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.
RegionSouth AsiaSoutheast AsiaEast AsiaCentral Asia and the CaucasusMiddle EastNorth AfricaSub-Saharan AfricaEuropeNorth AmericaLatin America and the CaribbeanOceania
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreLohri
A northern Indian midwinter festival of evening bonfires, folk songs and harvest foodsSeasonal
🇮🇳 India and 2 moreGuru Purnimaगुरुपूर्णिमा
A sacred South Asian festival honouring spiritual guides, teachers, and mentorsSpiritual · Feasts and festival meals
🇮🇳 Varanasi, India and 1 moreChhath Pujaछठ पूजा
A four-day Hindu festival honouring the sun and Chhathi Maiya along riverbanksSpiritual · Fasting and breaking the fast
🇮🇳 Guwahati, IndiaBihuবিহু (Assamese)
Three annual festivals in Assam marking the new year, crop cycles and harvest with dance, music and feasts.Festival · Feasts and festival meals
🇮🇳 Gaya, India and 1 moreShraddhaश्राद्ध
Rituals of faith for the ancestors, kept yearly and through Pitru PakshaSpiritual
🇮🇳 Varanasi, India and 2 morePitri Pakshaपितृ पक्ष (Pitṛ pakṣa)
A sixteen-day Hindu period for honoring ancestors through food offerings and rites.Spiritual
🇮🇳 IndiaHanuman Jayantiहनुमानजयंती
A Hindu festival marking the birth of Hanuman with prayers, readings and offeringsSpiritual
🇮🇳 Haridwar, India and 3 moreAntyestiअन्त्येष्टि
The traditional Hindu funeral ceremony and final rite of passageRite of passage
🇮🇳 Puri, IndiaAkshaya Tritiyaअक्षय तृतीया (Akṣaya Tṛtīyā)
A spring festival of lasting prosperity observed by Hindus and Jains in India.Festival · Feasts and festival meals
🇮🇳 Varanasi, India and 3 moreKartika Purnimaकार्त्तिकपूर्णिमा (Kārttikapūrṇimā)
A full moon festival of lights and holy baths celebrated by Hindus, Sikhs, and Jains across South Asia.Festival
🇮🇳 Kolkata, India and 1 moreKali Pujaকালীপূজা
A Hindu festival of midnight worship and illuminated shrines honoring the goddess KaliSpiritual
🇮🇳 Goa, India and 2 moreBhai Doojभाई दूज
A Hindu festival of sibling bonds marked by forehead markings, feasts and blessingsFestival · Feasts and festival meals
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreDhanterasधनतेरस (Hindi), धनत्रयोदशी (Sanskrit)
The first day of Diwali, a festival of lamps, health and wealth kept across India and Nepal.Festival
🇮🇳 IndiaVishuവിഷു
The Malayali new year, kept on 14 or 15 April with an auspicious first sightingSeasonal · Feasts and festival meals
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreHolika Dahanहोलिकादहन
A Hindu ritual bonfire lit on the eve of Holi to welcome the spring.Spiritual
🇳🇵 Kathmandu, Nepal and 4 moreDashainबडादशैँ
A fifteen-day festival of family gatherings, blessings, and feasts across NepalFestival
🇮🇳 Goa, IndiaGudi Padwaगुढी पाडवा
A spring festival marking the new year for Marathi and Konkani Hindus in Maharashtra and Goa.Festival
🇮🇳 Chandigarh, India and 1 moreTeejतीज (Tīja)
A monsoon festival where women fast and sing to celebrate the union of Shiva and Parvati.Festival
🇮🇳 India and 2 moreSharad Purnima
A Hindu autumn full moon festival of night vigils, moonlit sweets and sacred dancesSpiritual · Feasts and festival meals
🇮🇳 IndiaTulasi Vivahaतुलसी विवाह (Tulasī Vivāha)
A ritual wedding of the tulasi plant to Vishnu, kept in homes and temples across IndiaSpiritual
🇳🇵 Nepal and 2 moreTiharतिहार
A five-day Nepalese festival honoring animals, deities, and the bond between siblingsFestival · Feasts and festival meals
🇮🇳 IndiaNamakaranaनामकरणम्
A Hindu rite that gives a baby its name, kept in the days after a birthRite of passage
🇮🇳 India and 2 moreHindu weddingVivaha (विवाह)
A traditional Hindu marriage ceremony involving sacred rituals and vows witnessed by fire.Rite of passage
🇮🇳 Jaipur, IndiaGangaurगणगौर
A North Indian spring festival honouring Shiva and Gauri with clay idols and processionsFestival · Fasting and breaking the fast
🇮🇳 Mysuru, IndiaMysore Dasara
Karnataka's ten-day Dasara, with the lit Mysuru Palace and a Vijayadashami processionFestival
🇳🇵 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
🇮🇳 IndiaUttarayanaउत्तरायण (Uttarāyaṇa)
The Sun's six-month journey north, kept as an auspicious Hindu season and festivalSeasonal
🇳🇵 Kathmandu, NepalIndra JatraYenyā Punhi
An eight-day street festival in Nepal featuring masked dances, chariot processions, and sacred pole ceremonies.Festival
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreNaraka Chaturdashi
The dawn festival of oil baths, ancestor lamps, and harvest foods during DiwaliFestival · Breakfast
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreLakshmi Pujaलक्ष्मीपूजा
A Hindu festival of lamps, prayers and offerings welcoming the goddess of prosperitySpiritual · Sweets given and shared
🇮🇳 IndiaBathukammaబతుకమ్మ
A nine-day floral festival celebrated by women across Telangana and Andhra PradeshFestival
🇮🇳 IndiaChaturmasyaचातुर्मास्य
A four-month sacred monsoon season of fasting, vows, and monastic retreat in IndiaSpiritual · Fasting and breaking the fast
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreCheti Chandچيٽي چنڊ
The Sindhi New Year festival celebrating the arrival of spring and JhulelalSeasonal · Feasts and festival meals
🇮🇳 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 moreDol Purnima
A Hindu spring festival honouring Radha and Krishna with swing processions and colourFestival
🇮🇳 Sambalpur, IndiaNuakhai
An agricultural festival in Western Odisha welcoming the first rice of the seasonSeasonal · Feasts and festival meals
🇮🇳 Puri, IndiaRajaRaja Parba (Odia: ରଜ ପର୍ବ)
A three-day festival of womanhood and earth in Odisha, celebrating the monsoon and fertility.Festival
🇮🇳 IndiaAyudha Pujaआयुध पूजा
A Hindu festival blessing the tools, vehicles, books and instruments of daily workSpiritual
🇮🇳 Madurai, IndiaGoluபொம்மை கொலு
An autumn festival display of stepped dolls and figurines in South Indian homesFestival · Sweets given and shared
🇮🇳 Kolkata, IndiaDurga Puja in Kolkataকলকাতার দুর্গাপূজা
The grand annual autumn festival honouring the mother goddess Durga across KolkataSpiritual
🇱🇰 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
🇮🇳 Barsana, IndiaLathmar Holi
A playful spring festival in two Uttar Pradesh towns where women strike men with sticks to reenact a divine legend.Festival
🇮🇳 IndiaKoodiyattamകൂടിയാട്ടം
An ancient Sanskrit temple drama and dance tradition from Kerala, IndiaPerformance
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Golu: Ksiva21, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Chhath Puja: Steffen Gauger, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Antyesti: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Kali Puja: Jonoikobangali, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Lohri: Karen Sandhu, CC BY 2.0, source
- Govardhan Puja: Ms Sarah Welch, CC0, source
- Gai Jatra: Krish Dulal, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Dol Purnima: Satyabrata sahoo369, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Bihu: Diganta Talukdar, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Akshaya Tritiya: Fgndgndgnr, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Durga Puja in Kolkata: Biswarup Ganguly, CC BY 3.0, source
- Gudi Padwa: Abhijit Tembhekar, CC BY 2.0, source
- Gangaur: Avinashmaurya, CC BY 3.0, 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
- Koodiyattam: Sreekanthv at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Lathmar Holi: Original: Sachinghai09 Derivative work: Radomianin, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Mysore Dasara: Kalyan Kumar, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Hindu wedding: Dinesh Cyanam, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Raja: Saroj Bal, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Bhai Dooj: SandeshLamsalNepal, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Ambubachi Mela: Kunal Dalui, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Teej: Ganesh Paudel at ne.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Karthika Deepam: SriniG, Public domain, source
- Lakshmi Puja: Subharnab Majumdar, CC BY 2.0, source
- Dhanteras: The original uploader was F16 at Hebrew Wikipedia ., CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Naraka Chaturdashi: India (Delhi Agra area), Public domain, source
- Hanuman Jayanti: Haha sugarr, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Esala Perahera: Ashan96, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Indra Jatra: Kamal Ratna Tuladhar, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Tihar: Sreekumar K. S., CC BY 2.0, source
- Dashain: Unknown author, CC0, source
- Guru Purnima: Yercaud-elango, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Pitri Paksha: Firoz Shakir, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Sharad Purnima: ShotgunMavericks, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Ayudha Puja: Augustus Binu / facebook, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Tulasi Vivaha: Unknown author, CC BY 3.0, source
- Kartika Purnima: Pictowrit, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Holika Dahan: Banswalhemant, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Shraddha: Billjones94, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Gaye holud: Arr4, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Vishu: Vishnu Kunnathully, CC BY-SA 4.0, source