Traditional Indian Festivals and Rituals

Vibrant scenes of Indian festivals showcasing participants in ornate clothing, engaging in rituals, dancing, and communal gatherings by holy rivers.

India, Allahabad. Bath in the sacred waters of Ganges and Yamuna (Editorial Usage Only)

The dance of holy festival, district Vadodara, Gujarat, India Copyright: xPhotochromy/DinodiaxPhotox

Indian Hindu pilgrims washing clothes and bathing in The Ganges River at Dashashwamedh Ghat in Holy City of Varanasi, India

India, Allahabad. Bath in the sacred waters of Ganges and Yamuna (Editorial Usage Only)

Rural women gathered Mindiyada near Anjaar Kutch Gujarat India NO MR Copyright: xRajendraxShukla/DinodiaxPhotox

A differently abled person climbing uphill to Lord Ayyappa Ayyappan temple, Sabarimala, Kerala, South India, India, Asia

A hyperactive god possessed man lying in ground during Vaikasi Visakam festival, Tiruchendur, Tamil Nadu, South India, India, Asia

South India. Women Wearing Colorful Saris During Wedding Celebration.

Bondas tribal people at the Ankudeli market. The Bonda, also known as Remo, are a Munda ethnic group who live in the isolated hill regions of the Malkangiri district of southwestern Odisha, near the junction of the three states of Odisha, Chhattisgarh, and Andhra Pradesh. The tribe is one of the oldest and most primitive in mainland India; their culture has changed little for more than a thousand years. They are one of the 75 Primitive Tribal Groups identified by the Government of India.

Children performing group dances in festive program, Kerala, India Copyright: xMxAmirtham/DinodiaxPhotox

Pongal Festival, Tamil Nadu, India Copyright: xMxAmirtham/DinodiaxPhotox

Dancers performing the vigorous, rhythmic and colourful Tarpa Dance one of the most prominent dance performed by the Warli Tribes of Maharashtra, India Copyright: xManoejxPaateel/DinodiaxPhotox

Pilgrims sitting on ghat, varanasi, uttar pradesh, india, asia Copyright: xHarixMahidhar/DinodiaxPhotox

Kenya, Marsabit County, Kalacha. Somali women sing and dance outside a traditional house at the Kalacha Festival.

India, Uttar Pradesh, Varanasi, Pilgrims at Kedar Ghat.

Women performing traditional Indian dance on ground for special occasion, India Copyright: xMxAmirtham/DinodiaxPhotox

Indian Hindu pilgrims bathing in The Ganges River at Dashashwamedh Ghat in Holy City of Varanasi, Benares, India

Indian women in colorful saris walking to Temple

Women in festive saris, festival, south of Hunsur, Karnataka, South India, India, South Asia, Asia

Girls performing dance and celebrating Bihu festival new year celebration Assam, India NO MR Copyright: xHarixMahidhar/DinodiaxPhotox

Armenia Ghat market, Kolkata (Calcutta), West Bengal, India, Asia

India, Bihar, Nalanda, people

Kumbh fair, Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, India, 2000 Copyright: xDinodiaxPhotox

Manipuri women have organized themselves as Meira Paibis torch bearers to fight for their rights as woman, Imphal, Manipur, India Copyright: xDinodiaxPhotox

Indian Hindu pilgrims queue to visit the Golden Temple during Festival of Shivaratri in holy city of Varanasi, Northern India

Pilgrims celebrating Chhath Puja by the Ganges; Varanasi, India

Thai buddhist temple in Bodhgaya, India

Africa, Kenya, Kajiado District, Ol doinyo Orok. A large gathering of Maasai warriors during an Eunoto ceremony when the warriors become junior elders and thenceforth are permitted to marry.

Rajasthani lady in veil, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India Copyright: xMohammedxSharif/DinodiaxPhotox

Ethiopia, Amhara Region, Lasta, Lalibela. Churchgoers flock to the famous ancient rock-hewn Church of Saint George for an early morning outside service.

Dancing Men wearing exaggerate costumes for the purpose of offering prayers and receiving blessings from the Goddess in Dasara Dussera Dusera Festival at Kulasai Kulasekharapatnam near Tiruchendur, Tamil Nadu, South India, India, Asia

Food aid for the poor at Dashashwamedh Ghat in Holy City of Varanasi, Benares, India

Thousands of devotees and holy men converge in Haridwar to take a dip in the river Ganges on the occasion of 'Navsamvatsar', a Hindu holiday taking place during the Maha Kumbh Mela festival.

Two men and a pandit or priest are performing Dashkriya or Asthi Visarjan, a ritual which is performed 10 days after the death of a family member, Nasik, Maharashtra, India, Asia

Floods in India.

Newly wed couple at famous Jejuri temple, Maharashtra, India Copyright: xManoejxPaateel/DinodiaxPhotox

Tamil Hindu pilgrims en route to the Ramanathaswami Temple, Rameshwaram or Ramesvaram, Tamil Nadu, South India, India, Asia

India, Women at Kumbh Mela festival

People of Bassapur village celebrating their traditional Hindu Goddess Laxmi yatra festival comes after every four years in Bassapur, Belgaum district, Karnataka, India Copyright: xManoejxPaateel/DinodiaxPhotox

Devotees queue at shri krishna janmabhoomi, mathura, uttar pradesh, india, asia Copyright: xArunxMishra/DinodiaxPhotox

Dancers performing black hat dance in traditional Paro Tsechu festival, Paro, Bhutan

LAO - LE RYTHME DES EAUXAu Nord du Laos, enclavée dans les montagnes, la paisible cité de Luang Prabang prospère depuis des siècles au sein de la péninsule formée par la confluence du fleuve Mékong et de la rivière Nam Khan. Avant dêtre devancée par Vientiane, elle fut la capitale du puissant Royaume de Lane Xang (Royaume du Million dEléphants). Son architecture coloniale et ses majestueux temples lui valent dêtre inscrite au patrimoine mondiale de lUNESCO depuis 1995.La légende raconte que Bouddha y serait venu au cours de lun de ses voyages et quil a souri. Aujourdhui, la ville est un haut lieu bouddhique de lAsie du Sud-Est. Les jeunes y viennent des campagnes alentours pour faire une retraite monastique et ainsi recevoir une éducation gratuite.A loccasion de Pi Mai, la Fête de l'Eau, Luang Prabang se réveille. Correspondant au Nouvel An lao et bouddhique, on fête le retour de la saison des pluies et la renaissance de la nature. Durant les plusieurs jours de festivités,

India: Devotees of the goddess Yellamma, Poornima Festival held near the Yellamma Temple, Saundatti, Karnataka (1994). Every year in the Hindu month of Magh (January - February) more than half a million people gather around the tiny temple of the goddess Yellamma in Saundatti. Yellamma is the patron of the devadasi or women dedicated to the service of a deity or temple. (Photo by: H.J. Hoffmann/Pictures From Asia/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

People celebrating Bihu festival New Year celebration, Assam, India NO MR Copyright: xHarixMahidhar/DinodiaxPhotox

Muslim devotees offer prayers at the Akheri Munajat or final prayers during the Biswa Ijtema 2nd phase, an annual congregation of Muslims in Tongi, the outskirts of Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Sri Lanka, Religion, Hinduism, 'Punnaccolai Festival. Tamil Oracle Named Sothimalar With Her Son, Both Having Ritual Trident Piercings Inserted Through Cheeks'

Traditional welcome to guest, Santhal tribal, Dumka, Jharkhand, India Copyright: xDinodiaxPhotox

Mising tribal women dancing as they are celebrating Ali-Aye-Ligang festival in Guwahati on 16 February 2022. Ali Aye Ligang is a traditional festival of Mishing community people of Assam.

Women´s festival, Varanasi Benares, India, Asia

Toda wedding, Nilgiris, Ooty Udhagamandalam, Tamil Nadu, South India, India, Asia. The Bridegroom, goes into the forest to collect twigs out of which he will make a bow. When the bow is handed over to the bride under the sacred tree, marriage stands solemnized, Asia

Assamese girls performing dance and celebrating Bihu festival new year celebration Assam, India NO MR Copyright: xHarixMahidhar/DinodiaxPhotox

India, Allahabad. People chanting at Hindu Temple. (Editorial Usage Only)

Pilgrims taking a ritual bath at a Kali temple on the river banks of the Hoogly river, Kolkata Calcutta, West Bengal, India, Asia

Food getting served to eunuch and followers after wedding of eunuchs on occasion of Bewa Purnima at Ghatkopar Mumbai Copyright: xManoejxPaateel/DinodiaxPhotox

South India. Traditional Bhuj, Vagadiya, Rabari Indian clothing and jewelry for women. (Editorial Use Only)

Anuradhapura is one of Sri Lanka's ancient capitals and famous for its well-preserved ruins. From the 4th century BCE until the beginning of the 11th century CE it was the capital. During this period it remained one of the most stable and durable centers of political power and urban life in South Asia. The ancient city, considered sacred to the Buddhist world, is today surrounded by monasteries covering an area of over sixteen square miles (40 km).

Policemen controlling demonstrators during the Salt Satyagraha, Bombay, India, 1930 India Copyright: xJayanxMitra/DinodiaxPhotox -

Group of Moslems during Moharram mourning, Rajasthan state, India, Asia

Pilgrims decorated with sacred ash, Vaikasi, Visakam festival, Tiruchendur, Tamil Nadu, India Copyright: xMxAmirtham/DinodiaxPhotox

During the Chhath Puja of the Harijan community in Sylhet, devotees bring offerings of food to perform rituals. They stand halfway submerged in the waters of the Surma River as part of the Chhath Puja or Surya Puja ritual. Harijan devotees believe that, when the puja is completed, it bestows divine blessings upon the community. Sylhet, Bangladesh.

Christian devotee offer prayers during Jesus Christ re-enacts the crucifixion during Eatser play on Good Friday. Jesus Christ gave his life as a sacrifice while suffering for the sins of people.

A group of Sadhus, smoking, sit in an outdoor temple

Samiyadi god man during puravi eduppu festival Venthanpatti Pudukkottai Tamil Nadu India August-2009 NO MR Copyright: xMxAmirtham/DinodiaxPhotox

India, Orissa, Chhattisgarh, Muria area, Bison Horn tribe

Women In A Burial Procession After The 8 October 2005 Earthquake, Chikar, Azad Kashmir, Pakistan

Pilgrims At Dakshineshwar Kali Temple. Ramakrishna Paramhans Lived Here As Priest, Calcutta Now Kolkata, West Bengal, India

Vavu Bali, a Hindu ritual, Kerala, India, Asia

Numerous group of college students dressed in blue visit UNESCO World Heritage, Galle Fort, during Binara Full Moon Poya Day.

Group of village people on pilgrimage of vari, procession from Alandi to Pandharpur in Maharashtra, India Copyright: xSatishxParashar/DinodiaxPhotox

Karagam dancers in Machattu vela festival, Thrissur, Thrissur District, Kerala, India

Devotees in Karni Mata Temple. Deshnoke Rajasthan, INDIA (THE RAT TEMPLE).

Muslim Girls, Kadmat Island, Lakshadweep, India.

Woman giving out alms food to monks waiting in line, Bagan, Mandalay Region, Myanmar

Widow at Pilgrim Centre of Brindavan, Uttar Pradesh, India NO MR Copyright: xTxSatyan/DinodiaxPhotox

Man piercing spike through cheeks discharging vow in Thaipusam festival Kerala India NOMR Copyright: xSatishxParashar/DinodiaxPhotox

Kumbh fair, Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, India, 2000 Copyright: xDinodiaxPhotox

Transgender, kumbh mela, ujjain, madhya pradesh, india, asia Copyright: xArunxMishra/DinodiaxPhotox

India, West Bengal, Sagar Island, Crowds of pilgrims with offerings at the temple to sage Kapil Muni on the island also known as Sagardwip.

The Todas are the original inhabitants of the Nilgiris Hills, Tamil Nadu, India Copyright: xMxAmirtham/DinodiaxPhotox

Family fisher childrens, Holy festival in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, Asia

Workers On The Sujatagarh Stupa, Bodhgaya, Bihar, India

Women wearing colourful saris at the Mewar Festival on Lake Pichola, Udaipur, Rajasthan, India, Asia

Chhath Puja festival, Tapti river, Surat, Gujarat, India, Asia India Copyright: xAjitxParekh/DinodiaxPhotox -

Buddhist nuns collecting offerings from people or shop vendors in south Myanmar

Shiv Temple By Sameep Padora & Associates, Maharashtra, India-Community Gathers For Evening Puja, Wadeshwar, , Architect Unknown

Mahatma Gandhi and others in Madras, Tamil Nadu, India, Asia, January 1946 India Copyright: xJayanxMitra/DinodiaxPhotox -

Sadhus or holy men in the lanes of Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India, Asia

Toda women sang and danced in a circle during Toda wedding, Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu, India Copyright: xMxAmirtham/DinodiaxPhotox

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Group delivering Hindu god model to village, Parganas District, West Bengal, India, Asia

Folk, Kalbelia dance during Marwar festival, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India Copyright: xShivjixJoshi/DinodiaxPhotox

Yellamma devdasi fair, saudatti, karnataka, india Copyright: xDinodiaxPhotox

Jain People praying in Rajastan, India

Guatemala, Santa Maria de Jesus, Logos of global symbols contrast with local culture on schoolgirls' backpacks in Santa Maria de Jesus in the highlands.

Devotees offer Pind to dead relatives. Pind Daan is a Hindu service in which a religious service is performed for the dead ancestors. The occasion is fortnight-long and places like Gaya (Bihar state) are thronged by people during this time. Pind means Round balls of rice and flour which are offered, along with the sacred kusha grass and flowers, amidst sprinkling of water and chanting of mantras from the Sam Veda. People visit the place in numbers as Gaya is believed to be the holiest place for this ritual. Gaya, Bihar, India.

Shilpgram, Rajasthan, November 9, 2019: Kalbelia folk music performed by musicians in traditional dress performed in Shilpgram cultural village near Udaipur

Gayan Bayan (musicians and singers) performance by Hindu bhakat (monks) at the Uttar Kamalabari Hindu monastery, Majuli Island, Assam, India, Asia

Pilgrims, rock church, traditional dress, white cloaks, ceremony, rock church, church carved in rock, Bete Medhane Alem, Lalibela, Amhara region, Northern Ethiopia, Ethiopia, Africa

Backyard of a traditional house, Gaoui, near N'Djamena, Chad, West Africa, Africa

Women preparing to celebrate sevvai Pongal in Paganeri Village, Sivaganga, Tamil Nadu, India, Asia

A man collecting well water at bottom of Lord Murugan Temple hill in Thiruttani Tiruttani Tirutani, Tamil Nadu, South India, India, Asia

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