Patna the capital of Bihar State. The original name of Patna was Pataliputra, where Mela and Festivals are an integral part of culture and history of Bihar. It is famous for its tourist places, mela and festivals. Patna is an important city of Bihar State from the point of view of area as well as population. The culture of Bihar is the amalgamation (mixture) of different religions and tribes. Hence, the cultural value is very rich here and people celebrate number of festival from which some are discussed below:
The Festivities and Mela in Bihar are the most important and celebrated in Patna... Sonepur Mela, Diwali, Holi, Durga Puja, Maha Shivratri, Teej, Ram Navami, Saraswati Puja, Chitra Gupta Puja, Pitrapaksha Mela, Kartik Purnima, Gurupurab, Buddha Purnima, Mahavir Jayanti, Patna Film Festival, Ptana Food Festivals, etc. But there is one festival that is uniquely associated with Bihar, and that is the festival of Chhath Puja
Sonepur Mela of Bihar near Patna has its root in ancient mythology and folklore. The Sonepur Cattle Mela is the Asia’s largest cattle mela which takes place in the town of Sonepur in Bihar. It is held on Kartik Purnima that is the first full moon after the festival of Diwali. In this mela, domestic cattle like an elephant, camel, sheep and birds are brought in from around the country and sold here. Apart from this, varied handicrafts and handloom stalls are also put up, along with the magic show and folk dances. This mela attracts a large number of foreign tourists each year.
2.Pitrapaksha Mela Pitrapaksha Mela is held in Gaya near Patna each year, in the month of September. In this Mela people from all parts of the country come to worship their ancestors as part of the Shraddha ritual. The gayalis, descendants of the Magga Brahmans perform the Shraddha ceremony. This is a mandatory Hindu ritual which is believed to bring salvation to the departed soul. This tradition traces back to Buddha, who is believed to have performed the first pindan here.
This is probably the most famous festival of this State. When one hears Chatth Puja, Bihar instantly comes to the mind. This is an actually an ancient Hindu festival which is dedicated to the Sun God, Surya, and takes place 6 days after Diwali. It is an expression of thanks giving and seeking blessings from the Almighty for sustaining life on Earth. During this festival, the person observing Chatth, also known as Parvati, observes a fast from dawn to dusk which concludes with sweets. This fast is followed by another fast for 36 hours till the final day, when puja starts at the river, before sunrise. You can witness thousands of devotees and the river during this time. Witnessing Chatth Puja will let you witness the devotion in its true sense.
Shravani festival or rather Mela is observed every during the month of Shravan (July-August). It is an important month-long ritual which is held along a 108 km long route linking towns of Deogarh and Sultanganj. The devotees who take part, known as Kanwarias, wear saffron-coloured clothes and collect water from the sacred Ghats at Sultanganj. They then walk barefoot on the 108 km long stretch to Deogarh to bathe the sacred Shiva-linga. This festival draws thousands of people from all around the country every year.
During the winter when the birds migrate from the Himalayas towards the plains, the celebration of Sama-Chakeva takes place. This festival is celebrated specifically in Mithila. When the colourful birds migrate towards their land, this festival takes place, marking the brother-sister relationship. It starts with welcoming the pair of birds Sama- Chakeva. The girls make an idol of the birds and decorate them in their own traditional way. After this, the festivities take place with full splendour, and ends by a Vidaai of the Sama, with a wish that these birds return to the land the next year.
Rajgir is the ancient capital of the Magadha Empire in Bihar and is held sacred by both Jains and Buddhists because of its long association with Buddha and Mahavira. A Rajgir Mahotsav is held every year by the Department of Tourism, Bihar. It is a colourful festival of dance and music. A complete serene atmosphere is created here with the instrumental music, devotional songs, opera, folk dance, ballet and other dance and art forms. This festival held in the last week of October attracts a large number of tourists from around the world.
