Summer Festival - Carniwal

Venue: Nakki Lake, Mount Abu, Rajasthan

Time: Mid May, Every Year

Theme: Culture

The Summer Festival in Mount Abu is celebrated every year in the month of May. In the year 2011, the Summer Festival is going to be held in Mid May ( for Dates pls check RTDC calendar ). Celebrated on the Budh Purnima, this 3-day festival is marked by various events. In the first day ceremony, the processions are carried from the RTDC Hotel Shikhar and all the participants gather at Nakki Lake Chowk. The folk performances of ‘Gair’, ‘Ghoomar’, and Chari are given by the local male and female counterparts. The glamorous display of fireworks is displayed on all three days. In the evenings, the Sham-e-Qawalli remains the main highlight. In this evening highlight, the Qawaals sing meaning full creations of Sufi and saints. The locales generally refer to this kind of singing as the Sufiana Qalaam. The lights illuminated on the streets and the full moon adds more charm to the nights of the Summer Festival. The cool fresh air from the Nakki Lake makes the experience more breathtaking.

During the first day of the festivity, the women gather and perform the ceremony of Mehendi Madan. The women in the evening sing, dance and get themselves ornamented with jewelry. Around 30,000 to 40,000 foreigners, as well as domestic visitors, throng this city. The caravans of a camel walking in the rows, the participants performing various acrobatics and the local ambassadors leading the entire event offer a treat for the soaring eyes. During the 3 days of festivity, the men in their traditional Kurtas, colorful hood wear on heads and pajamas present the best show in front of the visitors.

Besides this, numbers of legends are associated with Mount Abu mention that around 330 million gods and goddesses used to visit this region. The Nakki lake was created by digging nails. The sage Vashisth performed yajna to form Agnikula, four clans of fire for protecting the mother Earth. Complying with all the mythological connections, the Summer festival holds great importance in Rajasthan.

Coming back to the second and third day of the event, the summer festival organized by Rajasthan tourism, also showcases the rich heritage of the Gujarati and Rajasthani cultures. Various competitions take place. Boat race, CRPF band procession, tug of war, panihari Matka race, skaters’ race, skaters show adds an extra excitement to this event. The drama events are also organized by the actors and actresses which is the must see the highlight of this festival. Altogether, these competitions add more excitement to the entire event.

Conclusively, the Mount Abu Summer Festival is the window to the tribal life of people in Mount Abu. Being the coolest place during summers, becoming the part of the festive mood can surely be an unforgettable experience.