Fairs and Festivals in Punjab

“What sunshine is to flowers, smiles are to humanity? These are but trifles, to be sure; but, scattered along life’s pathway, the good they do is inconceivable.” – Joseph Addison

This inconceivable goodness is inherent in the Fairs and Festivals that rejuvenate the soul of man. Punjab is a land of the Five Rivers, Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas and Sutlej. Rich in Cultural diversity, the land of Punjab is also renowned for the colorful image and plentiful Fairs and Festivals in Punjab. They are celebrated with much enthusiasm and exuberance. Social interaction and merriment forms the part and parcel of the Punjab Fairs and Festivals.

The festivals are usually held in the months of April and May when harvest is ripe and ready, the men with gladdened heart and vibrancy comes out with sickle and thanks the lord for enriching the landscape with such fertile harvest and then carnivals are arranged for the Lord. The Baishakhi Festival is one such significant fete. Continuous chanting of the hymns in the month of December and January signify another festival of the Sikhs.

It is the Gurupurab fiesta. Holi, the carnival of Colors is also celebrated in Punjab with much zeal and fervor. In the month of Kartik or October-November the women, for the well-being of their brothers, give grain and saffron to their brother’s forehead. It is an auspicious ceremony.

Lohri is another such magnificent festival in Punjab in which the bonfire is lit in order to please the fire god. For the long life of their husbands and also for their lifelong protection the Punjabi women celebrate the Mehendi Festival in which they smear Mehendi in the foreheads of their loved ones. This is actually notable at the onset of Sawan Month.