India - Fairs and Festivals

The sub-continent of Indian is one long pageant of colorful fairs and festivals. As the days peel off the lunar calendar, the people of this country who come from widely different racial stocks and profess widely different faiths happily go about celebrating events that live in the collective memory. And that sure makes for an impressive list of fairs and festivals, which are more than the number of days in a year! Here are some of the major Indian fairs and festivals that are extravaganzas in themselves and attract tourists from all over the world every year.

The Kumbh Mela is the greatest of north-india-travel-travel-traveln fairs and has exerted a mesmeric influence over the mind and the imagination of the ordinary Indian since time immemorial. It is when millions of devout congregate on the banks of the holy river Ganges, braving the hazards of cold, disease, hunger and a myriad other privations, for a dip in the sacred waters that is believed to bring spiritual salvation and contentment. The milling crowd at the Kumbh Mela covers millions of pilgrims from all over the world, from various walks of life, sects and communities. For most it is a once-in-a-lifetime trip for which they probably plan and save for many years. For thousands of traders, shopkeepers and peddlers it means business and profits. Many just come to enjoy the lively and colorful bustle of crowds buying curios, magical stuff and generally having fun. It is both a holy day as well as a holiday for the people.

The famous Goa Carnival is an event that should not be missed. It is an energetic, no holds barred spring festival that is celebrated with great enthusiasm and revelry throughout the state of Goa before Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent which is a 40 day period of penance and abstinence preceding Easter Sunday. The carnival is a mood which has no spectators, only participants, and which invites everyone to be part of the festivities. People sing and dance and make merry from dawn to dusk and back to dawn again! The markets brim with fascinating items, and the roads teem with colorful parades. The local revelers' capacity to sing and dance their way practically non-stop, through four nights and three days is a mystery for those who are not familiar with the Goan way of life. They greet each other with a full-throated "Viva Carnaval," drink by the barrel and yet few show signs of drunkenness or fatigue!

The five day long popular and charismatic Pushkar Fair of Rajasthan has more than one lakh visitors every year! It is a period of relaxation and merry-making for the villagers, and corresponds with the largest cattle fair in the country. Animals, mainly camels, are brought from miles around. Trading is brisk as several thousand heads of cattle exchange hands. All the camels are cleaned, washed, adorned, some are interestingly shorn to form patterns, and special stalls are set up selling finery and jewelry for the camels. You can witness numerous interesting sights here such as the piercing of a camel's nose or the camel beauty contest where they are adorned and paraded. They preen themselves before the crowds enjoying every moment of the attention they get. Races and competitions are organized, and camels lope across the sands sometimes throwing off their riders on the sand, amidst cheers and jeers from thousands of spectators. The village women dress in their best clothes and finery and the turbaned heads of the men, and the colorful veils and skirts of the women bring alive the arid desert landscapes.

The Ladakh Festival is one of the world's most exotic events. It is a fortnight long annual extravaganza organized in September by Jammu and Kashmir State Tourism that brings the Himalayas alive with the unique flavor of Ladakh's 3,000 year old culture. Archery competitions, and performances of cultural songs and dances, which people perform in their traditional and elaborate costumes, are organised. The beating of drums and blowing of Tibetan horns time each event. Exotic Tibetan carpets are spread out on the ground for tourists and visitors who are served butter tea. The atmosphere is free and the usual Ladakhi greeting of julley always evokes a warm and sunny response. You may also witness the spectacle of a mask dance performed by monks in bright brocade robes and masks, when they dance around flag poles in the courtyard to the beating of drums, cymbals and blowing of ceremonial horns.

Besides these, there are a large number of other major festivals such as Diwali, the festivals of lights and fire crackers; Holi, the festival of colors; Christmas; Eid-Ul-Fitr; Pongal, the harvest festival; Baisakhi; and the national holidays of the Independence Day and Republic Day etc, that are celebrated with great enthusiasm and fervor in India. Witnessing and participating in any one of these fairs and festivals of India is an experience unto itself.

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