Pakistan is a land where fairs and
festivals are held frequently. Most of the Pakistani people lives in village.
Village folks love their fairs and tradition. People go to a fair for the sake of merrymaking
and enjoyment. A Pakistani fair, however, does not provide entertainment only.
It also provides the people with a market for their goods. All kinds of shops
dealing with goods from handkerchief to forming tools are set up. Most of the
villagers do their shopping here.
Every year a Baisakhi fair is held in
our village namely 35-Chak, in the open field. It is a very important day for
us. People make special arrangements for the fair. A few days before the fair,
the village is decorated with buntings and colorful flags. It is attended by thousands
of people from far and wide. Last Sunday, I went to visit the fair along with
my elder brother.
As we came out of the village, we saw an
immense crowd of people making its way to the fair. When we reached the place,
we saw a vast crowd of men, women and children in their beautiful attires. They
were clad in various kinds of clothes, and looked happy and gay. The huge crowd
of people gathered from different places. They were talking in their local
dialects.
When we went a little ahead, we saw two
rows of shops. A temporary bazaar was set up in the fair. Sweets, fruits
and toys were displayed in abundance in shops. There were shops of sweets,
toys, fancy goods, etc. Huge preparations were made. The stalls and shops were
well-decorated. They had a beautiful arrangement of a variety of articles and
material. There were many hawkers. They were selling pins, brooches, bangles
and other trinkets to women and children. A stream of men, women and children
passed through the bazar, making purchases and enjoying themselves.
The chief articles of consumption were
the sweetmeats and the other eatables. The confectioners had displayed their
wares to the best advantage. They tempted every passer-by to purchase something
or the other. The consumption of sweets on this day is the highest.
Confectioners start preparing sweets many days in advance. Otherwise, they
cannot cope with the heavy demand of the customers. A number of shopkeepers
declared “Clearance Sale”. They were selling goods at a discount to attract customers.
On the other side there were various
kinds of amusements. At one place we saw a merry-go-round with its load of gay
children and young men whirling in the air. Here a bioscope show was being
displayed and there a juggler was showing his feats. Acrobats and rope-dancers
were also performing their feats in a corner. There was travelling circus too,
admission to which was by tickets. On the other side, the puppet dance was
being showed. Children were enjoying the dance. In other corner, people were
dancing traditional Luddi and Bhangra. A large crowd had surrounded the dancers
and was encouraging them. My brother bought me some sweets which we ate with
great relish.
It was now getting dark. We took our way
home. On the way, we came across many groups of happy villagers. They were
laden with the day purchases and were wending their way homeward. I enjoyed
myself at the fair the whole day. It will always refresh in my mind. I will
never forget this visit to the fair. I wish, I could go to this fair every year.
(576 Words)