the day of Ekadesi.
It gets late in the night for the procession to return to the temple following a daylong celebration and recitation of Nalayira Dhivyaprabandham. The Pagal pathu urchavan marks the commencement of celebrations and Rapathu urchavan marks its closure.
Pongal in Chennai:
In South India, the harvest season and the monsoon
season is assumed to end with the celebrations of Pongal, worshiping the cattle, mother Earth and Sun God is included
amongst the different rituals of this festival. Bhogi Pongal is celebrated on the very first day of the festival (January 13th) for cherishing the families; the Sun god is worshiped on the following day known as the Surya Pongal.
During the festival of Pongal, the people of Chennai wash and clean their places, decorate and paint the doorways with flower garlands and leaves; a tribute to the Rain god is a must, and is followed by cooking of delicious foods.
Kanthuri Festival in Chennai:
The citizens of Chennai reserve a special place for the Kanturi in their hearts. Tourists from various corners of the world are drawn towards this festival, as the energy of the affair and its grandeur sweeps them off their feet.The festival is primarily held in Nagore as the devotees flock to the shrine of Saint Qadir-Wali between the months of July and August.
Other Important Festivals held in Chennai:
Chennai Dance and Music Festival:
Chennai, the capital city of Tamil Nadu observes the dance and music celebrations between middle of December till middle of January. All major forms of South Indian classical dance and music are performed across different city venues chosen by multiple organizations or sabhas.
Ghatam, Mridangam, Thavii, Nagaswaram, Gottuvadyam, Veena, flute and various other Kannada, Telugu and Tamil instruments play a key role during the performances.