India has over 1,000 regional festivals a year and the South has its fair share. September and October find the streets lit up with huge portraits of the Hindu Gods and Temples are generally full of people 24 hours a day, fire walks on hot embers by devotees of the Gods are a common sight at this time of the year. September also has the festival of the elephant headed God "Ganesha"- hundreds of pink elephant papier mache Gods, some over 20 feet tall are taken to the sea to be immersed. It causes quite a traffic jam!
Late October or early November is Diwali, the Festival of Lights. It seems every household in Chennai, however poor, buys a box of fireworks on this day and sets them off from dawn until midnight. Go to the tallest building and watch at night for the most spectacular fireworks show you will ever see!
Mid December into January there is the Festival of Indian Music and Dance held in Chennai and Mahabilapuram. This internationally recognized event sees back to back performances every day for over 6 days and is a fantastic showcase of the breadth and depth of the Indian creative arts.
Pongal and the
Tamil New Year festivals are usually around Easter time and is a great time for shopping, like the equivalent of the January sales in the UK!