festivals

The major festivals celebrated in Tiruchirappalli are –

• Pongal – A harvest festival celebrated in the month of January.
• Varsha Pirappu (or Tamil New Year’s Day) – Beginning of a new year according to Tamil Calendar; this is celebrated in April.
• Vaikunta Ekadasi Festival – An auspicious festival where people hold fasts, meditation and prayers which are believed to lead to purity of heart and make them a place in heaven (Vaikunta).
• Float Festival – A temple festival, where deity idols are decked with silk clothes and colourful flowers and are floated on rafts in the temple tanks, along with lamps (deepam).
• 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.
• Aadi Perukku – A festival celebrated on the 18th day of the Tamil month of Aadi (mid-July to mid-August).
• Deepavali – The festival of Lights; India’s most popular and widely celebrated festival.