Rajasthan’s Fair & Festival :-
When we think about Rajasthan, we think of colors and brightness, royalty and hospitality, celebrations and feasts, music and dance, culture and tradition, history and heritage. Rajasthan packs the essence of Incredible India in 1 state. And the experience of Rajasthan is never complete unless you have a taste of the myriad fairs and festivals that it has to offer. They are a celebration of life, culture, heritage, and nature, in true Rajasthani style. Here are some of the festivals of Rajasthan you must experience at least once in your lifetime. Rajasthan is a cheerful state that celebrates its vibrant culture through an array of fairs and festivals running all year round, adding numerous colors to the arid land of the state. These glaring fairs and festivals come with a chance for the travellers to delve into the art, culture, traditions that are very nicely interwoven with the state’s royal history. Rajasthan is a unique place that believes in celebrating life. And to savour the true flavours of this amazing land, visit during this festivity and become a part of it. These varieties of fairs and festivals infuse life into the barren land of Rajasthan and fill the colors of joy all around.
A three-day event organised by the Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation in the month of February, it is an absolute bonanza that celebrates the delights of the desert. The atmosphere is alive with song and dance, with the artists dressed in bright colours and traditional finery, depicting the tragedies and accomplishments of the desert. The best part about the festival is the folk dance performance on the last day of the event. A showcase of desert rituals and life, camel races, gymnastic stunts, several competitions like longest moustache, turban tying, Mr Desert etc, delicious food and interesting stalls selling handicrafts and other souvenirs will make it a memorable 3 days of your life
Organised in the honour of the ship of the desert, the Camel Festival is a spectacular festival celebrated in Bikaner. Just like the other celebrations of Rajasthan, this festival kicks off with great pomp and show. Celebrated every year in the pleasant January, the Camel Festival is a two-day long affair with a colourful parade of the decked up camels against the backdrop of the magnificent Junagadh Fort. It includes camel race, camel games and other cultural performances. Though celebrated to glorify the camels of Rajasthan, this festival also includes the traditional Rajasthani folk performances. The festival concludes with an awe-inspiring display of fireworks, illuminating the majestic skies of Bikaner.
Nagaur Fair is the 2nd largest cattle feast in India. This carnival provides the largest platform for trading cattle, cows, bullocks, oxen, camel and horses. People are seen wearing vibrant dresses and long moustaches. Visited by many tourists every year, Nagaur Fair captures the essence of Rajasthan and will blend you with their beautiful culture. Folk and cultural competition keeps on happening side by side. Various games like tug-of-war, camel races, cock fights etc are organized for the entertainment of tourists.
Every year in the month of Kartik, Pushkar Mela is celebrated. Drawing in 50,000 camels and 200,000 people, this fair is considered as the largest platform to buy and sell camels, cattle and horses – most of the trading, however, is completed in the days leading up to the fair. This carnival gathers camel traders and associates from all the parts of the world. One can witness unusual performances like camel dancing, bump riding, neck shaking and various other things. A huge camel procession is organized on the 1st day followed by various competitions and trading activities. Owners decorate their camels with paints, jewellery, cloths etc. By the end of the day, live dance and music performances are organized to celebrate the culture of Rajasthan. One the last day, fireworks are organized to lighten-up the entire city and illuminate the deserts of Pushkar.
Elephant Festival Jaipur :-
Here comes Holi and the best manner to celebrate it in Rajasthan is by being a part of the Elephant festival. This parade is considered as a symbol of Rajasthan royalty. This event begins with a huge procession of large and beautiful elephants. For this special day, elephants are groomed, painted, dressed and embodied with heavy ornaments like gold. All the participants of this festival are female elephants and they take part in race, tug of war and polo. The festival pulls huge crowd and is loved by all. Beside this, there are live musical and dance performance too.
Soon after Holi, the people of Rajasthan celebrate the festival of Gangaur. It commences on the day right after Holi and lasts for 18 days. The festival is celebrated by the womenfolk with great enthusiasm and devotion for Gauri, the consort of Lord Shiva. While married women worship Gauri, unmarried women worship the Goddess to get blessed with good husbands. All the female members gather to dress the image of Isar and Gangaur and then carry them in a ceremonial procession through different parts of the city. This is the time of year when all the women put their best foot forward and look like a diva.
The colourful state of Rajasthan celebrates Holi much the same way as Mathura. Crowds of people come together before the full moon night and light huge bonfires to burn the residual dried leaves of the winter. On the second day, people throw coloured water and powders (gulal and kumkum) at each other and make merry. Singing, dancing and the traditional beats of dhol add to the gaiety of the occasion.
Mewar Festival Udaipur :-
Here comes the spring! This is the time when Mewar festival takes place. During this festival, women carry the statues of Isar and Gangaur towards Lake Pichola. The whole city of Udaipur is decorated beautifully in colourful streamers and one can feel that a grand celebration is round the corner. The Mewar festival is one of the most important celebrations of Udaipur and the rich culture of Rajasthan is at its all time best. This is an event that should not be missed if you are travelling to Udaipur.
To celebrate the exuberance and spirit of this small hill station, every year Mount Abu organizes a 3 days cultural festival on Buddh Purnima. This carnival starts with a procession, live dance programme on the first day, followed by sports activities like skating race, horse race, boat race and various other on the 2nd and the 3rd day. The festival comes to an end with an electrifying fire work and a road show by the CRPF band.
