Gangaur

India, country of festivals and fairs. People of India celebrate many festivals like Diwali, Holi, Rakshabandhan, Eid, Christmas, Gurunanak Jayanti etc. These are the major festivals of India which are celebrated all over the country but there are some more festivals which are celebrated in some specific states. Gangaur is one of them. Gangaur is a festivals which are celebrated in Rajasthan and some other states.

Gangaur is colourful, joyful and one of the most important festival of Rajasthan. It is mainly for womenfolk who worship goddess Gauri(Parvati), the wife of Lord Shiva. This festival is celebrated in March-April month. It is the celebration of spring, harvest and marital fidelity. Gangaur, word form from "Gana" and "Gaur". Gana is synonym of Lord Shiva and Gaur stands for Gauri. The unmarried women her for being blessed with a good husband, while ,married women do so for the welfare, health and long life for their husbands and for a happy married life.

The festival commences on the first day of Chaitra(first month according to the Hindu calender), the day following Holi and continue for 16 days. For a newly-wedded girl, it is binding to observe the full course of 18 days of the festival that succeeds her marriage. Even unmarried girls fast for the full period of the 18 days and eat only one meal a day.

Images of Isar and Parvati are made of clay for the festival. In some Rajput families, permanent wooden images are painted afresh every year on the eve of festival.

The ladies decorate their hands and feet by drawing designs with myrtle paste. The figures drawn range from the Sun, Moon and the starts to simple flowers designs. Gudilias are earthen pots with numerous holes all around and a lamp lit inside them. On the evening of the 7th day after Holi, unmarried girls go around singing songs of Gudilia carrying the pots with a burning lamp inside, on their heads. On their way, they collect small presents of cash, sweets, jaggery, ghee, oil etc, this continues for 10 days that is up to conclusion of the Gangaur festival when the girls break their pots and throw the debris into the well or a tank and enjoys a feast with the collection made.

The festival reaches its complex during the last three days. The images of Gauri and Isar are dressed in new garments especially made for the occasion. Unmarried girls and married women decorate the images and make them look like living figures. On the final day, she faces in the same direction as Isar and the procession concludes in the consignment of the all images in the waters of a tank or a well. The women bid farewell to Gauri and turn their eyes and the Gangaur festival comes to an end.

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