Certain festivals in Pakistan are celebrated in a specific season or month. The People living in areas in Pakistan celebrate their specific Festival. However, some festivals and rituals are part of their religion, like Eid ul Fitr and Eid ul Azha while some are part of their culture.
Furthermore, for centuries, every nation that follows a specific religion has celebrated festivals and performed some particular rituals according to their norms and customs. So, celebrating festivals in the world firmly sticks to culture and religion; however, some festivals are based on national days.
So, now you can read in the blog how people celebrate festivals in Pakistan on certain days. For example, while celebrating some festivals, they dance, chant, sing, play music and games, and show their unique skills like running, horse riding, fencing game, and spear throwing games, and in some religious festivals, the people offer prayer and pray for happiness, success, and fortune. However, there are many festivals, but we will discuss some popular ones.
List of Popular Festivals in Pakistan
- Shab-e-Barat
- Eid ul Azha
- Eid ul Fitr
- Basant
- Shandur Polo Festival
- Horse and Cattle Show
Shab-e-Barat
Shab-e-Barat is a religious festival celebrated on the night of the 14th and 15th of the Islamic month, Sha’ban. We believe Allah (SWT) decides the upcoming life that night and forgives the sinner who repents and prays for forgiveness. While celebrating, the Shab-e-Barat families get together, and they vigil and pray for their success in eternal life. Also, they distribute a dessert called “Halwa” among the poor and their relatives.
Eid ul Azha
Eid ul Azha is a popular religious festival that is celebrated in Pakistan. However, Muslims in Pakistan and every corner of the world celebrate Eid ul Azha in the twelfth month of the Islamic calendar ( Zil Hajj) on the 10th day. This Eid is also called the Eid of sacrifice as Muslims scarify Halal animals like cows, sheep, goats, buffalo, and camel in memory of prophet Ibrahim AS and his son Prophet Ismail AS. Then, they distribute the meat by dividing it into three shares. One for relatives, one for themselves, and one for the poor.
Muslims also perform the Hajj of Bait Ullah these days, which is also part of this Festival.
Eid ul Fitr
Eid ul Fitr is another festival that comes before Eid ul Azha after the month of Ramzan and on the first day of Shawal. Muslim in different countries keeps fasting during the holy month of Ramzan. After that, Allah SWT rewards the Muslims with the precious gift of Eid ul Fitr.
Eid ul Fitr is the most awaited Festival in Pakistan, and children anxiously wait for it to receive Eidi from their elders.
Muslims offer Eid prayer on eid day and then meet and greet each other. But the most enjoyable moments are of Chand Raat. The night before Eid is called chand raat, which is started after the maghrib prayer on the last Ramzan after witnessing the crescent.
These were festivals related to religion. Here are some more festivals celebrated in Pakistan.
Basant
Basant is a popular festival often celebrated in Pakistan in the spring season. These days you will see the sky full of colorful kites. However, the Festival is celebrated in all of Pakistan’s cities, towns, and villages, but the city of Lahore is known for Basant. But you can see a massive decline as the government banned kite manufacturing companies due to their dangerous impacts on the public.
Shandur Polo Festival
One of the famous festivals in Pakistan is Shandur Polo Festival. Thousands of spectators worldwide come to enjoy the beautiful and adventurous sight of Shandur. The Festival is celebrated in Gilgit Baltistan and played on the highest Polo ground of about 3700m. It is a three-day event in which you can enjoy music, dancing, camping, and the, most important, the Polo match between players from Gilgit and Chitral.
Horse and Cattle Show
The horse and cattle show is a traditional festival in Pakistan celebrated in many parts of the country. It is celebrated in November for a week.
Farmers from across the country exhibit their best cattle to show their skills and knowledge in the show. Then the best of them get awards. Furthermore, horse races, bull races, and wrestling make the show more enjoyable. The best of them is the horse and camel dance.
Conclusion
Many other popular festivals in Pakistan are celebrated on different days, and we discussed a few of them. Festivals are part of our culture and tradition, so we should celebrate them regularly.
