Elephant
Festival
 Place:
Jaipur
Time: March (Phagun), on the eve of Holi
Rites & Rituals: Elephant Festival
attracts visitors from every nook and corner of the world. The
festival begins with a procession of elephants, camels, horses
and folk dancers. Attractively decorated mighty jumbos striding
majestically is a sight to behold. Female elephants are made to
wear anklets, which tinkle as they walk. There are prizes for
the most beautifully decorated elephant.
In addition to this, several other exciting events also take
place including elephant race, the tug-of-war between elephant
and playing of Holi on elephant back.
Gangaur
Festival
 Place:
The festival is observed throughout the state
Time: March (Chaitra), the day following Holi
Rites & Rituals: The festival holds a
special place among the newly wedded girls in Rajasthan. For
them, it is binding to observe the full course of 18 days of the
festival that succeeds her marriage. The ladies decorate their
hands and feet by drawing designs with mehendi (myrtle paste).
Images of Isar and Gauri are made of the clay for the festival.
On the evening of the 7th day after Holi, unmarried girls go
around singing songs of ghudlia carrying pots with a burning
lamp inside, on their heads. The festival reaches its climax
during the last three days when women, carrying the idols of
Gauri, take out processions and bid farewell to Gauri in the
end.
Nagaur
Fair
Place: Nagaur
Time: January-February
Rites & Rituals: The picturesque town of
Nagaur stirs to life with the arrival of Nagaur Fair. The cattle
fair here is reputed as the second largest in Rajasthan and
offers some of the best sight of Rajasthan. The fair attracts
visitors from all corners of the world for the trading in cows,
camels and horses.
Various games are organized during this four day festival that
include tug-of-war, camel races, cock fights and countless
others. It offers tourist a memorable extravaganza of fun and
frolic. As the sun goes down, the folk musicians, whose voices
echo far and wide across the tranquil desert land, create a
joyous atmosphere.
 Camel
Festivals
Place: Bikaner
Time: January
Rites & Rituals: Camel Festival is just
the right place to see and admire the Ships of the Desert. It
begins with a colorful procession of bedecked camels against the
red sandstone backdrop of the Junagarh Fort. The festivity
advances to the open sand-spreads of the grounds followed by a
variety of competitions including war contest, camel dance and
acrobatics.
The camels display spellbinding footwork, dancing gracefully to
the direction of their trainers. The jubilant skirt swirling
dancers, the awe-inspiring fire dance and the dazzling fireworks
light up the fortified Desert City. The festivities reach to the
peak with a different tenor as the renowned artists display a
medley of folk dances and songs
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Rajasthan
Fair & Festivals