Top 10 Unconventional Festivals of 2022 that you should not miss!

The variety of Indian languages, traditions, rituals, and festivals demonstrates the depth of Indian culture. In this country, every day is a holiday, but some of them are a little strange. Despite their strangeness, unconventional festivals are enthusiastically celebrated in India. Hold your spirits high because festivals of 2022 will make you dance like there is no tomorrow, you will enjoy every bit of the festive vibe in India. 

However, no matter how good the intentions, celebrations that include behaviors such as inflicting pain and battling animals are downright insane. These rites are still practiced today. Here are ten of India’s strangest and most unusual festivals, all of which are still popular and celebrated today.

Continue reading to find out if you really want to go to experience the indifferent festivals of 2022 –

1. Mudai Festival, Chattisgarh 

The Mudai Festival is a well-known festival in Chhattisgarh, a state known for its Sanskritik culture. The Mudai Festival is one of the best festivals of 2022 which celebrates the state’s rich tradition and culture, as well as its joy and frolic.

The Gond Tribe’s members, in particular, celebrate with great zeal and devotion. It is held between the months of December and March. Different tribes, however, celebrate the holiday in different locations.

The Kurna and Charama communities of Kanker district, as well as residents of Bhanupratappur, Antagrah, Pakhanjore, and Kondagaon, and tribes from Narayanpur and Bastar, are among the tribes who celebrate the Madai festival in Chhattisgarh.

This festival draws people out of their homes by gathering them in a large open field. Families and friends travel from all over the country to see them. They perform the rituals as a group while also enjoying their meal and the moments of togetherness that they will remember for the rest of their lives. Enjoy the best amongst the indifferent festivals of 2022.

2. Desert Festival, Jaisalmer

The Jaisalmer Desert Festival is an annual event held in February in the lovely city of Jaisalmer. It takes place in the Hindu month of Magh, three days before the full moon (February). The festival takes place on the Sam dunes in the Thar Desert (42 kilometers from Jaisalmer). The romantic, isolated, and pristine environment comes to life during the three-day festival of desert delights. The Desert Festival of Jaisalmer is one of the most-awaited and celebrated festivals of 2022.

Few people are aware of the history or legend surrounding Jaisalmer’s desert festival. According to legend, Lord Krishna, the Yadav community’s monarch, warned Arjuna (one of the Pandavas) that a Yadav successor would establish his dominion atop Trikuta Hill. Lord Krishna’s prophecy was fulfilled when Rawal Jaiswal, a descendant of the Yadav tribe, established his dominion in Jaisalmer.

When the people realized the prophecy had come true, they held celebrations all over the kingdom. The celebrations quickly grew into a festival, which is now held annually. The administration began marketing the lively event as an international draw to Jaisalmer, a desert city.

3. Hornbill Festival, Nagaland

You’ve probably heard of the Naga tribes’ famed Hornbill Event… but the Sekrenyi Festival, a harvesting festival for the Angami Nagas, also sounds intriguing. Isn’t that correct? It is a ten-day cleansing festival with feasting and singing that takes place in February and includes ritual acts such as “Kizie” and “Thekra Hie.”

During the event, men bathe in the village well, which is then cleaned and guarded by two young Angamis until the next morning. Enjoy the best amongst the indifferent festivals of 2022.

Other notable Angami performances at the Sekrenyi festival include tribal duet songs, traditional dance, and music. Later in the festival, there is a bridge pulling, which is an important part of the festival because it allows for inter-village visits and allows people to return to work in the fields.

4. Magh Mela, Uttar Pradesh

The Kumbh Mela, also known as the Kumbha Mela, is a Hindu pilgrimage where Hindus gather to bathe in a sacred or holy river. The Magh Mela is one of the best festivals of 2022. The four traditionally recognized Kumbh Melas are the Haridwar Kumbh Mela, Allahabad Kumbh Mela, Nashik-Trimbakeshwar Simhastha, and Ujjain Simhastha. Every year, these four fairs are held at different locations: Haridwar, Allahabad (Prayaga), Nashik district (Nashik and Trimbak), and Ujjain.

The main festival sites are the Ganges (Ganga) at Haridwar, the confluence (Sangam) of the Ganges, the Yamuna, and the invisible Sarasvati at Allahabad, the Godavari at Nashik, and the Shipra at Ujjain. Bathing in these waters is said to cleanse a person of all sins.

Every 12 years, the Kumbh Mela takes place in each location. Tere is a difference of 3 years for the Kumbh Melas in Haridwar and Nashik; the fairs in Nashik and Ujjain take place in the same year or one year apart.

5. Story of Light Festival, Goa

The Story of Light Festival is India’s first festival that explores the intersection of science, philosophy, and culture through art and design. The Story of Light Festival is one of the best festivals of 2022, that one should not miss.

By allowing artists and scientists to collaborate and connect the dots, the Festival hopes to make modern physics and the cosmos more accessible to the general public. The festival is usually held in prominent locations around Panjim and is free to the public. To know more about the regional festivities, please check 11 regional festivals of India, you probably haven’t heard of.

The festival’s overarching goals are to promote science education among youth, to bring together modern science and cultural science on a common, intersecting platform, to raise public awareness of particle and quantum physics through the role of light, to provide people with new philosophical perspectives on the nature of reality, and to encourage people to consider light technologies for long-term development and sustainability

6. Karama Festival, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha

Devoted to the goddess Karamasani… The Karama Festival is primarily observed by the Ho, Kisan, Kol, Bhumij, Oraon, Bhuiyan, and Binijhal tribes of East and central India. The Karama Festival is one of India’s monsoon festivals, and it is distinguished by a number of rituals, including the worship of Karma tree branches in exchange for good fortune and offspring. The Karama Festival is one of the best festivals of 2022, that one should not miss.

Every tribe has a different legend behind the Karama celebration. According to legend, there were once seven brothers, with the six eldest running a farm and the youngest brother and his six sisters-in-law singing and dancing around a Karama tree. The elder brothers became enraged and threw the tree away, causing the younger brother to flee the house in anger.

Later, their house and farm were cursed, but the youngest brother found the Karama tree drifting in the river and returned it. Since then, the Karama Devta has been worshipped. Another legend has it that when a merchant returned from a prosperous expedition, he threw away the Karama tree because he was not greeted by his wife and relatives. He later lost all of his money but regained it when he returned from the ocean with the Karama tree.

As a result, the Karama Festival is one of the most important tribal celebrations in India, with legendary significance.

Celebrated in – Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha 

Time of the year – July and August

7. Jallikattu, Tamil Nadu

Jallikattu is a bull-taming game in which both humans and animals can die as a result of injuries.

Jallikattu is a centuries-old custom. Jallikattu is a violent, centuries-old South Indian ritual that is celebrated in Tamil Nadu as part of the Pongal festival. It is regarded as one of India’s most unusual holidays.

Bulls are specially groomed for this event by village residents who later represent the entire cattle family of the village. Jallikattu is one of the best festivals of 2022, that one should not miss.

This festival honors the tying of money or gold to a bull’s horn. The objective is to tame the bull and steal the items tethered to its horns. Bulls are nurtured and raised in such a way that they can compete at the highest level and win.

8. Mim-Kutt Festival, Mizoram

It is one of the most popular and vibrant harvest festivals in India and Mizoram. Mim-Kutt Festival is one of the best festivals of 2022, that one should not miss.

It’s a musical extravaganza with a smorgasbord of exquisite folk dance performances, and you can drink local rice beer while you watch.

What is the manner in which it is commemorated?

You can eat tribal food and feel like a local at this celebration. Enjoy the native rice beer as well as the joy and talent on display at this event.

Mim-Kutt Festival is celebrated in the months of August to September.

9. Lathmar Holi, Vrindavan

The highlight of the festival is the ladies of Barsana hitting men of Nandgaon with lathis, making it one of India’s most unusual festivities. Lathmar Holi is one of the best festivals of 2022, that one should not miss.

Those guys who are caught are forced to dress as women and perform in public.

Lathmar Holi is a legend.

Near Vrindavan, Lathmar Holi is a laid-back brawl between men from Nandgaon (Krishna’s village) and ladies from Barsana (Radha’s village). According to mythology, Krishna paid a visit to his beloved Radha in the days leading up to Holi and ended up mocking her companions. Barsana’s women retaliated by chasing Krishna down with sticks (lathis). Every year since then, men and women in these communities have recreated the renowned event, in which women beat up males with lathis. 

Lathmar Holi is celebrated in Vrindavan, Nandgaon, and Barsana 4-5 days prior to Holi

10. Kila Raipur Rural Olympics, Punjab

Competitors lifting an entire stack of bricks with their teeth, pulling vehicles with their hair, and lifting ploughs with their mouths are just a few of the unusual actions that make this event unique. Kila Raipur Rural Olympics is one of the best festivals of 2022, that one should not miss.

Games at the Kila Raipur Sports Festival

The Kila Raipur Sports Festival is a spectacular confluence of events and activities that takes place in the Kila Raipur village, about 20 kilometers from Ludhiana. Every year, a large number of locals from the surrounding districts attend the celebration. The rural Olympics include horse racing, aerobatics, a bullock cart race, and other rural sports.