Hyderabad is a multi-cultural and multi-religious city. The people who live here are from various cultures and religions and celebrate festivals with joy and enthusiasm. Every month comes a big festival held by one or the other community in the city of Hyderabad.

The festivals in Hyderabad attract many tourists from all over the world. Not only Hyderabadis (Hyderabad people) but also tourists enjoy these festivals. So when planning a visit to Hyderabad, keep an eye out for the popular festivals held here and be a part of it. Some of these festivals are unique to Hyderabad while others are common to most of India.

Start of the festive season (July-August):

The festive season in Hyderabad begins with Varalaxmi Vratham, it falls in the month of July/August. It is an important ritual performed by married women. Women believe that by performing this ritual, Goddess Lakshmi would have the grace to give good to everyone in the family.

In Ashada (a month in the Telugu calendar, which coincides with July-August), ‘Bonalu’, a famous festival specific to Hyderabad and nearby areas, is celebrated. Every Ashada Sunday, an area of ​​Hyderabad celebrates the Bonalu. The celebration continues for a month. Bonalu means offering a meal to the Goddess (Mahankali) for the fulfillment of her prayers. Women go to temples with bronze or clay vessels on their heads. The pots are decorated with small branches of neem, kumkum (vermilion), haldi (turmeric) and limestone and a diya (lamp) is lit on top of the pot. The pot contains rice cooked with milk, sugar or jaggery. They offer sarees, bangles and all other items specifically for married women. In Bonalu, you see men painted as tigers in yellow with black stripes, they are traditionally called ‘potharaju’ and they dance to the beat of drums.

Ganesh/Vinayaka Chaturthi (August-September):

Ganesh Chaturthi usually falls in August – September. It is celebrated because it marks the birth of the elephant-headed Lord Ganesha, son of the Hindu deities Shiva and Parvathi. In Hyderabad, the festival is celebrated with great passion and joy for 10 days. Ganesh idols (ranging from two inches small to 40 feet tall) are placed all over the streets and even the narrow lanes. People of other religions also participate in daily events, such as cultural programs that last 10 days. The festival ends with the immersion of the idols in water (on the 11th).

Thousands of crowds carrying Ganesh idols gather at Tank Bund (a stretch up to Hussain Sagar Lake in the city) for immersion. Ganesh idols are carried in procession through the streets. You can see people dancing to the beat of the drums, throwing colors at each other and playing loud devotional songs. Later, the idols are immersed in the Hussain Sagar Lake and other lakes in the city. About 1,00,000 idols are immersed every year in the city of Hyderabad.

Dushera and Diwali (September-October-November):

Dushera and Diwali are the biggest and most important festivals celebrated in Hyderabad. The two festivals usually fall in the month of September to November. Dushera means the victory of good over evil. The festival is celebrated for 10 days; for nine days, people worship Goddess Durga and on the tenth day, people celebrate Dushera by burning the effigy of Ravana, the demon king.

During Dushera, the people of Hyderabad also celebrate Bathukamma, a festival unique to the city. Bathukamma, is a colorful flower festival. Beautiful flowers are arranged in concentrated layers or colored pyramids like a cone (called Bathukamma). A large number of women gather in their locality in the evenings and place their ‘Bathukammas’ on the ground and dance around them singing folk songs. Later in the evening the Bathukammas float on the water.

Diwali, the ‘Festival of Lights’, is auspicious for Hindus. People decorate their houses with flowers, clay lamps, and colored electric bulbs. Regardless of age, gender, people in the community enjoy crackers and colorful fireworks. Special sweet dishes are prepared. Children enjoy more as they are very excited about the firecrackers.

During this festive season, you can experience the shopping extravaganza of Hyderabad as you get a variety of clothing, accessories, food, and other things, making the city a great place to shop, eat, and indulge.

Ramadan or Ramzaan:

Ramadan is the most important holiday for Muslims. It falls in the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. During this festive month, Muslims fast for thirty days. The fast begins at sunrise and ends at sunset. The festival is an occasion for goodwill and friendship. During this festival season one should not miss the shopping experience at Charminar, you can watch people shopping all night long. One more thing not to be missed is Hyderabadi Haleem, a meat stew available only during the Ramadan season. Haleem’s ‘Ground House’ and ‘Shah Ghouse’ (local restaurants) is world famous.

Eid-ul-Fitr is celebrated on the last day of the fast. Early in the morning, prayer is offered followed by a party and visits with family and friends. ‘Sheerkhurma’, a special dessert that is prepared and shared among friends and family on this day.

Christmas December):

Christmas is celebrated on December 25. It marks the birth of Jesus Christ. Celebrated all over the world, this festival is also popular in Hyderabad. At Christmas, you can see a bright and vibrant Hyderabad: decorated Christmas houses and trees, children singing Christmas carols and Christmas stars hanging in front of the houses.

Makara Sankranti (January):

Makara Sankranti is also known as Pongal. It is celebrated for three days in mid-January. It is a harvest festival; marks the beginning of spring and farmers celebrate the harvesting of crops. The first day is Bhogi, the second is Sankranthi and the third is Kanuma. At Sankranthi, you will see the sky filled with colorful kites.

Next time you plan to visit Hyderabad, make sure you attend one or more of these festivals, you will enjoy your trip to Hyderabad.