The cattle calendar
63 cattle fairs, festivals, pasture days, races and shows of the year, with the breeds at the centre of each. Dates are worked out afresh every day; those marked "about" follow the moon or local calendars and can shift by a day.
January 2027
about 15 Jan 2027Sankranti and the crossing of fire in KarnatakaOn Makara Sankranti in rural Karnataka, decorated cattle are led across a low bed of burning straw: kichchu haayisuvudu.
about 16 Jan 2027Mattu PongalThe third day of Pongal in Tamil Nadu, given to the cattle: bathed, horns painted, garlanded and fed the first of the new rice.
about 16 Jan 2027KanumaThe day after Sankranti in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, when cattle are washed, decorated and fed in thanks for the harvest.
July 2027
6 to 14 Jul 2027San Fermín and the encierroPamplona's July feast, when bulls run each morning through the old town's streets to the bullring, with runners ahead of them.
about 9 to 18 Jul 2027Calgary StampedeTen days of rodeo, chuckwagon races and cattle shows in Calgary each July, with the city dressed in cowboy hats.August 2027
about 18 Aug 2027Gai JatraThe cow procession of the Kathmandu valley, when families who lost someone in the year walk with a cow, or a boy dressed as one.
about 31 Aug 2027Bail PolaThe bullocks' festival of Maharashtra and the Vidarbha country: a day of rest, a bath, painted horns and a village procession.Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Sankranti Kichchu Haayisuvudu: Saloni Desai, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Bail Pola: abhiriksh, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Gai Jatra: Krish Dulal, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Fete Des Gardians Arles: afroboof, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- San Fermin Encierro: SanchoPanzaXXI, CC BY-SA 3.0, source