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Festivals in July in India 2024

The vibrant month of July reflects the lively human spirit embracing the rainy season and giving thanks for a bountiful land. People across different faiths come together to partake in the bursting energy by celebrating the Festivals of July. Devotees pay tribute to their spiritual teachers and academic gurus who have guided them through life on an auspicious full moon Purnima day. Disciples give prayer offerings and gifts to the elders seeking their holy blessings and wise counsel on festivals in July. Up in the northern mountains, exhilarating masked dances are performed by Buddhist monks to commemorate the special day.

To celebrate the arrival of monsoon rains after blistering Indian summers, specific southern Indian communities organize cheerful festivals of July in India filled with beautiful rituals, traditional food, and folk art performances. The star ingredient for festivities marking the onset of cooler rainy months is the nutritious coconut, a fruit integrally connected with tropical coasts and derived from palm, honoured for its versatility and blessings it brings. Grand processions of magnificent, brightly decorated chariots carrying deities make their way through swelling crowds during one of the most famous July festivals celebrated with great fervour, mostly in eastern India. The festive rituals celebrate the loving bond between divine siblings as they are taken out among mortals, allowing glimpses of sacred embodiment for common souls during this busy summer month.

Festivals solemnising the virtuous sacrifice of selfhood for a higher cause see people dress in new clothes, gather for prayer meets, and exchange sweets and gifts to reinforce unity. July festivals commemorate the release of an essential religious figure imprisoned unfairly in ancient times - along with fifty-two kings - symbolic of both spiritual and political liberation achieved by perseverance against injustice. The winding Himalayan roads come alive with music and dances dedicated to the gods of rain, storms, and thunder, vital for cultivating food crops. This vibrant celebration mirrors the essence of Indian festivals of July, with eccentric dancers brandishing swords and loud ceremonies offering prayers for divine showers that the fertile valley soil needs the most during the farming months of the monsoon season.

List of 18 Festivals in July 2024 in India

1 Amarnath Yatra
Date: 01 Jul 2024

The Amarnath Yatra is one of the famous July festivals in India. It is an annual Hindu pilgrimage trek undertaken by devotees to the holy Amarnath cave temple in South Kashmir, led by the yearly waxing and waning of the moon during summer. Situated at an altitude of 3,888m, the unique ice stalagmite Shiva Lingam within the cave waxes and wanes with the moon. The 40-day yatra sees hundreds of thousands of pilgrims braving high mountain passes and challenging terrains to glimpse the Lingam, believing that Lord Shiva recounts the secret of immortality and creation to Goddess Parvathi in this heavenly abode.

Amarnath Yatra
2 Yogini Ekadashi
Date: 02 Jul 2024

Yogini Ekadashi is a significant Hindu fasting day devoted to Lord Vishnu and Shakti goddesses. It's observed on the auspicious eleventh day of the Shukla Paksha lunar fortnight in the month of Ashadha. This tradition followed for centuries, marks the emergence of feminine spiritual forces. The Ekadashi vrat signifies stringent discipline in food intake and worldly pleasures aimed at spiritual progress and prosperity. Special practices include chanting mantras, performing charities, and meditation. Devotees also pray to deity idols washed in milk and flowers. Yogini Ekadashi is one of the July Festivals and is a deeply rooted tradition in India, adhering to complex lunar calculations.

Yogini Ekadashi
3 Behdienkhlam Festival
Date: 30 Jun - to - 03 Jul 2024

The Behdienkhlam festival is a popular annual Carnival celebrated with great pomp and joy in the East Khasi Hills of Meghalaya, corresponding to the monsoons. Local legends trace its origins to driving away the plague and evil spirits that troubled villagers. Celebrants adorn themselves in greenery and traditional attire, dancing and singing to the beat of drums as they carry a wooden post draped in cane and flowers from one village to another over several days, with a brilliant procession marking the finale. Regionally known as the “dance of perpetual joy," it affirms the indigenous identity with a cultural extravaganza continuing through the rain-drenched nights.

Behdienkhlam Festival
4 Pradosh Vrat
Date: 03 Jul 2024

The Pradosh Vrat is a vital fasting day observed diligently by devout Hindus on the Trayodashi day that marks the thirteenth-day phase of each Shukla and Krishna lunar fortnight to seek the generous blessings of the divine couple - Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. As one of the critical festivals occurring this July month, observant devotees wake up before dawn to purify themselves, keep a strict fast without water and common salt, pray intensely, sing sacred hymns of praise dedicated to the deities, and flock to the local Shiva temples at dusk to have darshan of the divine union on the auspicious Pradosh day that promises conjugal happiness, harmony, prosperity and peaceful family bonds as per ancient scriptural doctrine.

Pradosh Vrat
5 Karsha Gustor Festival
Date: 03 Jul - to - 04 Jul 2024

The Karsha Gustor festival is a vibrant annual Buddhist celebration observed from the 9th to the 11th day of the Tibetan lunar calendar among the communities of Ladakh. The festival symbolizes the victory of good over evil and marks the end of the harvest season. Local monasteries host colorful Chham dances performed by Buddhist monks in masks and costumes representing different spirits and deities with their unique mysticism. Locals engage in activities like music mask making, and special delicacies are prepared as they come together in communal harmony to uphold this vital tradition tied to Tibetan Buddhism.

Karsha Gustor Festival
6 Dree festival
Date: 05 Jul 2024

The Dree festival holds immense cultural importance among the Apatani tribe of Arunachal Pradesh, celebrated annually on July 5th. Dree, signifying prosperity and abundance, entails prayers to gods Tamu, Metii, Danyi, and the universal god Boori-Boot for a bountiful harvest and happiness. Women don vibrant handwoven clothes and accessories, partaking in rituals involving sacrifices of fowls, eggs, and animals to the deities. Following these ceremonies, the community comes together for feasts, bonfires, and folk dances throughout the night, expressing gratitude for the blessings received. This festival serves as a vibrant reflection of the tribe's deep-rooted traditions and agricultural heritage.

Dree festival
7 Ashadha Amavasya
Date: 05 Jul 2024

The significant festivals in India in the July phase on full display include Ashadha Amavasya, a no-moon day (also called Amavasya) arriving in the middle of the torrential monsoon season as per the Hindu calendar month of Ashadha. This Amavasya is considered highly auspicious for performing ancestor rituals, donating ceremonial gifts signifying continuity of lineages, and taking holy dips in sacred rivers and temple tanks across the country with its distinct banners raised high atop towering temple gates and key public ritualistic spaces across both rural heartlands and significant cities. These public rituals seek salvation and peace for departed forefathers so they may rest in the afterlife.

Ashadha Amavasya
8 Guru Hargobind Jayanti
Date: 05 Jul 2024

Guru Hargobind Jayanti, celebrated annually in July, honors the birth anniversary of the Sixth Sikh Guru, Guru Hargobind Singh Ji, born on July 5, 1595. The event holds immense significance for the global Sikh community. Festivities at the Golden Temple in Amritsar include vibrant decorations, night processions, hymn singing, and ceremonial rituals from the holy Granth Sahib texts. These rituals commemorate Guru Hargobind's wisdom, leadership, and efforts for social justice during a turbulent historical period. This July festival is a spiritual celebration, symbolizing unity and community upliftment, reflecting the guru's profound impact not only on Sikhs but also on wider.

Guru Hargobind Jayanti
9 Bonalu
Date: 07 Jul 2024

 Bonalu is a month-long Hindu folk festival celebrated across Telangana where the goddess Mahankali is worshipped. Clay pots carrying cooked rice, jaggery, curd, and neem leaves are offered to the goddess as women dance to the rhythms of drums in floral outfits in temples and open spaces, signifying gratitude for an excellent monsoon over the past year. The celebrations culminate with a procession where an image of the goddess Mahankali is taken across localities in the capital region on the last day. The age-old traditions symbolize feminine power and the awakening of the life-affirming forces of nature.

Bonalu
10 Rath Yatri
Date: 07 Jul 2024

The world-famous Rath Yatra in Puri, Odisha, is a high-profile Hindu festival celebrated with great fanfare every year on Ashadha Shukla Dwitiya. It deeply connects to Lord Jagannatha and his siblings. Giant wooden chariots carry idols of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra, and Subhadra on the Grand Road amidst swarms of devotees. Pilgrims chant loudly with devotion, pulling the majestic chariots along the route. Everyone jostles intensely to touch the sacred ropes or catch a fleeting sight of the revered lord's darshan, seeking divine blessings. Held every July, this storied festival draws visitors worldwide for its spiritual aura and spectacle.

Rath Yatri
11 Vinayaka Chaturthi
Date: 09 Jul 2024

Vinayaka Chaturthi commemorates the miraculous rebirth of the wise elephant-headed God Ganesha each lunar month. Devotees observe spiritual discipline and fast, dedicating the entire Chaturthi Tithi to Lord Ganpati. They consume food or water only after seeing the moon rise at night. This special July Chaturthi holds added significance, promising health, prosperity, and obstacle-free beginnings in the year ahead. Rooted in Hindu mythology and oral tradition, these enduring beliefs resonate through the ages. Ganpati's benevolence inspires reverence and devotion, shaping spiritual practices and cultural rituals that endure across generations.

Vinayaka Chaturthi
12 Drupka Teshi
Date: 09 Jul 2024

The annual Drupka Teshi festival commemorates the anniversary of the revered 14th-century Tibetan Buddhist saint, Gotsang Gonpo. These celebrations, widely observed in Sikkim, recreate Gonpo's life journey through elaborate costumed dances within Palzor Stadium near the famed Thangka Hill. Locals spruce up their homes with cleaning to invite monks as honored guests. The visually splendid highpoint is the holy Chaam dance ritual performed by saffron-robed monks from three to four local monasteries, donning hand-crafted wooden masks and exquisite brocade robes, swaying rhythmically to drum beats. This dance encapsulates regional Buddhist traditions, commemorating the epochal saint whose teachings guide followers to date at the festival by orchestrating a transcendent spiritual experience.

Drupka Teshi
13 Kharchi Puja
Date: 14 Jul 2024

The prominent Kharchi Puja festival of July sees tribal groups of Tripura come together at the Chaturdash Devata temple complex located 55 kilometers away from the capital Agartala to offer customary grand worship performed before the Fourteen Gods for welfare and protection, headed by the presiding deity Old Earth itself incarnated as Lord Shiva as per ancient beliefs. Marked by ritual sacrifices of goats and buffaloes along with majestic carnival processions witnessed on the streets over the next 8 days that displays the rich cultural heritage of tribes like Jamatias and Reangs, led prominently by head priest or Chantai and his attendants in full ceremonial costumes specific to each tribe participating, the Kharchi Puja remains one of the most visually splendid religious festivals of the tiny state drawing innumerable devotees annually.

Kharchi Puja
14 Gauri Vrat
Date: 17 Jul 2024

Married Hindu women observe the Gauri Vratam festival over five days commencing from Bhadrapada Shukla Tritiya (which usually falls in July) till Ganesh Chaturthi as a ritual seeking Goddess Parvati’s blessings for happy married life and offspring. Women ceremonially sow barley/wheat grains, typifying Gauri’s fertility and nurturing the saplings wholeheartedly during fasting by watering them daily. On immersion day, the sapling is submerged in water after bidding farewell, its growth indicative of Parvati’s grace. Intricate motifs like the swastika are painted on Gauri makes using vermillion/flowers/turmeric as women dress up wearing green bangles and finely worshipping Gauri idols during this July vrat festival.

Gauri Vrat
15 Vasudeva Dwadashi
Date: 18 Jul 2024

Vasudeva Dwadashi celebrations in July commemorate the appearance day of Vasudeva, father of Lord Krishna. Falling on the Dwadashi (12th day) in Shravan month, special prayers are offered to Lord Vasudeva and his wife Devaki - baby Krishna’s parents. Idols of baby Krishna cradled in Father Vasudeva’s arms are ceremonially bathed with panchamrita and dressed in flowers, jewellery, and new clothes as devotees sing their praises. Some temples also organise chariot processions on this occasion. Krishna’s miraculous escape to Gokul right after his birth is retold on this auspicious festival through lectures, dance, and dramas as Krishna devotees keep fasts and perform charity.

Vasudeva Dwadashi
16 Guru Purnima
Date: 21 Jul 2024

Guru Purnima is a spiritual Hindu and Buddhist festival celebrating the profound relationship between teacher and student. Marked on the full moon day in the Hindu month of Ashadha, it honors the sacrifice and dedication of gurus who personify knowledge and enlightenment. Devotees offer puja to pay respects to their Gurus, while students gift books and stationery seeking blessings. Public discourses by spiritual leaders are organized to showcase eternal teachings. The day also commemorates the birth of Veda Vyasa - author and character of the Mahabharata - considered a source of ancient Hindu wisdom. Guru Purnima festivities reflect teachers' crucial role in shaping lives by imparting ethical values integral to society.

Guru Purnima
17 International Mango Festival
Date: 22 Jul 2024

The International Mango Festival, held annually in Delhi over two days in early summer, celebrates the king of fruits - mangoes! As over 500 exotic varieties from Indian states and global mango hotspots like the Philippines and Thailand descend upon the capital, visitors are spoilt for choice. The colorful fete includes delectable mango meals at stalls, competitions for best mango growers, and even a Miss India Mango beauty contest. Artists showcase mango-themed handicrafts, and famous chefs demonstrate recipes while dance performances like mango salsa transport you straight to tropical beaches! For mango connoisseurs and anyone longing for a sweet summer, the International Mango Festival is a delightfully juicy escape.

International Mango Festival
18 Minjar Festival
Date: 28 Jul 2024

The vibrant week-long Minjar festival in July is celebrated with great fervor in the Chamba district of Himachal around the same time as the Indian festival of Rakhi. Decorative shields and other weapons are artistically adorned with cash and fruits by locals and carried in a procession to offer to deities post performances of traditional music and dance. According to legend, the festival commemorates the victory of the King of Chamba over the ruler of Trigarta and celebrates the pious bonds between siblings on rakhi. The atmosphere comes alive with colorful flags, flowers, processions, and general festivities unique to Himachali culture, including the local folk dance Gaddi Natti on the last day.

Minjar Festival

Festivals by Months

Discover vibrant festivals celebrated around the world each month, from colorful local traditions to grand international events.

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August August
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September September
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October October
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November November

FAQs About Fastivals In July

The Ashadhi Bhadrapada months spanning July-August see devoted religious celebrations of deities like Lord Jagannath at Puri Rath Yatra, concluding in July along with Guru Purnima commemorating spiritual teachers. Major Hindu fasting festivals with strict disciplines are observed worshipping Shiva and Parvati, like Pradosh Vrat and Gauri Vratam. These underscore special days in July in India. Chariot processions during July also glorify Lord Balabhadra while ceremonies immerse idols with fanfare.

Yes, aside from faith-based festivals, even national remembrance days honouring specific groups are hosted in India during July, such as National Doctors’ Day celebrating medical achievements and sacrifices on July 1st. World Population Day on July 11th raises awareness on pressing issues like gender equality and sustainable development for future generations. July 12th marks World Malala Day, saluting education activist Malala Yousafzai. Such occasions spur reflection on human rights and social justice through educational initiatives nationwide.

Important gurpurabs celebrate enlightened Sikh gurus like Guru Hargobind Sahib ji, whose birth anniversary is honoured as a festive occasion. Jains also hold a critical festival called Bhadli Navami on July’s Navami lunar day, marking Tirthankara Neminatha’s birth, undertaking fasting, pujas, charitable works, and prayer ceremonies. Shravan month's special days also venerate Lord Vasudeva, and new idols are ceremonially bathed and adorned with flowers singing his glories.

These Sankranti July Indian festivals underscore critical astronomical solar transitions as the sun progresses in its southern arc, heralding the six-month inauspicious period per Indian calendars. Gifting til/jaggery, ancestor rituals, breaking coconuts, and extensive community meals held on Karka and Dakshinayana transition days carry socio-cultural importance with mass participation across Odisha, where business activities begin post-Sankranti.

India hosts several July festivals and observances that visitors can immerse in, such as celebrating Guru Purnima by attending discourses by spiritual teachers or volunteering at charitable medical camps held on National Doctors’ Day. Foreign tourists also take holy dips alongside locals and deck up in ethnic finery to experience Sankranti communions while capturing incredible images of embellished deity processions at July’s Temple Feasts. Joining community meals, purchasing regional crafts, wearing festive colours, and learning about traditions from village hosts further educate visitors on our living heritage.