One of the many vibrant festivals of Gujarat, Tarnetar Fair is the annual festival that takes place in Sundernagar— a tiny village, about 200 km away from Ahmedabad, Gujarat. This festival said to be inspired by Draupadi's swayamvara, and is a celebration of ethnic Gujarat’s folk-dance, music, costumes, and the arts, centered around young tribal men and women seeking marriage partners. Here many kinds of folk dances are performed; by far the most popular is the raas, in which dancers hold sticks to clack against those of other dancers. As many as one to two hundred women perform rasadas in a single circle, to the beats of four drums at a time and the tunes of Jodia Pavas (double flutes). Rabari women of nearby Zalawad perform the famous circular folk dance called Rahado. Their marital status is indicated clearly by their costumes; a black Zimi (skirt) means she is married. But if a woman is wearing a red zimi, it means she has not yet tied the knot and probably seeking a husband. The potential husbands seeking brides are elegantly dressed in colorful dhotis, artistically designed waistcoats and a head-cloth twisted at an angle, moving about the fairground at Tarnetar carrying the most elaborately and beautifully embroidered umbrellas. The single women choose their prospective husbands based on the umbrella they find the most beautiful.
If you think you are prepared to walk out of your mundane experience and free-fall into a whirlwind of colors, romance and music, then head for the Tarnetar Fair!
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India is a vast country and a mystery to most. Those who live in it, those who now live outside of India or those who are just visiting. We, at NRIClub™, serve as a centralized hub of information for the residents, non-residents and travellers who are not familiar with various aspects of this great country.
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