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 Once a year in winters and on the middle of
the continually rising and falling stark yellow sands of
the great Thar Desert, the empty sands around Jaisalmer
come alive with the brilliant colour, music and laughter
of the Desert Festival.
The festival is organised by the tourist authorities as
tourist entertainment around January-February.
The very rich and colourful Rajasthani folk culture is on
show here for a few days. Rajasthani men and tall
beautiful
women dressed in their brightly costumes dance and sing
lingering ballads of valour, romance and tragedy.
Traditional musicians attempt to outdo each other in their
musical superiority.
 The
high points of the festival are - snake charmers,
puppeteers, acrobats, folk performers do rapid trade.
Camels, the lifeline of the desert, play a foremost role.
Proud moustached villagers, dressed in their ethnic best
come astride their picturesquely caparisoned camels to
join in the camel dances and competitions of camel
acrobatics, camel races and décor, camel polo, tug of war
and the like.
 The tourist dances, turban tying
competitions and tug of war are big draws and laughter.
The Mr Desert competitions, which are focused around the
length of moustaches by and large, attract many
hopefuls. |
