Festivals

The major festivals celebrated in Anantapur include the following:

• Maha Shivaratri – A festival dedicated to the Hindu God Shiva, where people observe fasts and pray to the Lord.
• Sankranthi – A harvest festival celebrated in January.
• Ugadi – A festival that marks the beginning of a new year according to the Telugu calendar; this is celebrated all over the south Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.
• Navratri and Dussehra – A 10-day Hindu festival, where Goddess Durga is worshipped – Navaratri is the first 9 days and the 10th day is Dussehra.
• Deepavali – The festival of Lights; India’s most popular and widely celebrated festival.
• Christmas – A Christian festival commemorating birth of Jesus; most Christians and Hindus also celebrate this famous festival here.