A quiet little town in India for a few days each year becomes the center of a series of absolutely unmissable events. We are in the Indian Rajasthan region, where the historic Pushkar fair, also known as “Pushkar Mela,” takes place.
Every year during the full moon days of November, thousands of people flock here to participate in this event: it is a highly anticipated livestock fair for a twofold reason.
Undoubtedly for purely commercial reasons: thousands of shepherds and more generally owners of goats, horses, cows, and camels come to Pushkar to buy and sell and to “showcase” the animals.
The second reason is that the Pushkar Fair is held on the same days as Kartik Purnima, an important religious festival that commemorates the creation by Brahma, the Creator, of the sacred Pushkar lake.
For this reason, this area becomes the destination of a great pilgrimage that culminates, on the day of the full moon, with the custom of bathing in the waters of the lake itself. Thus, sales, bartering, commercial exchanges alternate with religious rites and prayers.
So, through the streets of Pushkar, on these special days, street performers, musicians, and street vendors also arrive: a true village festival where you can have fun and buy Indian handicrafts.
The local population takes the opportunity to “sanctify the celebration” properly, dressing in their finest traditional clothes: meticulous makeup; women’s dresses rich in wonderful and precious details, with sparkling mirrors; elaborate and colorful men’s turbans.
A unique opportunity—especially for Western travelers—to immerse themselves in one of the most heartfelt, ancient, and traditional fairs and festivals in India.
