UTTAR PRADESH

The cultural mosaic of Uttar Pradesh is marked with interesting customs and practices followed by the natives of the
state. The festivals and cultural activities in the state make it a place of great pageantry as viewers gather to see
the festive mood of the state. National festivals like Holi, Diwali are quite popular in the state and are celebrated
with great pomp and show. The legacy of Meena Bazar during the Mughal era is brought back during the festival
time of Uttar Pradesh. The religious fairs and festivals receive much greater importance in Uttar Pradesh and some
of the fairs are even broadcasted in news channel for public viewing. Kumbh Mela is a popular fair held in UP that
calls throngs of devotees to gather. The Ganga festival in Varanasi is a grand gala and it is celebrated to worship
the virtuous river. Bateshwar fair is one more festival of Uttar Pradesh where people take a holy dip in Yamuna River
for purification. The fairs and festivals turn up the frenzy through events like chariot race, kite flying, pigeon flying
etc.
Music and dance thrives in Uttar Pradesh and have created a rich domain. The music of Hindusthani Gharana is an
opulent one and several prominent singers belonging to this school of music have made themselves successful
nationally. In the early days of music in Uttar Pradesh the members of royal family used to patronize the
development and practice of music. Later on songs like Thumari, Sufi songs and poems were developed, which were
melodious enough to enthrall the audience. Folk music in Uttar Pradesh is appreciated largely and during the
festival of Holi folk songs become the prime tune of the festival. Birha is one more form of music that basically
arouses a lamenting mood as it portrays the separation of a newly married bride from her husband.
Like the music, Dances of Uttar Pradesh have also proliferated since the era of monarchy. The famous classical
dance kathak has originated from this state. The Charkula dance has yet another form of dance that has received
great attention. Devotional dances like Karma has also developed in UP making the genre of dances in India grow
by leaps and bounds.
Culture
Culture encompasses the way of life of a society. It includes the attitude of the people towards others, their behaviour, mannerisms and ways to celebrate different aspects of life. It also includes the ways in which
the people express themselves through fine and performing arts.
Uttar Pradesh's greatest gifts to humanity are the two epics, 'Ramayana' and 'Mahabharata'. From the epic age, the territory of Uttar Pradesh being watered by several fresh streams of culture, the two most
significant being those generated by the teachings of the Buddha and Mahavira, the 24th Jain Tirthankar.
The fountainheads of Brahmanical culture were centered at holy places as Kashi, Ayodhya, Prayag, Mathura and the Himalayan hermitages. Mathura has proved to be a veritable store-house of buried ancient
art, both of the Brahmanical and Buddhist varieties and Kashi, which has withstood the ravages of times, of living Hindu art.
Its people belong to many religions and come from distant parts of the country but have had the latitude to recreate their own native cultures. Afghans, Kashmiris, Bengalis, Parsis and Punjabi immigrants settled
here. Christians, Hindus, Muslims and Buddhists all found the freedom to practise their religions and pass it on to successive generations.
While it is secular, liberal and progressive, at the same time it is deeply rooted in social and religious traditions and taboos.