Teej is a colorful festival dedicated to Goddess Parvati. Teej fairs commemorate the day when the Goddess was united with Lord Shiva. Teej fairs are held at many places but a major Teej fair is organized in Jaipur every year in July or early August. Large number of tourists attend these fairs and add exuberance to the celebration of the festival.
Teej is a major festival for the women of Rajasthan and thus the celebrations are also great. Teej is celebrated with utmost dedication and loyalty by the womenfolk of Rajasthan. Numerous fairs are held in Rajasthan at a definite period of time. In the month of July/August, the pink city of India, Jaipur comes up with a major Teej Fair. Along with the people of Rajasthan many domestic and international tourists participate in the cultural and community activities. This provides the tourists a splendid opportunity to have an insight into the Rajasthani life.
Teej fair is well organized by the natives of Rajasthan. Teej fair is popularly known as 'Saawan Mela'. These fairs lasts at least for four days. People join their hands with the Department of Tourism to organize the grand festival mela. At the time of Teej, large number of crafts bazaars and food courts mushroom in the city. Teej also marks the arrival of rains i.e. the time to renew and rejuvenate. There is singing, dancing, drama, devotional music and other traditional activities that engross the people in Teej celebrations. Many entertaining competitions like turban tying and mehndi design take place. On this day, young girls and married women are seen in graceful attires and ornaments. Major highlights of the fair are given below:
Swings: The main attraction of Teej fairs are beautifully decorated swings. Ladies and young girls swing on these swings singing traditional folk songs.
Mehndi: Another very beautiful and traditional part of Teej fair is a mehndi stall. Women adorn their hands with elegant mehndi designs. Different styles of mehndi is also applied. Mostly one can see Rajasthani colors in mehndi designs.
Performances of folk artists: Famous folk artists form Rajasthan perform and entertain the crowd. It becomes the main attraction of the day. Rajasthani performances engulfs tourists to enjoy every minute of it.
Handicrafts and other items: Teej fairs have varied stalls focusing on the culture and ethnicity of Rajasthan. There are variety of items of Rajasthani hanidicrafts which is bought in bulk by the tourists. Along with this, there are stalls which contain women items only. A large section is dedicated to women as it is a special day for them. Different things which are important for the married woman viz there are stalls of numerous 'shringar' items like bangles, ethnic dresses, sindhur etc.
Sweets and other eateries: Theme of fair is totally culture based and so the stalls set up have a special Rajasthani flavor to it. Mouthwatering Ghewar shops is the main attraction for tourists.
Kids Zone: There is a special kids zone in the fair. Number of rides and stalls are specially set up for young kids. Puppet Show: Another most attractive part of the saawan fair is the puppet show. Being a colorful source of entertainment is liked by all. These shows depict the culture and some famous story related to the town or city.
