<P> Diwali (celebrated between mid-October and mid-December) and Rama Navami are popular festivals in Uttar Pradesh . Kumbh Mela, organised in the month of Maagha (February--March), is a major festival held every twelve years in rotation at Allahabad, Haridwar, Ujjain, on the river Ganges and Nasik on the Godavari river . Lath mar Holi is a local celebration of the Hindu festival of Holi . It takes place well before the actual Holi in the town of Barsana near Mathura . Taj Mahotsav, held annually at Agra, is a colourful display of the culture of the Braj area . Buddha Purnima, which marks the birth of Gautama Buddha, is a major Hindu and Buddhist festival, while Christmas is celebrated by the minority Christian population . Other festivals are Eid - ul - Fitr, Eid - ul - Adhaa / Bakreed, Vijayadashami, Makar Sankranti, Vasant Panchami, Ayudha Puja, Ganga Mahotsava, Janmashtami, Sardhana Christian Fair, Maha Shivaratri, Mahavir Jayanti, Bārah Wafāṭ, Chhath puja, Lucknow Mahotsav, Moharram, Kabob and Hanuman Jayanti . </P> <P> A typical day - to - day traditional vegetarian meal of Uttar Pradesh, like any other North Indian thali, consists of roti (flatbread), chawal, dal, sabji, raita and papad . Many people still drink the traditional drink chaach (traditional Butter milk) with meals . On festive occasions, usually' tava' (flat pan for roti) is considered inauspicious, and instead fried foods are consumed . A typical festive thali consists of Puri, Kachauri, sabji, pulav, papad, raita, salad and desserts (such as sewai or Kheer). </P> <P> Many communities have their own particular style of cuisines, such as the Jains, Kayasths and Muslims . There are also certain sub-regional delicacies . Awadhi cuisine is world - famous for dishes such as kebab, biryani, keema and nihari . Sweets occupy an important place in the Hindu diet and are eaten at social ceremonies . People make distinctive sweetmeats from milk products, including khurchan, peda, gulabjamun, petha, makkhan malai, and chamcham . The chaat in Lucknow and Banarasi Paan is known across India for its flavour and ingredients . </P> <P> Awadhi cuisine is from the city of Lucknow . The cuisine consists of both vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes . Awadh has been greatly influenced by Mughal cooking techniques, and the cuisine of Lucknow bears similarities to those of Central Asia, Kashmir, Punjab and Hyderabad; and the city is known for Nawabi foods . The bawarchis and rakabdars of Awadh gave birth to the dum style of cooking or the art of cooking over a slow fire, which has become synonymous with Lucknow today . Their spread consisted of elaborate dishes like kebabs, kormas, biryani, kaliya, nahari - kulchas, zarda, sheermal, roomali rotis, and warqi parathas . The richness of Awadh cuisine lies not only in the variety of cuisine but also in the ingredients used like mutton, paneer, and rich spices including cardamom and saffron . </P>

Uttar pardesh city is known as the grass of the east