The specific worship performed on thirty-five major festival days across the Hindu calendar, from Holika Dahan to Deepavali Puja, drawn from Avyani's Master Puja & Ritual Catalogue.
Beyond the seasonal orientation in our Hindu Festivals Through the Year guide, Avyani's Master Puja & Ritual Catalogue records the specific worship performed on each major festival day — thirty-five distinct festival rituals (उत्सव पूजा) spanning the pan-Indian calendar and significant regional observances.
Spring Festivals
Holika Dahan (होलिका दहन), the bonfire commemorating Prahlad's protection by Vishnu, and the following day's Holi Puja mark the arrival of spring. Basant Panchami Puja honours Saraswati at the start of the season, and Chaitra Navratri Puja, the spring counterpart to the better-known autumn Navratri, culminates in Ram Navami. Regional New Year rituals — Gudi Padwa, Ugadi, Vishu and Poila Boishakh — cluster around the same period, each marking the start of a different regional lunar calendar.
Monsoon Observances
Guru Purnima Puja honours one's spiritual and academic teachers, while Nag Panchami Puja worships serpent deities for protection. Raksha Bandhan Puja, the tying of the protective thread between siblings, and Ganga Dussehra Puja, marking the Ganga's descent to earth, are widely kept household observances in this season.
Autumn — Navratri, Dussehra and Diwali
Sharadiya Navratri Puja, the principal autumn worship of Durga across nine nights, culminates in Dussehra Puja — public worship and the burning of Ravana's effigy. Durga Puja Sandhi Puja marks the single most sacred 48-minute juncture of the entire observance. The season closes with Naraka Chaturdashi, Govardhan Puja and Bhai Dooj clustered around Deepavali Puja, the principal festival of lights, and Tulsi Vivah, the ceremonial marriage of the Tulsi plant to Vishnu marking the end of Chaturmas. Pitru Paksha Rituals and Mahalaya Amavasya Puja, the sixteen-day period of ancestral remembrance preceding Navratri, connect to our Shraddha and Pitru Karma guide.
Regional and Temple-Specific Festivals
Onam Puja and Onam Thiruvonam Puja mark Kerala's principal harvest festival, and Baisakhi Puja marks the North Indian harvest and solar new year, prominent in Punjab. Karthika Deepam, Skanda Shashti and Thaipusam are significant South Indian festivals honouring Shiva and Kartikeya (Murugan) respectively. Ayyappa Mandala Puja and Makara Vilakku Rituals frame the Sabarimala pilgrimage season, while Ratha Yatra Snana Yatra and the Bahuda Yatra mark the beginning and return of Jagannath's chariot procession at Puri.
Festival Rituals at a Glance
| Ritual | Occasion / Purpose | Typical Duration | Priest Recommended |
|---|---|---|---|
| Holika Dahan | Destruction of evil, protection | 1-2 hours | No |
| Holi Puja | Celebration of colour, love, spring | 1-2 hours | No |
| Basant Panchami Puja | Knowledge, arrival of spring | 30-45 mins | No |
| Chaitra Navratri Puja | Spring renewal, protection, victory | 9 days | Yes |
| Gudi Padwa Puja | New Year, new beginnings | 30-45 mins | No |
| Ganga Dussehra Puja | Purification, spiritual merit | 1 hour | No |
| Guru Purnima Puja | Gratitude to spiritual teachers | 1 hour | No |
| Nag Panchami Puja | Protection from snakes, ancestral peace | 30-45 mins | No |
| Raksha Bandhan Puja | Protection & sibling bond renewal | 30-45 mins | No |
| Onam Puja | Harvest gratitude, homecoming of King Mahabali | 1 day | No |
| Pitru Paksha Rituals | Honouring & liberating ancestral souls | 16 days | Yes |
| Sharadiya Navratri Puja | Victory over evil, protection, prosperity | 9 days | Yes |
| Naraka Chaturdashi Puja | Destruction of evil, purification | 30-45 mins | No |
| Govardhan Puja | Gratitude to nature, protection | 1-2 hours | No |
| Bhai Dooj Puja | Sibling bond, protection | 30-45 mins | No |
| Tulsi Vivah Puja | Marital sanctity, ending Chaturmas | 1-1.5 hours | Yes |
| Karthika Deepam Puja | Removal of darkness, spiritual illumination | 1 day | No |
| Dussehra Puja | Victory of good over evil | 2-3 hours | Yes |
| Deepavali Puja | Prosperity, homecoming, victory of light | 1-2 hours | Yes |
| Bihu Puja | Harvest gratitude, new year | Multi-day | No |
| Ugadi Puja | New Year, new beginnings | 30-45 mins | No |
| Vishu Puja | Auspicious new year sighting, prosperity | 30-45 mins | No |
| Kartik Purnima Puja | Spiritual merit, illumination | 1 hour | No |
| Mahalaya Amavasya Puja | Concluding ancestral rites, invoking the Goddess | 1-2 hours | Yes |
| Poila Boishakh Puja | New Year, business prosperity | 30-45 mins | No |
| Baisakhi Puja | Harvest gratitude, new year | 1 day | No |
| Rongker Puja | Community protection & welfare | 1 day | Yes |
| Skanda Shashti Puja | Victory over evil, protection | 6 days | Yes |
| Thaipusam Rituals | Fulfilment of vows, penance, gratitude | 1 day | Yes |
| Ayyappa Mandala Puja | Penance, spiritual discipline, wish fulfilment | 41-48 days | No |
| Makara Vilakku Rituals | Culmination of pilgrimage season merit | 1 day | Yes |
| Onam Thiruvonam Puja | Harvest gratitude, homecoming | 1 day | No |
| Ratha Yatra Snana Yatra | Ceremonial bathing before Rath Yatra | 1 day | Yes |
| Durga Puja Sandhi Puja | Peak moment of victory over evil | 48 mins | Yes |
| Chariot Festival - Puri Bahuda Yatra | Return procession, cosmic completion | 1 day | Yes |
For when each of these falls in the year, see our Hindu Festivals Through the Year guide, and for the samagri commonly used in festival worship, see our Samagri Catalogue.