Hanuman Jayanthi which is celebrated to commemorate the birth of Lord Hanuman is an important festival at Varanasi. Devotees throng in all the Hanuman temples to offer prayers. The idols of the lord is anointed with oil, flowers and sindhoor. Devotees apply sindhoor tilak on their foreheads from statues of Hanuman. They also offer laddoos (sweet) to the lord, which are redistributed among the devotees. Processions with the idol of the Lord along the streets are common during these festival days. 

The main Janmotsava or birthday celebration is held with great fanfare and feast at the Sankat Mochan temple, dedicated to Lord Hanuman. The festival falls on the full-moon day (Chaitra Shukla Purnima) during the months of March- April, lasts for 5 days. Various cultural and musical programmes based on Saraswati, Ram and Krishan Lila and Hanuman Charitra will be held on these days.