Last reviewed 1 Oct 2026 · Facts as of 1 Oct 2026 · 6 min read
Memory aid. For each festival learn: season/month, what is celebrated, and place associations. For folk dances learn: who dances, region, and accompanying instrument.
1. Major festivals
| Festival | Time | Significance / features |
|---|---|---|
| Lohri | 13 January (eve of Makar Sankranti) | Winter solstice/harvest festival; bonfire with sesame (til), jaggery, popcorn, peanuts; celebrated for newborns and new brides; folk songs of Dulla Bhatti |
| Maghi | Mid-January (first day of Magh) | Commemorates the Forty Liberated Ones (Chali Mukte) who died at Muktsar (1705); Maghi Mela at Sri Muktsar Sahib; holy dip in the sarovar |
| Basant Panchami | Jan–Feb | Spring festival; yellow clothes; kite flying (strongly associated with Punjab and Lahore tradition) |
| Hola Mohalla | Day after Holi (Feb–March) | Started by Guru Gobind Singh at Anandpur Sahib (1701); martial arts displays, mock battles, nihang processions, kirtan |
| Holi | March | Festival of colours |
| Baisakhi (Vaisakhi) | 13/14 April | Harvest festival of Punjab; Sikh New Year; Khalsa founded in 1699; major fairs at Talwandi Sabo (Damdama Sahib), Anandpur Sahib, Amritsar |
| Teeyan (Teej) | Sawan (July–August) | Women's festival of the monsoon; swings under trees, Giddha, mehndi |
| Raksha Bandhan | Aug | Brother–sister festival |
| Gurpurabs | Throughout the year | Birth and martyrdom days of Gurus — e.g., Prakash Purab of Guru Nanak (Kartik Purnima, Nov), Guru Gobind Singh Jayanti, Guru Arjan Dev martyrdom day (Shaheedi Purab) |
| Dussehra and Diwali | Oct–Nov | Diwali = Bandi Chhor Divas for Sikhs (Guru Hargobind's release from Gwalior); lights at Golden Temple |
| Karva Chauth | Oct–Nov | Married women's fast |
| Eid, Muharram | Per Islamic calendar | Celebrated especially in Malerkotla |
| Christmas and Easter | Dec / Mar–Apr | Christian communities |
2. Important fairs (melas)
| Fair | Place | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Maghi Mela | Sri Muktsar Sahib | Mid-January |
| Hola Mohalla | Anandpur Sahib | Feb–March; Khalsa martial skills |
| Baisakhi Mela | Talwandi Sabo, Anandpur Sahib, Amritsar | April |
| Jor Mela (Shaheedi Jor Mela) | Fatehgarh Sahib | December; remembers the martyrdom of the younger Sahibzade (Zorawar Singh and Fateh Singh) and Mata Gujri |
| Chappar Mela | Chappar (Ludhiana) | Sept; a large village fair |
| Rouza Sharif Urs | Sirhind | Urs of Sheikh Ahmad Sirhindi |
| Haider Sheikh Urs | Malerkotla | Sufi shrine fair |
| Rural Olympics (Kila Raipur Sports Festival) | Kila Raipur (Ludhiana) | Held every year in Feb; rural sports such as bullock-cart races, tug of war, kabaddi, weightlifting; began in 1933 |
| Ram Tirath Mela | Amritsar | Kartik Purnima; linked to the Ramayana tradition (Valmiki's ashram) |
Mela simply means "fair." A common exam style: "The Rural Olympics are held at which place?" → Kila Raipur.