Q1. How do fairs and festivals contribute to our understanding of cultural heritage?

A1. Heritage includes both tangible and intangible aspects. Intangible heritage of culture are the
traditions, rituals, knowledge that is still alive in a way or another. It is transmitted from
generation to generation and is constantly recreated by communities and groups in response to
their environment, their interaction with nature and their history, and provides them with a sense
of identity and continuity, thus promoting respect for cultural diversity and human creativity.
Therefore, people are able to experience their cultural heritage through fairs and festivals.

Fairs and festivals are an important part of the social activities of man. It is on these special
occasions that people swing on traditional music and present the traditional performances
through stage. These cultural performances are arranged all over the world in a variety of ways
to keep alive the spirit of social communication. Fairs and festivals are specific to a place and
represent the culture of the people residing there. For instance, the rich Indian heritage has
been kept alive through the various fairs and festivals being celebrated in the country
throughout the year. They are the heart of Indian socio-cultural life as they are connected with
religious beliefs, changing season's harvests etc.

The word Fair may have originated from the Latin word fair or holydays, a place where a large
number of peoples gathered at specified time for the purpose of buying and selling of goods. In
short, the fair is a mixture of commerce, trade, festivals, religious feast and holydays. On the
other hand, festivals serve as markers of historical or mythological events and commemorate
the legends and heroes intrinsic to the identity of a particular community. They also mark the
end/beginning of seasons, of important phases in the solar/lunar/agrarian cycle. The celebration
of festivals involves specific ceremonies, use of special crafts such as clay-work/drawing of
ritual motifs/ symbols, ceremonial preparation of particular food items. Thus public rituals are an
essential part of festivals.

Fairs and festivals originated in man’s natural urge for bonding with his fellow men, to reaffirm
solidarity within families, clans and communities. These concerns have manifested themselves
in various forms of festivals. There is no written history to explain when festival celebrations
started but in ancient Greece and Rome, festivals linked with religion, social organisation and
political processes were celebrated. Agriculture, in addition to religion and folklore, has
significantly contributed to the tradition of festivals. Many festivals across the planet are
associated with the time of harvest. Every fair and festival has its own purpose such as religious
purpose, social purpose, entertaining purpose and national integration purpose etc.

Festivals like Ram Navami, Shri Krishna Janamashatmi, Hanuman Jayanti etc. are celebrated to
express devotion to the deities. Religious festivals are important for communities and help to
teach principles and ethics to our next generations. Such fairs and festivals create a religious
environment to remember our cultural and religious traditions, to express our feelings and
devotion to God. All different religious festivals bring the same message of peace, tolerance and
understanding. Some of the examples are Rath Yatra, a festival dedicated to the worship of Lord
Jagannath. The most impressive part of the festival is a chariot procession in which Lord
Jagannath is taken out in a chariot. On Ganesh Chaturthi, the elephant-headed God, Ganesh, is
worshipped for 10 days and then the idols are taken out in a spectacular procession with
devotees chanting and dancing, to be immersed in the sea or lakes. Christmas celebrates the
birthday of Lord Jesus Christ. Prayers are organised at Churches and cakes distributed among
people of all communities. Therefore, most of the fairs and festivals are related to our culture
and tradition and help us to remember the history of the religion or the person.

Seasonal festivals reflect the respect and harmony of people towards nature. These festivals
are important because they are celebrated to acknowledge the blessings of Mother Nature.
Most of the seasonal festivals are related to agricultural activity, particularly the harvest season.
Makar Sankranti, Baisakhi, Bhogali Bihu, Lohri, Onam, Pongal etc are harvest-related festivals
celebrated in different parts of the country. The festival of Lohri usually falls in January and
marks the day when the earth, farthest from the sun at this point of time, starts its journey
towards the sun, thus ending the coldest month of the year. In January, the fields come up with
the promise of a golden harvest, and farmers celebrate Lohri during this rest period before the
cutting and gathering of crops. In Kerala, Onam is the main harvest festival celebrated during
the month of August-September.

This is not a specific type of festival but refers to all those festivals where the celebration
focuses on a particular theme. For example Dance festivals, food festivals, literary festivals,
tribal festivals, Music festivals, Film festivals, Kite festival, Desert Festival etc. Such festivals are
important from the tourism point of view as they help attract tourists in large numbers. They also
highlight the different traditions, practices and heritage of different parts of the country. Boat
races are among the grandest traditions still alive and thriving in Kerala. People go to these
events in large numbers to watch these snake shaped beauties go head to head in rhythm to
the old boat songs sung in full volume. These snake-boats or 'chundanvallam' are up to 100 feet
long and bring the serene backwaters to life.

Taj Mahotsav has been celebrated successfully since 1992 in Agra in February for ten days,
from 18th February to 27th February. Organized by the Department of Tourism, Government of
India, Taj Mahotsav is mainly dedicated to the promotion of the country's rich art and craft,
culture, cuisine, dance and music. It serves as an acknowledgment to the craftsmen as well as
the exponents of art, music and cuisine from all over the country. The National Tribal
festival/carnival has been organized as an annual feature by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA)
since the year 2015. This serves to showcase the glimpses of the rich cultural heritage of tribal
people across the country through unique forms of folk dances, songs, cuisine, exhibition and
demonstration of traditional skill in painting, art and craft, medicinal practices.

National festivals connect citizens to important moments of a nation’s history. They solidify
patriotic spirits in the society and community celebrations across the country take place. In India
there are three National holidays that connect us as people of a nation - Republic Day,
Independence Day and Gandhi Jayanti. The Republic day is celebrated on January 26 to mark
the adoption of the Indian Constitution. National flag hoisting and pageantry parades are held at
all the State Capitals on the day. The most magnificent show of pomp is at New Delhi with
parades, floats and cultural extravaganza. India got freedom from British rule on 15th August
1947 and since then every year we celebrate 15th August as Independence Day. Flag hoisting,
bands by armed forces and cultural shows are the highlights of the celebrations. This day marks
the birthday of the father of the nation, Mahatma Gandhi who was born on 2nd October 1869 at
Porbandar, a city in the Indian state of Gujarat. Prayer meetings and social activities are
organised throughout India on the day. These festivals bind the people of the nation across
various religions in a unique way and maintain unity among the people.

The fairs offer an insight into traditional rural life, beliefs and popular customs in the country.
Fairs are generally specific to a place and represent the culture of the people residing there. For
instance, the holy month of Shravan (July-August) as per the traditional Hindu calendar holds
great importance. During this month, each year millions of Shiva devotees from different states
of India, Nepal and other countries around the world undertake a sacred pilgrimage from
Sultanganj to Baba Baidyanath Temple, a famous Lord Shiva Temple at Deogarh in Jharkhand.
This month-long fair is known as Shravani Mela. This pilgrimage continues throughout the whole
of Shravan for 30 days, during July/August. This is the longest religious fair in the world.

The Kumbh Mela is an important Hindu pilgrimage fair held by rotation at one of the four holy
pilgrimage destinations- Allahabad, Haridwar, Nashik, and Ujjain. In December 2017, UNESCO
had inscribed the event in its list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The Kumbh Mela
stands out from other religious fairs for its liveliness both in the daytime and night-time and is
attended by millions of people irrespective of caste, creed, or gender.

Puskar Mela is held annually in the town of Pushkar in Rajasthan. It is also known as Pushkar
Camel Fair but trading during the fair is not exclusive to camels alone but also includes cattle,
horses, etc. The fair is world-famous for its camel trading, cattle auctions and camel races along
with traditional activities like folk music and dances, colourful village shops and eateries serving
traditional delicacies. Local people adorn traditional bright and colorful attires and sell junk
jewelry, fine fabrics, and intricate artwork. It is now a major tourist attraction and various cultural
events and competitions are also organised which attracts travelers from various parts of the
country and also across the globe.

Various crafts fairs or melas are organised in various places throughout the country but by far
one of the largest and most popular crafts mela is the Surajkund craft mela. Skilled artisans from
all over the country display the rich crafts tradition of India in the typical setting of a rural Indian
marketplace. Cultural programmes like folk dances, magic, acrobats and rural cuisines are also
a part of this colourful fair. This Mela serves as a meeting ground for talented artists, painters,
weavers, sculptors and craftsmen from all over India who display their ware in the typical setting
of a rural Indian marketplace.

Nothing brings people together like fairs and festivals do. They play a pivotal role in
nation-building; bringing people from every religious, economic and social background together
and understanding the common heritage. If we look at the fascinating journey of human
evolution, we understand that human beings do not invent or create something unless it is
required. Festivals contribute immensely to feelings of social cohesion. Many such celebrations
focus on cultural or ethnic topics and seek to inform community members of their traditions.
They involve community elders sharing stories and experiences; setting templates for
maintaining unity among families. Festivals are thus connected to cultures and to places, can
help bind people to their communities, foster and reinforce group identity, and are central to
cultural heritage transmission and pursuits. They play an important role in the cultural
development of an individual. Our festivities also bring us closer to our religion and also help us
to understand the culture of others. Celebrating festivals from diverse religions also promotes
communal harmony and also leads to effective socialization.