| Baisakhi : |
This fair is held at
various places in the state. People carry village deity with
music procession from one place to another. In upper hills, people
perform 'Mala Dance' by joining hands to form a large circle.
During day time, some games like archery and wrestling are also
played. |
| Minjar Fair
: |
This festival is held
in the month of August on second Sunday. It continues for a week.
Minjar ( maize flowers) festival is celebrated in district Chamba
at a place 'Chowgan' in Chamba town.Maize flowers, a coconut,
a rupee or a smaller coin, a fruit and a few paddy tentacles
are offered to Varuna, the god of rain. It is a state fair. It
is difficult to say, when the fair first started, but the present
form of the fair is attributed to Raja Sahil Verman, who ruled
the state in the 10th century A.D. |
| Naina Devi Fair
: |
This fair is held in
the month of August, at Naina Devi Temple, in district Blaspur,
which is 8 km. from the Gangul Power House. This is the most
delightful fair in district Bilaspur. |
| Kullu Dushehra
: |
Kullu Dushehra mirrors
Himachal culture in its entirely.. It clearly shows the lefestyle,
love of dance and music of the people in this region. To see
the colorful Himachal at one place, Kullu Dushehra is the right
place. Although Dushehra is celebrated all over the country,
but in Kullu, it has its own distinctive glamour. This is a state
fair.People from Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh throng
to enjoy Kullu Dushehra. |
| Lavi Fair : |
This fair is held in
the month of October or November every at Rampur Bushahr. In
ancient, Tibet and Kinnaur had good trade relations and Lavi
fair is the outcome of business interest of both sides. People
from other areas in general and tribal belt in particular participate
in this fair with horses, mules, pashminas, colts, yaks, chilgoza,
namdas, pattis, woollens, raw semi-finished wool and other dry
fruits produced in the state are brought for selling. It is three
hundred years old fair and also a state fair.4 During day time,
hectic trade activities are witnessed all over the town. At night,
folks dances and music around small bonfires are organised. It
continues for three days. |
| Renuka Fair
: |
This fair is celebrated
in the month of November for six days in district Sirmaur. It
starts ten days after the famous Diwali festival. The legend
goes that Parshuram, the youngest son of mother Renuka, used
to visit his mother every year. The fair commemorates the annual
meeting of Parshuram and Renuka. Parshuram is believed to be
the sixth incarnation of Lord Vishnu. One can see the glimpses
of hill culture at the fair. Rural people market their produce
of walnuts, dried and wet ginger ect. Folk dances, magic show,
Kariyala play, thoda dance, wrestling bouts, fire works, police
and homeguard's band display, developmental exhibitions, cinema
shows and bhajan-kirtan are other attractions of the week long
fair. It is a state fair. |
| Shivratri Fair
: |
This fair is held in
the month of February on Shivratri day in Mandi. Shiva is
the chief deity of Himachal Pradesh. This festival is given the
greatest importance even in temples all through Himachal Pradesh.
This fair continues for a week, with great fun and frolic.On
this occasion people bring hundreds of Gods and Goddesses in
their Raths. Devotees carry them on shoulders amidst melodious
religious songs. People pay their homage to Lord Shiva at famous
temple of Bhut Nath in Mandi town. It is a state fair. |
| Holi Fair
: |
It is held in the month
of March every year. Especially the Holi Mela of Sujanpur in
district Hamirpur is very famous. It is the festival of colors.
People all over Himachal come to participate in it. A week long
fair provides wholesome entertainment through various games,
songs, dances, folk dramas and skits performed by local artists/
Business activities are also in full swing throughout the week. |
| Chintpurni Fair
: |
It is locally known as
Mata-Da-Mela ( fair of mother goddess ). It is held in the village
Chintpurni near Bharwain ( a hill station on Hoshiarpur-Kangra
road in Una district ). According to one legend a certain Mai
Das had the first darshan of the Mother goddess who appeared
to him as a girl and asked him to perform the Pooja (worship)
of the Pindi (idol) of the mother. Henceforth generation after
generation, the mother has promised to ward off the worldly worries
and anxieties of those worshipping her. On the 8th day during
Navratras the offering of Karahi ( sweet halwa prasad ) and Chhattar
are made by the devotees. |
| The Nalwari
Fair : |
This fair is held in
the month of march every year. The idea of this fair was conceived
by W. Goldstein. He was the Superintendent of Shimla Hill States
in 1889. The idea was motivated by a shortage of the good breed
cattle, especiaaly bullocks. Now this fair has become more a
business opportunity event. It is a state fair. |
| Sissu Fair : |
Sissu is a common fair
celebrated all over the Buddhist Himalayas. Its main attraction
is always a masked dance but because of a part of monastic rituals,
it is always staged inside the monastery on the attached courtyard.
The fair is celebrated on different dates at different places.
At Sissur Gompa it is held in June, at Gemur Gompa in July and
at Mani Gompa of Gondhla in August. |
| Bharmaur Jatra
Fair : |
It is held in district
Chamba in the month of August. |
| Chhitrari Jatra
Fair : |
It is held in district
Chamba in the month of September. |
| Sui Fair : |
It is held in Chamba
town in the month of April. This fair is exclusively for women.
There is a temple of Naina Devi where women gather and worship
the Devi. Naina was the queen of Raja Sahil Verman. This temple
has been constructed at a place where she had sacrificed herself
to bring water to Chamba town. |
| Tara Devi Fair
: |
Durga Devi's temple of
Taradevi is located on the ridge of mountain about 8 km. away
from Shimla town. The fair is held here on Ashtami in Navratras
os Asawin - September or October. This is called Durga Ashtami.
A lot of tourists do visit it for its scenic beauty and worship
of the famous mother goddess. |
| Jwalamukhi
Fair : |
The Jwalamukhi fair is
held twice a year during Navratras for worship of Durga goddess.
It is the most imporatant fair in the Kangra valley. People come
with red silken flags (dhwaja) to greet the Mother Goddess. The
fair is attributed to the worship of that Eternal Flame which
is coming out of earth spontaneously and perpetually. |
| Dal Fair : |
It is held on the bank
of lake Dal, in the month of August in district Kangra at Dharamshala. |
| Nalwari Fair
: |
It is held in district
Kullu at Manali in the month of May. |
| Dungri Fair :- |
It is held in district
Kullu at Manali in the month of May. |
| Sarshi Jatra
Fair : |
In district Kullu, at
place Naggar in the month of May. |
| Banjar Fair :- |
In district Kullu in the month of
Mat and June. |
| Markanda Fair : |
In district Bilaspur at place Markanda
in the month of April. |
| Solan Fair : |
Solan fair is held in the last week
of June for three days. This fair is celebrated even before the
present Solan town was founded in honour of the goddess 'Shulini'
whose temple is situated in the nearby village named Solan Gaon.
It attracts traders, sweetsellers, general merchants and other
shopkeepers to make brisk business. The highlight of this fair
are dancing, singing and wrestling. |
| Sari Fair : |
It is held in district Solan at town
'Arki in the month of July. This fair is famous for bull fighting. |
| Buffalo Fair : |
In district Shimla at village Kufri
near Mashobra in the month of September. |
| Sipi Fair : |
In district Shimla near Mashobra
in the month of May. |
| Jatar Rohru Fair :- |
In district Shimla at Rohru town
in the month os April. |
| Rampuri Jatar : |
In district Shimla at village Rampuri
near Jubbal town in the month of July. |
| Thalog Fair : |
This fair is held in the honour of
Devta Rahatna whose temples are located at Thalog and Jabna.
It is held at the end of Baishkha, in Prgana Jakholi of Chopal.
It is 13 km. away from Chamba. The game archery, numerous sweet
shops and Jhula are the main attractions like other fairs. |
| Trilokpur Fair : |
In district Sirmaur at village Trilokpur
near Nahan town, in the month of September. |
| Phul Yatra Fair : |
Phul Yatra fair is held in Pangi
at Killar in 'Asoj' every year. It denotes the start of a closing
season in this snow bound valley. Offerings are made to local
goddess, in whose honour it is celebrated. The tribal people
enjoy, dance, sing and drink in gay mood forgetting everything
else for the time being. In Kinnaur and Lahaul-Spiti some annuar
fairs are held which have left deep impression on the community
life of the tribals. One of the main features of these fairs
is folk dance. Mask dance and lion dance are also very famous. |
| Sayar : |
It is a famous fair observed in the
month of September at a number of places such as Bakloh in Kangra,
Karsog in Mandi, and Subathu in Shimla. |
