List of Rajasthan Fairs and Festivals
When we think
about Rajasthan, we think of colors and brightness, royalty and hospitality,
celebrations, music, dance, culture and tradition.
These Rajasthan fairs
and festivals are stunning spectacles of vibrant colors, delectable delicacies,
traditional. The real 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 fairs and festivals of Rajasthan you must experience at least once in your life.
Fair & Festivals of Rajasthan
Camel Festival
Where: Bikaner
Duration of Festival: 2
days
Attractions: Spectacular
and unusual camel performances.
Bikaner camel festival showcases
the creative side of the people as they perform various activities like camel
decoration, camel hair cutting, camel milking and camel dancing. Every year camel
fest is organized by Department of Tourism, Art and Culture, of Bikaner,
Government of Rajasthan. On the final day of camel fest, there is a magnificent
firework which lights up the entire city of Bikaner.
Nagaur Fair
Where: Nagaur
Duration of Festival: 4
days
Attractions: Cattle Fair,
Methi & Mirch (chillies)
Nagaur feast provides the largest
platform for trading cattle, cows, bullocks, oxen, camel and horses. In this
feast People are seen wearing vibrant dresses and long moustaches. Nagaur Fair
is the 2nd largest cattle feast in India. Here various games like tug-of-war,
camel races, cock fights etc are organized for the entertainment of tourists.
Mewar Festival
Where: Udaipur
Duration of Festival: 3
days
Attractions: Cultural
performances on folk music!
The Mewar festival is one of the
most important festival of Udaipur and the rich culture of Rajasthan is at its all-time
best. During this festival, Rajasthani women carry the statues of Isar and
Gangaur towards Lake Pichola. The whole city of Udaipur is decorated
beautifully in colorful streamers and one can feel that a grand celebration is
round the corner.
Pushkar Fair
Where: Pushkar
Duration of Festival: 13
days
Attractions: A
Camel Safari, Hot Air Ballooning
Pushkar fair is considered as the biggest platform to buy
and sell of camels, cattle and horses - most of the trading, however, is
completed in the days leading up to the fair. Pushkar Mela is celebrated every
year in the month of Kartik.
The Pushkar Fair 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. By the end
of the Pushkar Fair, live dance and music performances are organized to
celebrate the culture of Rajasthan.
Gangaur Festival
Where: All
over Rajasthan
Duration of Festival: 18
days
Attractions: Reverence of
Lord Shiv and Goddess Parvati
The Gangaur 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.
Desert Festival
Where: Jaisalmer
Duration of Festival: 3 days
(Comes to end on full moon day)
Attractions: Cultural shows
This is a wonderful opportunity
to experience the real sandstones and magical castles. The Desert festival
lasts for 3 days- one can experience fancy camel ride, participate in camel
races, polo matches, turban tying competitions and various other things. The
best part about the Desert festival is the folk dance performance on the last
day of the event.
Teej Fair
Where: All
over Rajasthan (particularly in Jaipur)
Duration of Festival: 1
day
Attractions: Uplifting
occasion filled with singing, swinging, and dancing
Teej Fair plays a very significant role in the women life
as they celebrate Teej festival in the honour of Parvati, who is also known as
'Teej Mata’. Other than, to improve the marital status of their lives, women in
Rajasthan fast on the day of Teej for marital bliss. It is a colorful festival
where all the ladies enjoy swing, sing, apply heena and adorn themselves with
all the jewelry.
Kite Festival
Where: Jodhpur
Attractions:
This is the iconic
festival of Jodhpur, which takes place during January as a part of harvest
festival. This three-day festival is
all about flying and floating. You can enjoy kite competitions, helicopters
releasing kites, balloon releasing and much more.
Summer Festival
Where: Mount
Abu
Duration of Festival: 3
days
Attractions: Live shows,
CRPF road show, processions
This Summer Festival starts with a procession, live dance
program 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. To
celebrate the exuberance and spirit of this small hill station, every year
Mount Abu organizes a 3 days cultural festival on Buddh Purnima.
