One of the most exquisite union territories of India lies on the laps of the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea, the Andaman and Nicobar islands. The two islands together form the lot. While Andaman Island is on the north side, Nicobar occupies the southern portion where the Bay of Bengal flows mostly to the west of the islands. The northern hemisphere is taken care of by the Andaman Sea which separates Burma and Thailand from these islands.

Although they are blessed with abundant flora and fauna the main attraction of the spots beside the scenic beauty remains the culture of the natives, their taste, their lifestyle, and their festivals.

Famous Andaman and Nicobar Island Festivals:

Andaman and Nicobar shelters a plethora of different people, different by caste, race or colour but that doesn’t stop these natives from being a part of any celebration they wish to. Being a large economic source as a tourist spot, these natives and cultures are amiable towards the non-local festivals as well and maybe that is why New Year and Christmas are widely celebrated with fun and frolic. But when it comes to traditional festivals, their cultures reflect a mash-up of all the Indian festivals and the first that comes in line is the Durga pooja.

All over India people are familiar with this certain festival, the pomposity or the grand celebration of this event is a wonder to be seen. Just like any other city in India, Andaman Nicobar natives dress up to their best and celebrate Durga Pooja.

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Next comes in line is the Janmashtami where the birth of Lord Krishna is celebrated. The houses are decorated; women folk sweat themselves busy preparing mouth-watering dishes and small drama or such event is performed as a part of the entertainment, although the Puja offered to lord Krishna is the core procedure. This is generally during august or September time.

Another festival celebrated is the Subhash mela. This is regarding the birthday of our great martyr Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose which is celebrated on the same month as his birthday, January. This calls for an occasion of assembling all the local tribes and their cultures are mashed and blended in. tourists are always open to participation in any of them they wish.

For the special entertainment of the tourist sector, the tourism department of these islands conducts certain festivals from time to time. Some of them are the Island tourism festival which is an annual cultural event organized by the touring committee for the special reason of entertaining the tourists. This is probably one of the most important events of all time since the local artists get a platform to showcase their talents via these cultural events. Then there is the monsoon magic festival which is a festival to show gratitude for the new harvest. Even this is a well-awaited event where the natives get a wide stage to bring forth their cultures and their individual talents.

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What is Andaman Nicobar without its sun-kissed beaches? One of the main attractions catering to the tourists as well as the economy is the famous beaches of these islands and to add a fun zeal to this, the beach festival is recently created where which caters to the beach lovers by organizing various beach sports such as volleyballs, tug of war etc.

These natives due to their several tribes are more into tribal festivals. While some tribes celebrate Pongal which is a harvest festival, others celebrate Panguni Uthiram which caters to Tamil needs. Then there are Bengali traditional celebrations like Holi, Ramanavami, Eid, Diwali, and Shivratri.

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Being a central hub for all religions while Vivekananda and block mela is celebrated by some, others celebrate Good Friday. This entire island has a year long schedule of different festivals satisfying different needs and all of them are a hit in their own way.

Tejaswi

About Tejaswi

Tejaswi, a Master of Business Administration graduate, is our senior content writer, specializing in travel and lifestyle products. She is quite creative in her approach. Tejaswi ardently follows the latest news and present market trends and makes sure her readers are always up-to-date. In-depth research and follow-ups on any topic along with unique and knowledgable pieces of writing, is what makes her stand apart. Besides writing, Tejaswi also loves cooking, listening to music, and traveling.
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