Once
a year in winters and on the middle of the continually rising and falling stark
yellow sands of the great Thar Desert, the empty sands around Jaisalmer come
alive with the brilliant colour, music and laughter of the Desert Festival.
The festival is organised by the tourist authorities as tourist entertainment
around January-February.
The very rich and colourful Rajasthani folk culture is on show here for a few
days. Rajasthani men and tall beautiful women dressed in their brightly costumes
dance and sing lingering ballads of valour, romance and tragedy. Traditional
musicians attempt to outdo each other in their musical superiority.
The High points of the festival are - snake charmers, puppeteers, acrobats,
folk performers do rapid trade. Camels, the lifeline of the desert, play a foremost
role. Proud moustached villagers, dressed in their ethnic best come astride
their picturesquely caparisoned camels to join in the camel dances and competitions
of camel acrobatics, camel races and décor, camel polo, tug of war and
the like.
The tourist dances, turban tying competitions and tug of war are big draws and
laughter. The Mr Desert competitions, which are focused around the length of
moustaches by and large, attract many hopefuls.
Desert Festival, Rajasthan Festivals
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