Madras, India » Entertainment » Festivals

CULTURE

Chennai is home to Tamil movie industry. Tamil movie industry is also known as 'Kollywood'. Most of the movie studios are situated in and around Kodambakkam. The name 'Kollywood' is derived from the word Kodambakkam. In Kollywood more than 150 Tamil movies are produced every year. Chennai is also an epicenter for Dramatics. Its theatres houses popular genres like the Tamil plays, English plays, political satire, slapstick comedy, history, mythology.

The most important festival of all is 'Pongal' which is celebrated over five days in January. April 14th is considered to be Tamil New Year's Day. It signifies the commencing of the Tamil year. Chennaites celebrate almost all major religious festivals such as Deepavali, Eid and Christmas.

  • CULTURAL EVENTS
The Madras Music Season is the largest cultural annual event in Chennai. It includes performances by hundreds of artists. Bharatanatyam is a classical dance form of Chennai. It has a vibrant theatre scene.
  • FAIRS AND FESTIVALS

Alike the national festivals - Independence Day and Republic Day and religious festivals - Diwali, Holi, Navaratri, Eid-ul-Fitr, Eid-ul-Adha, Muharrum, Birthday of Prophet Mohammed, Christmas, Easter, Good Friday etc. a large number of festivals and fairs are celebrated in Chennai throughout the year. Also, Chennaites celebrate festivals like Mamallapuram, Kanthuri, Pongal, Chennai Music and Dance Festival with great fervor in Chennai city. The floating festival in Mylapore is equally popular.

Pongal

It is the harvest festival of thanks giving to Sun, Earth and the Cow. It is celebrated in the month of January for three days. People offer sugarcane, turmeric, sheaves of paddy, newly prepared jaggery, vegetables and pulses to the Sun god, the earth and the cow.

Karthikai Deepam

This festival is celebrated on full moon day in November – December. It is a festival full of lights with lamps and firecrackers.

Brahmotsavam Festival

Brahmotsavam festival celebrated at the splendid Kapaleeswarar temple at Mylapore creates a basis of attraction to the pilgrims from far and near. The said festival is celebrated for ten days in the Tamil Month of Panguni.

Tourist Fair

The Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation is the one that organizes this colorful Trade and Industrial Fair at Chennai. The exhibition puts forth the cultural wealth of the state, places of tourist interest, economic scenario and much more in multitudinous forms and colors.

Chennai Music and Dance Festival

Chennai music and dance festival is a celebration of classical music and dance of South India held in the capital city of Chennai.

Vinayak Chaturthi

The elephant headed god - Lord Ganesh or Vinayak is among the most worshiped deities of the State. The festival is celebrated in the month of September. The celebration ends on the tenth day. On this auspicious day, people go on chanting Lord Vinayak’s name carrying his idols in a procession. Later those idols of Lord Vinayak are submerged in water in wells, lakes, rivers or ocean.

Aruvathimoovar Festival

Every year in the Tamil month of Panguni, to honor the 63 shivite saints, who lived in devotion & penance a very colorful procession of 63 bronze statues of these saints is carried out through the streets of Mylapore, Chennai.