The Baisakhi Festival
When and how celebrated
The Baisakhi festival is a seasonal festival. It is celebrated all over the Punjab and Haryana by all classes of people. Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs all take part in its celebration. It falls on the first day of Baisakh. It was every year on the 13th of April. on this day people put on new clothes. They prepare halva and several other tasty things at home.
Baisakhi fair
A fair is held everywhere in connection with the Baisakhi festival. The site of the fair is a place that is religiously famous. Generally, the fair is held by the side of a river. The religious body is in charge of the fair. A day before the fair there is seen a regular Bazar. There are stalls of sweets, toys and fruits on either side of it.
On Baisakhi day
On Baisakhi day there is a great rush in the fair. There is no place in the fair without visitors. At the fair, the crowd is so great that you cannot meet with it even in the overcrowded cities. You cannot elbow your way through it easily.
Description of the fair
On one side of the bazaar, merry-go-round attracts people. They whirl in the air with children and boys of all ages sitting in them. The boys enjoy their rides. Near them are the rope dancers. They do their feats on the rope.
Country dance
On the other side of the Bazaar huge crowd of people can be seen standing in a circle. In the middle, there is a group of villagers. They are mostly farmers. They are giving a show of their country dance with the beating of the drum. Each one of the villages has a stick in his hand. These tips are raised in the air as the dancers lift both hands and raise their legs. They cry ‘Gone is Baisakhi, Gone is Baisakhi. The sight is worth seeing. The excitement and enthusiasm of the dancers are very great. So many on-lookers forget their sense of shyness and join the dancers.
Side by side with these means of amusements, arrangements are made for elderly people. They put up shamianas under which they are giving lectures on religion and are singing hymns.
By the time evening draws near, people get tired. They are glad to return home with sweets, toys and fruits for their children for the next day.
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