Hindu traditions

Hindu traditions fill the calendar of South Asia and the many places where Hindus have settled, from Bali and Mauritius to Fiji, Trinidad and Britain.

Hindu traditions fill the calendar of South Asia and the many places where Hindus have settled, from Bali and Mauritius to Fiji, Trinidad and Britain. They include daily puja, the festivals of Diwali, Holi, Navratri and Pongal, pilgrimages to the Ganges and Tirupati, the sixteen samskaras that mark life from birth to death and a great many regional and village customs. Hinduism has no single founder or text, and practice varies by family, region and community. These pages describe the traditions as those who keep them do.

Home and temple

Worship begins at home, with a shrine, a lamp and a morning prayer, and continues at the temple, where a priest offers the deity water, flowers, food and light on behalf of devotees. Visitors take darshan, receive prasad and walk around the shrine. Festivals bring the whole street into the temple or the pandal, with processions, music and communal meals, and the cycle of the year is marked by fasts and feasts.

Rites of life

The samskaras include the naming, the first rice, the sacred thread, marriage and the funeral. The wedding, with its seven steps round the fire, is the best known, while funerals involve cremation and offerings to the ancestors. Every region adds its own customs, such as the kolam in Tamil Nadu, the rakhi in the north and the Durga Puja of Bengal. The diversity is part of the tradition.

About this page

Written by the EveryParampara desk with AI assistance. Background on Hindu (faith). Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.

🇳🇵 Kathmandu, NepalGai JatraSā Pāru (𑐳𑐵𑐥𑐵𑐬𑐸) A Newar festival in the Kathmandu Valley to honor relatives who died that year through processions and satire.Festival

🇮🇳 Vrindavan, India and 2 moreGovardhan Puja A Hindu festival of piled vegetarian foods and sculpted earth, honouring KrishnaSpiritual · Feasts and festival meals 🇮🇳 IndiaChaturmasyaचातुर्मास्य A four-month sacred monsoon season of fasting, vows, and monastic retreat in IndiaSpiritual · Fasting and breaking the fast

🇮🇳 Tiruvannamalai, India and 1 moreKarthika DeepamKārtikai Tīpam A Tamil and Malayali Hindu festival of lights honouring Shiva, Kartikeya and ParvatiSpiritual · Sweets given and shared

🇮🇳 India and 1 moreCheti Chandچيٽي چنڊ The Sindhi New Year festival celebrating the arrival of spring and JhulelalSeasonal · Feasts and festival meals

🇮🇳 IndiaBathukammaబతుకమ్మ A nine-day floral festival celebrated by women across Telangana and Andhra PradeshFestival

🇮🇳 IndiaAyudha Pujaआयुध पूजा A Hindu festival blessing the tools, vehicles, books and instruments of daily workSpiritual

🇮🇳 Sambalpur, IndiaNuakhai An agricultural festival in Western Odisha welcoming the first rice of the seasonSeasonal · Feasts and festival meals

🇮🇳 Kolkata, IndiaDurga Puja in Kolkataকলকাতার দুর্গাপূজা The grand annual autumn festival honouring the mother goddess Durga across KolkataSpiritual

🇮🇳 India and 1 moreDol Purnima A Hindu spring festival honouring Radha and Krishna with swing processions and colourFestival

🇮🇳 Madurai, IndiaGoluபொம்மை கொலு An autumn festival display of stepped dolls and figurines in South Indian homesFestival · Sweets given and shared

🇮🇳 Puri, IndiaRajaRaja Parba (Odia: ରଜ ପର୍ବ) A three-day festival of womanhood and earth in Odisha, celebrating the monsoon and fertility.Festival

🇱🇰 Kandy, Sri LankaEsala Perahera A Sri Lankan procession of sacred relics, drummers and elephants honouring the BuddhaSpiritual

🇮🇳 Chidambaram, India and 1 moreThiruvathira A Hindu festival celebrating Shiva's cosmic dance, observed in Tamil Nadu and Kerala with fasting, processions, and dancFestival

🇮🇳 IndiaMagh Bihu A harvest festival of bonfires, feasts and winter games in AssamSeasonal · Feasts and festival meals

🇮🇳 Guwahati, IndiaAmbubachi Melaঅম্বুবাচী মেলা An annual gathering at Kamakhya Temple marking the earth's seasonal fertility.Spiritual

🇮🇳 IndiaGaye holudগায়ে হলুদ A Bengali pre-wedding ceremony where turmeric paste is applied to the bride and groomRite of passage

🇮🇳 IndiaVat PurnimaVaṭapūrṇimā An annual Hindu festival where married women fast and pray around a banyan treeSpiritual · Fasting and breaking the fast

🇮🇳 Krishnanagar, IndiaJagaddhatri Puja A Hindu festival for the world-bearing goddess, kept in West Bengal each autumnSpiritual

🇮🇳 Haridwar, IndiaKumbh MelaKumbha Mēlā A major Hindu riverside pilgrimage held across four rotating holy cities in IndiaSpiritual

🇮🇳 Mumbai, IndiaDahi Handi A Hindu festival sport where teams build human towers to break suspended curd potsFestival

🇳🇵 Bhaktapur, NepalBiska Jatra𑐧𑐶𑐳𑑂𑐎𑐵𑑅 𑐖𑐵𑐟𑑂𑐬𑐵 An annual solar new year festival in Nepal with chariot pulls and tall wooden poles.Festival 🇮🇳 IndiaSheetala Ashtami A day for the goddess Shitala, kept eight days after Holi with food cooked in advanceSpiritual 🇮🇳 Sambalpur, IndiaSitalsasthiଶୀତଳ ଷଷ୍ଠୀ A festival in western Odisha re-enacting the divine wedding of Shiva and ParvatiFestival 🇮🇳 India and 5 moreThimithiதீமிதி A South Indian firewalking festival honouring Draupadi Amman before DeepavaliSpiritual

🇮🇳 IndiaSanjhi Autumn devotion honoring a mother goddess and sacred floor art of Radha and KrishnaSpiritual

🇮🇳 Ahmedabad, India and 1 moreGarbaगर्भ A Gujarati circle dance performed around a sacred flame during the festival of NavratriPerformance

🇮🇳 Barsana, IndiaLathmar Holi A playful spring festival in two Uttar Pradesh towns where women strike men with sticks to reenact a divine legend.Festival

🇮🇳 IndiaGanga Dussehra A ten-day Hindu river festival celebrating the descent of the Ganges to earthSpiritual

🇮🇳 Kochi, IndiaVallam Kalivaḷḷaṃ kaḷi A traditional canoe racing festival held across the waters of Kerala during OnamGame

🇮🇳 Kanchipuram, IndiaPanguni UthiramPaṅkuṉi Uttiram A Tamil Hindu festival celebrating divine weddings and the virtues of married lifeSpiritual

🇮🇳 Puri, IndiaNabakalebaraନବ କଳେବର (Navakalevara) A rare ritual in Puri where the wooden idols of four Hindu deities are replaced with new carvings every twelve to nineteSpiritual

🇮🇳 Ahobilam, IndiaNarasimha Jayantiनरसिंहजयंती A one-day Hindu festival marking Vishnu's man-lion avatar and the rescue of PrahladaSpiritual

🇮🇳 IndiaAhoi Ashtami A day of fasting by Hindu mothers before Diwali, for their children's wellbeingFestival · Fasting and breaking the fast

🇮🇳 Baripada, IndiaChhau dance A masked dance of eastern India, blending martial steps with epic storiesPerformance

🇮🇳 India and 2 morePandal Temporary decorated pavilions and arches built for festivals and gatheringsFestival

🇱🇰 Anuradhapura, Sri LankaSinhala New Yearඅලුත් අවුරුද්ද The April solar New Year and harvest festival celebrated across Sri LankaSeasonal

🇮🇳 Pushkar, IndiaPushkar FairKartik Mela An annual camel and livestock fair with lake pilgrimage rites in Rajasthan, IndiaFestival

🇮🇳 IndiaPushkaram A river worship festival rotating across twelve sacred Indian rivers over twelve yearsSpiritual

🇮🇳 IndiaSadyaസദ്യ A vegetarian feast from Kerala, served on a banana leaf at Onam, Vishu and weddingsTable custom · Lunch

🇮🇳 Hyderabad, India and 3 moreBonalu An annual festival of thanksgiving to Goddess Mahakali across Telangana, IndiaFestival · Feasts and festival meals

🇮🇳 Madurai, IndiaMeenakshi TirukalyanamChithirai Thiruvizha A two-week festival in Madurai celebrating the divine wedding of Meenakshi and Shiva.Festival

🇮🇳 Ujjain, India and 1 moreVikram Samvatविक्रमसंवत् A lunisolar Hindu calendar of Nepal and India, its years counted 57 ahead of the GregorianSeasonal

🇳🇵 NepalMha Pujaम्हपुजा A Newar New Year ritual of self-worship, mandalas and renewal in NepalSpiritual · Feasts and festival meals

🇮🇳 Varanasi, India and 5 moreRamlilaरामलीला Open-air community plays staged across autumn nights, recounting the journey of Rama.Performance

🇮🇳 Palani, India and 5 moreKavadi Aattamகாவடி ஆட்டம் Tamil devotees of Murugan carry burdens as a vow during ThaipusamSpiritual

🇮🇳 India and 1 moreYajnaयज्ञ A Hindu ritual of offering items into a sacred fire to honor deities and ancestors.Spiritual

🇮🇳 Madurai, India and 4 morePuthanduபுத்தாண்டு (Puttāṇṭu) The first day of the Tamil solar calendar, celebrated by Tamils with family feasts and auspicious trays.Festival · Feasts and festival meals

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

Sadya: Augustus Binu / facebook, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Golu: Ksiva21, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Govardhan Puja: Ms Sarah Welch, CC0, source
Gai Jatra: Krish Dulal, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Jagaddhatri Puja: শরদিন্দু ভট্টাচার্য্য, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Dol Purnima: Satyabrata sahoo369, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Kumbh Mela: Yosarian, CC BY 3.0, source
Dahi Handi: AKS.9955, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Durga Puja in Kolkata: Biswarup Ganguly, CC BY 3.0, source
Biska Jatra: Davide Mauro, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Cheti Chand: Coolross ( talk ), CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Bathukamma: Randhirreddy at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Nuakhai: Mamata Padhi, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Magh Bihu: Diganta Talukdar, CC BY 2.0, source
Thiruvathira: Kalakki at Malayalam Wikipedia, CC BY 2.5, source
Sanjhi: Veer jindal, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Garba: anurag agnihotri, CC BY 2.0, source
Lathmar Holi: Original: Sachinghai09 Derivative work: Radomianin, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Ganga Dussehra: Barry Silver, CC BY 2.0, source
Vallam Kali: Arun Sinha, CC BY 2.0, source
Panguni Uthiram: Krithika.R.S, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Nabakalebara: Jitpattnaikpuri, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Narasimha Jayanti: anonymous, Public domain, source
Ahoi Ashtami: आशीष भटनागर, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Chhau dance: Skasish, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Kavadi Aattam: Raja Ravi Varma, Public domain, source
Puthandu: Amila Tennakoon, CC BY 2.0, source
Raja: Saroj Bal, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Ambubachi Mela: Kunal Dalui, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Karthika Deepam: SriniG, Public domain, source
Esala Perahera: Ashan96, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Ayudha Puja: Augustus Binu / facebook, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Yajna: Chainwit., CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Gaye holud: Arr4, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Pandal: SHUBHAM KR SONI, CC0, source
Sinhala New Year: Anna Anichkova, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Pushkar Fair: sheetal saini, CC BY 2.0, source
Pushkaram: Adityamadhav83, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Vat Purnima: Kiran Gopi, CC BY-SA 2.5 in, source
Bonalu: Randhirreddy at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Meenakshi Tirukalyanam: எஸ். பி. கிருஷ்ணமூர்த்தி, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Vikram Samvat: Westindischer Maler um 1400, Public domain, source
Mha Puja: Karrattul, Public domain, source
Ramlila: Ankit Gupta, CC BY-SA 3.0, source