A visit to a fair in my country (Pakistan)

          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)