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Rajasthani Fairs and Festivals
 Marwar Festival - Held in October in Jodhpur,
this annual event attempts to showcase the art and culture of the Jodhpur
region. It is devoted almost exclusively to song and dance, and the Maand
Festival has become a part of this huge regional celebration.
Mewar Festival - Held
to coincide with Gangaur in Udaipur, the whole city turns out to mark the
culmination of the 18-days festival, with a procession of floats on pichola
lake.
Nagaur Fair - A trading fair for cattle and camels in January-February,
it is a wonderful opportunity to catch up on rural life as owners from all over
the state come to camp on the outskirts of Nagaur while they buy and sell
animals. The hides of the animals, cut into beautiful patterns, are
particularly interesting.
Navaratri - The nine days preceding Dussehra are
marked by fasting, and one ritual meal a day. In the case of the martial
Rajputs, a goat is sacrificed as food for consecration, and the worship of
their weapons is obligatory. Usually in September-October, it is a private
celebration with no public fanfare.
Pushkar Fair - Easily the most easily
identifiable of Rajasthan's many fairs, Pushkar has come to symbolize the
febrile heartbeat of the people of the state. Held in November in Pushkar, the
temple town close to Ajmer, where an 8th century temple of Brahma draws the
faithful, it is located on the banks of a lake. Pilgrims bathe at the ghats and
pray at the temples, while the actual fair is held in the vast stretching
desert around it. Here, traders set camp to strike deals at India's, and
probably the world's, largest camel fair, though horses are also sold. It is
also a time for friends and families to get together, camp in the desert,
entertain each
 other with folk songs and dances, cook meals over camp fires, and
wander through the exuberant melee of people looking for handicrafts, or merely
to stand in a queue for the giant wheel... special tented camps are set up on
the occasion for visitors but such is the draw of this fair internationally,
that even these are soon exhausted, and people may have to stay in nearby
Ajmer, or even as far as Jaipur, visitng here by day.
Sitla Mata Fair - A large fair is held to propitiate
the goddess of war whose wrath can be the terrible scrouge of smallpox unless
appeased by her followers. Consecrated food on this day consists of stale food
left out the previous night. The fair is held in and around the temple
dedicated to the goddess in Amber, Jaipur.
Summer Festival - Held in June in Mount Abu, this is one of the few
celebrations during the summer months (though it coincides too with the
marriage 'season" which spans, according to planetary chartings, from
May-July). In the cool environs of the hill town, it is time to relax while
folk performances are staged, particularly of the Bhil tribes of the
region.
Teej - Another festival dedicated
to the worship of Shiva and Parvathi, this time it is married women who pray
for a long, happy marital life during the monsoon months of July-August. Though
celebrations are held all over the state, they are particularly colourful in
Jaipur where a procession wends its way through the heart of the old city.
Women dress in their finery and spend time in groups at swings that are
specially erected for the festival.
Urs Ajmer Sharif - Held in the holy town of Ajmer
in honour of the Sufi saint, Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti, special prayers are
offered at the mosque, and huge amounts of consecrated food offered from the
large, steaming cauldrons that were a gift from Akbar. While quwwallis are sung
at night, the celebrations unite people of all faiths, and the complete town is
decorated with buntings, and wears the spirit of festivity.
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