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Fairs or Melas in Punjabi are synonymous
with the joy and gaiety; and in the countryside where
the life follows a hard routine, nothing is more welcome
to the people than the prospect of a festival or a mela.
A rural mela in Punjab has a great significance. It
is not just an occasion for festivity and mass gathering
but it is an unbounded expression of the spirit of the
inner freedom, of creative pride, of zest for life,
and of colorful traditions of the people of Punjab.
People
come to participate in fairs from far-off places, trudging
dusty distances. Most of the fairs are held in memory
of a saint or a pir, and people from all communities
living in a village participate in it. Men women and
children of all ages, classes and creeds flock in hundreds
and enjoy the numerous fascinating features of the fair;
races, wrestling bouts, singing, acrobatics, etc. They
play on folk instruments, such as vanjli and algoza.
A
fair is enchantingly picturesque. A bustling market
springs up in which articles of food and products of
local handicrafts-toys, glass bangles, and an assortment
of all kinds of articles for domestic use are on display.
There is fun and frolic all round. The gay ones in small
groups sing boli's and perform folk-dances to the strain
of the vanjli and algoza. The sturdy ones test their
strength in wrestling fields. It is a feast of color
and gaiety and fully reflects the joy of the community.
The fairs of the Punjab are linked with its culture
and reflect by and large the various phases of its life.
Distinct
Punjabi traits are depicted in them. They may be divided
into the following types :
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Seasonal
fairs
Fairs honouring holy saints
Mythical fairs
Melas connected with festivals
Seasonal
Fairs:
Basant Panchami is the most famous of the seasonal fairs.
It heralds the advent of spring. Fields of mustard present
a unique and colorful sight all over rural Punjab, which
looks like a newly wedded damsel resplendent in her
gorgeous golden yellow. There is a spirit of gay abandon
in the air and the Punjabi is rightly infected with
the spirit. His heart and soul become one with nature
and he expresses his elevated spirit in song and dance.
The
Basant fair is held in many villages of'
the Punjab. People put on yellow costumes appropriate
to the season. One huge mass of mustard blossom seems
walking down to the fair. Before Partition the main
fair was celebrated in Lahore at the samadi (tomb) of
Hakeekat Rai who, though a mere lad, preferred martyrdom
at the hands of the Mughuls to swerving from his chosen
path of duty. Kite-flying was a popular entertainment
of the people on this occasion. Often on the Basant
Panchami day, if there is a good breeze, one could see
nothing but innumerable multi-colored kites in the sky,
swishing over in all directions.
Baisakhi is a seasonal
festival with a special accent. It is celebrated all
over the State on the first of Baisakhi. This is the
time when harvest is gathered in and the farmer exults
in the fulfillment of his year's hard work. He joins
the merry-making with full gusto and does not mind walking
for miles to be able to do so. Since this fair is also
an expression of prosperity, singing and dancing constitute
its most enchanting features. The Punjab's famous Bhangra
and Giddha are inextricably linked with this festival
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