October festivals: From Dussehra and Diwali to Karwa Chauth, check complete list

The month of October is here, and it has brought with it the plethora of festivals to look forward to. From Durga Puja and Dussehra to Diwali, this year, the month of October is very eventful. People have already started preparing for the festivals. 
In West Bengal, Durga Puja is celebrated with a lot of pomp and grandeur. Larger-than-life theme pandals are set up and idols of Goddess Durga with her children – Goddess Lakshmi, Goddess Saraswati, lord Ganesha and Lord Kartik, are made from clay. People bask in the festivities and deck up in new clothes during the festival. Pandal hopping is one of the main attractions of this festival.
During Diwali, the entire country gets together to celebrate. People light diyas and candles, and decorate their homes, this year, Karwa Chauth also falls in the month of October. On this auspicious day, the married women keep fast to pray for the longevity of their husbands.
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October 2 – This day is celebrated as the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. This year, the last solar eclipse will also fall on October 2.
October 3 – Shardiya Navratri begins on October 3 – Ghatasthapana will be done on this day.
October 10 – Navapatrika puja will be done on this day/
October 11 – This year, the eighth and the ninth day of Durga puja falls on a single day. Maha Ashtami and Maha Navami will be celebrated on October 11.
October 12 – On this day, Dussehra will be observed. According to Bengali traditions, Vijaya Dashami is observed on the last day of Durga puja.
October 15 – Pradosh Vrat (Shukla Paksha) will fall on this day in October.
October 17 – Valmiki Jayanti, Ashwin Purnima Vrat, Tula Sankranti will be observed on this day.
October 20 – Karwa Chauth is the ritual where married women keep fast from sunrise to moonrise to pray for the longevity of their husbands. Kartik Sankashti Chaturthi will also be observed on this day.
October 28 – Rama Ekadashi will be observed.
October 29 – Dhanteras and Pradosh Vrat (Krishna Paksha) will fall on this day.
October 30 – Monthly Shivratri will be celebrated on this day.
October 31 – One of the largest festivals of the country – Diwali – falls on October 31 this year. Naraka Chaturdashi will also be observed on this day.
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