Himachal Fairs - Celebrating togetherness

Fairs the Himachali ways of Life and its celebration..

For a cool state of Himachal Pradesh , the fairs are ways of celebrations, exhibitions and expressions. Many types of fairs are organized in the Himalayan state of India called Himachal Pradesh. The fairs celebrated in Himachal Pradesh can be divided into 4 main types , those are-

1) Local fairs

2) State fairs

3) Religious fairs

4) Trade Fairs

All the fairs of Himachal have their own significance and stories associated. Let us know about some of the significant fairs of Himachal Pradesh.

1. Local fairs

Himachal Pradesh is a state with many versatile small villages. These villages are a society of their own. Infinite local fairs are organized in Himachal throughout the year. The local fairs are mainly organized by local village committees. Small wrestling competitions, lotteries, and games are conducted with prizes for winners. Each local fair contains the essence of Himalaya, the essence of Innocence and the taste of India. The local fairs have the themes of religious gathering or entertainment or seasonal celebrations.

2. State Fairs

Himachal Pradesh government has itself recognized many of the Fairs of Himachal Pradesh. These fairs are called as State fairs. The state Government provides all the basic facilities to the fair visitors and these fairs are well organized. The health facilities , the Programme organization, , the safety and security all are provided by the Government. Every program is pre- planned and well organized. Some of the significant State fairs of Himachal Pradesh are:

Minjar Fair (Chamba)
Shivratri fair (Mandi)
Dusshera (Kullu)
Lavi fair (Rampur)

3. Religious Fairs

The state Himachal Pradesh is called “the Dev Bhoomi” (Land of Lords). It is an obvious fact that religious fairs are the most significant fairs of Himachal. These fairs are organized in almost every corner of Himachal. The most significant and popular Religious fairs of Himachal are:

Mani Mahesh Fair (Bharmour)
Mela Baba Badbhag Singh fair (Una)
Hola Mohalla Fair (Paonta Sahib)
Renuka Fair (Sirmour)
Shoolini Fair (Solan)
Sippi fair (Sipur, Shimla)
Markandeya Fair (Bilaspur)
Nayana Devi fair (Bilaspur)
Gugga Peer Fair (Upraali , Bilaspur)
Hatkoti Fair (Rohru)
Rohru Fair (Rohru)
Kufri fair (Daghogi, Shimla)
Baba Balak Nath fair (Deotsidh, Hamirpur )

Many other religious fairs are organized in Himachal. As written earlier infinite number of fairs. The natives of Himachal are believers of God. They have strong faith in the God and its existence. They celebrate their blessings in the form of fairs.

4. Trade fairs

Trade fairs in Himachal Pradesh are not only meant for Trade and commercial purpose, but they are also a mean to show off the traditions and rich cultural heritage of Himachal Pradesh. These fairs help to keep people in contact with the help of their trade affairs. The trade fairs of Himachal have rich historical backgrounds . These were once began by the Kings of various dynasties which reigned over the places. The most significant of the trade fairs of Himachal are:

Nalwari Fair of Bilaspur
Nalwari Fair of Sundernagar
Lavi fair of Rampur.

Tourist fair- the biggest fair of Himachal

Himachal Pradesh is world known for its tourist spots. The spots like Kufri, Khajjiyar, Dalhousie, Chamba, Kullu, Manali, are well known hill stations. The biggest fair of Himachal is the Tourist fair. It is the income generating fair of Himachal. It stays alive in the hot summers and during the peak winters when there is high probability of snowfall. The fair of tourists gathering together to enjoy the beauty of nature and cool weather is indeed the biggest fair of Himachal Pradesh.

Himachal Fairs in short

Let us have a look at the significant fairs of Himachal Pradesh. The Why, When, and Where of Himachal Fairs:

Fair	When celebrated	Why celebrated	Famous for
1. Minjar Fair (Chamba)	August/ September	Blossoming of maize, Seek blessings of Laxmi Narayan ji.	Hindu Muslim unity, Embroidary and worship of Nature Earth, exhibition of cultural heritage.
2. Shivratri fair (Mandi)	March	Celebration of Mahashivratri	King Abarsen of Mandi established a Shivling on Mahashivratri and the fair began from then.
3. Dusshera (Kullu)	October	Celebration of Dusshera	Dhalpur Maidan, global participation of devotees, Raghunath Rath.
4. Lavi fair (Rampur)	11 to 14^th November, every year	Raja Kehari Singh of Rampur Bushahr state signed a treaty to promote trade with Tibet.	Trades, sale and purchase of Chamurthi horses
5. Markandeya Fair (Bilaspur)	During Baisakhi (13^th April)	To seek blessings of Markandeya rishi in his birth place.	People dip in holy water of the place and seek blessings.
6. Gugga Peer Fair (Upraali , Bilaspur)	August/ September	To seek the blessings of Gugga peer.	Gugga peer protects the locals from supernatural powers and snake bites.
7. Rohru fair (Rohru)	Mid April	To seek blessings of Devata Shikru, at Rohru Bazaar.	Shikru Devata visits Dhantaali, Jakhar Dashlaani, Gangtoli and Rohru with his disciples.
8. Holla Mohalla (Paonta Sahab)	During Holi	Guru Govind Singh exhibited the competency and strength of his Soldiers through celebration.	Began at Anandpur Sahib (Punjab). To celebrate Holi
9. Baba Balak Nath Fair (Deot Siddh)	March/April	To seek blessings and remember the enlightening power of saint boy Baba Balak Nath.	Blessings and rot Prasad distributed to the disciples.
10. Mela BhadBhag Singh (Maidi,Una)	During Holi (March)	To seek blessings of Super powers of Baba Badbhag Singh.	A lot of devotees from Punjab visit the place to seek blessings and celebrate.
11. Shoolini Fair (Solan)	June	The fair marks the sojourn of the ruling deity Shoolini of the area at her elder sister Goddess Durga’s temple located at Ganj Bazaar Solan.	To seek the blessings of the deity Shoolini on the occasion.
12. Mani Mahesh Fair (Chamba)	August/ September	Seek blessings from Lord Shiva at Manimahesh ji.	Primarily a Yatra, Manimahesh Lake at the height of 13,000 feet on the foot of Kailash Peak.
13. Naina Devi Fair(Bilaspur)	August	Seek blessings from Maa Naina Devi	A delightful fair in which devotees from Punjab and Himachal give attendance.
14. Nalwari Fair (Bilaspur)	March	AW. Goldstein, the then Superintendant of Shimla state organized for coping up with shortage of good breed cattles. Now a n annual fair.	An animal trade fair of large scale. Wrestling organized with big prizes on stakes.
15. Nalwari Fair (Sundernagar)	March	Raja Chetsain started this fair for the upliftment of people of the area.	An agricultural and animal trade fare. Runs for 7 days, and is of much larger scale than that of Bilaspur.