Lohri Is One Of The Most Popular Festivals In Haryana. Lohri Marks The End Of Winter And Welcomes The Season Of Fertility. It Is Celebrated Every Year On 13 January Just Before Makar Sankranti. Lohri Is Actually Meant For The Punjabis, But The Entire State Celebrates It With Equal Joy And Fervor. On The Day Of Lohri People Burn Huge Bonfires And Throw Sweets, Puffed Rice And Popcorn Into The Flames. They Make Circles Around The Fire, Sing Songs, Dance And Exchange Greetings. People Also Pray Around The Fire Which Symbolizes Agni Or The Spark Of Life.

This Is Amongst The Most Exciting Festivals In Haryana. It Is Celebrated On 1 September Every Year. It Is Named So Because It Was On This Day That The Birth Of Tourism Took Place In Haryana, Which Is The Haryana Tourism Corporation Came Into Existence. The Day Is Celebrated With A Lot Of Zest And Enthusiasm In The State. There Are A Number Of Events That Are Held In The Different Parts Of The State. One Of The Most Popular Events Is The Cycle Race That Is Held From Chandigarh To Panchkula.

The Pinjore Heritage Festival Takes Place At Pinjore. Pinjore Is A Small Town That Is Located At A Distance Of 20 Kilometers From Chandigarh. Pinjore Is Home Some To Some Of The Best Terraced Gardens In The Country. These Gardens Belong To The Mughal Era In India And Were Planned By Fidai Khan During The Reign Of Jehangir.

Gangore Is A Festival Dedicated To Gauri, The Goddess Of Abundance. It Is Celebrated Every Year On Chet Sudi-3. People Take Out Processions Carrying The Idol Of Gangore. People Carry The Image Of The Idol From One Village To Another And Finally Immerse It Into The River. This Festival Is Specially Meant For Young Girls Who Dress Up With New Clothes And Pray For Good Husbands. Married Ladies Also Pray For The Well Being Of Their Partners.

Baisakhi Is Another Major Festival Celebrated In Haryana. Baisakhi Marks The Beginning Of The Punjabi New Year. It Is Celebrated In April Every Year. On This Day All The Sikhs Visit The Gurdwaras And Pray For Peace And Happiness. After Praying They Are Served With Kada Prasad After Which There Is A Langar, Which Is The Best Part Of The Festival. The Entire Community Gets Together And Enjoys A Feast.

This Is A Festival That Is Unique To Haryana. Gugga Naumi Is A Religious Festival, In Connection With Snake-worship. It Is Observed In The Months Of August-september. People Worship Gugga Pir Or Zahir Pir (the Saint) Who Was Reputed For Having The Power Of Curing People Of Dangerous Snake Bites.

The Surajkund Craft Is A Popular Art And Craft Fair Held In Surajkund. Surajkund Is Situated At A Distance Of 20 Km From Delhi. It Is One Of The Most Popular Art And Crafts Fair Held In The Region. The Fair Is Held Every Year In The Month Of February. The Surajkund Fair Highlights The Finest Handloom And Handicrafts Produced In The Country. The Objective Of The Fair Is To Educate Both Foreign And Domestic Patrons About The Various Technique And Skills Applied Behind The Creation Of The Crafts. It Also Helps The Poor Craftsman By Introducing Them Directly To Buyers.

The Kartik Fair Is Also A Significant Fair Held Every Year In Haryana. The Fair Is Held With The Objective Of Promoting Various Kinds Of Arts In The State Like; Classical Music, Martial Arts, Dance And Folk Music. This Fair Is Held In The Month Of November At The Nahar Singh Mahal.

Haryana Is Proud Of A Rich Cultural Heritage That Goes Way Back To The Vedic Times. The State Is Rich In Folklore. The People Of Haryana Have Their Own Traditions. The Age Old Customs Of Meditation, Yoga And Chanting Of Vedic Mantras, Are Still Observed By The Masses. The Seasonal And Religious Festivals Glorify The Culture Of This Region. The Dance Is Said To Be The Mother Of All Arts. Music And Poetry Exist In Tune, Painting And Architecture In Space. The Dance Is Just Not A Form Of Recreation But Something Needed To Release The Physical And Emotional Energy. Folk Dances, Like Other Creative Art, Helps In Sublimating The Performer's Worries And Cares. Haryana Has Always Been A State Of Diverse Races, Cultures And Faiths. It Is On This Soil That They Met And Fused Into Something Truly India. The People Of Haryana Have Preserved Their Old Religious And Social Traditions. They Celebrate Festivals With Great Enthusiasm And Traditional Fervor. Their Culture And Popular Art Are Saangs, Dramas, Ballads And Songs In Which They Take Great Delight. With Hindi, Punjabi, Urdu And English Forming The Main Languages, There Are Numerous Dialects Which Are Spoken In Haryana. However, Almost All Of Them Have Their Base In Hindi. Sanskrit Is Also Taught In Most Of The Schools In Haryana. In Towns And Cities, English Is Still To Be Adopted As The Household Lingo, But Is Spoken In A Hazy Mixture Of Hindi. The Most Striking Feature Of Haryana Is Its Language Itself; Or Rather, The Manner In Which It Is Spoken. Popularly Known As Harayanvi, Bangaru Or Jatu, It Is Perhaps A Bit Crude, But Full Of Earthy Humor And Straightforwardness. With Rapid Urbanization, And Due To Haryana's Close Proximity To Delhi, The Cultural Aspects Are Now Taking A More Modern Hue.

Roti Is One Of The Staple Foods Of Haryana And People Are Quite Fond Of This Food Item. Owing To This Reason, The State Is Often Called As The 'land Of Rotis'. The Rotis That Are Mostly Consumed Here Are Made From Wheat And Baajra. In The Earlier Days, People Used To Make Roti From A Flour Of Wheat, Gram And Barley. The Preparation Was Both Nutritious And Filling. Then Came Gochini Atta Made From Wheat And Gram Flour Which Is Equally Nourishing. However, Due To The Rising Price Of Gram And Barley, People Of Haryana Now Prefer The

Haryana Is Rich In Cattle Population Due To Which Milk Products Are Common. People Prepare Ghee And Butter At Home And It Is Used Regularly In Their Diet. In Haryana, The Home Made Butter Is Called Nooni Or Tindi Ghee. Most Relished Milk Based Dishes Are Raabri, Gajar-ka-halwa And Kheer. Lassi And Sherbat Are The Popular Drinks Of Haryana.

Popular Preparation Of Haryana Comprise Of Singri Ki Sabzi, Kachri Ki Sabzi, Methi Gajar, Mixed Dal, Hara Dhania Cholia, Kadhi Pakora, Tamatar Chutney, Bathua Raita, Khichri, Mithe Chawal, Besan Masala Roti Makhan, Bhura Roti Ghee, Bajra Aloo Roti Makhan, Churma, Kheer And Malpuas And Pethe Ki Subji. Teet Ka Achar, A Pickle Accompanied With Rotis, Is Also Popular In The State. Haryana Arts And Crafts Include A Variety Of Style And Flair. These Works Of Art Reflect The Rich Cultural Heritage Of Haryana. The Famous Haryana Arts And Crafts Are Known All Over The Country For Their Splendid Aesthetic Values.

Haryana Arts And Crafts Mainly Include Pottery, Embroidery And Weaving, Phulkari, Chope, Durries Bagh And Paintings. Most Of These Are Essentially Village Handicrafts. The Villages Of Haryana Are Most Famous For Their Woven Works. The Haryana Shawl, An Offshoot Of The Kashmiri Style Of Work, Is A Magnificent Piece Of Art. Bright And Brilliant Colors Form An Essential Part Of The Arts And Crafts Of Haryana. The Pots Made In The Villages Of Haryana Are Brightly Painted And Designed Intricately. This Makes Them Appear Very Attractive. While The Men Make The Earthen Article The Patterns On Them Are Generally Painted By Some Woman Member Of The Family. Phulkari Of Haryana Is Essentially A Rural Craft And In Made By The Women Members. The Bagh Is A Bit Different From The Phulkari And In This Case The Base Cloth Is Completely Covered With Embroidery. Another Kind Of Shawl Made By The People Here Is The Chope. Haryana Arts And Crafts Are One Of The Major Mode Of Income For The Rural People Of The State. Thus They Play An Important Role In Governing The Economy Of The State Of Haryana.