Gangaur 2022: Its Significance & Celebration

Gangaur – The Festival Of Love

Gangaur is a festival that celebrates love, its depth and the feeling of joy and happiness that one gets from seeing their love’s destiny fulfilled. It starts on the first day of the month of Chaitra and ends on the third day of Shukla Paksha of the same month. In other words, it begins on the following day of Holi and ends after 18 days of celebration. This year, Gangaur will be celebrated from March 18 till April 4. People celebrate Gangaur with great zeal and pomp throughout Rajasthan and in some parts of West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh.

The story of Gangaur

Gangaur comprises two words Gan which refers to Lord Shiva and Gaur, which refers to Maa Gauri. Maa Parvati had performed a severe “tap” (penance) to convince Lord Shiva to marry her. Her devotion and persistence moved Lord Shiva, and he indeed agreed to take her as his wife. So, Gangaur is a celebration of a marital bond and the spouse’s well-being. During this festival, the locals also pray to Lord Shiva and Maa Parvati to provide them with a fruitful spring full of harvest. 

How is it celebrated?

Usually, the women observe a fast during the 18-day long festival and pray for their husband’s well-being and long life.

Unmarried women can also take part in fasting to get Maa Parvati’s blessing for a good husband. 

Women decorate their hands and feet. Then, the exchange of gifts takes place, including clothes, jewelry items, makeup, and sweets. It is customary for married women to receive gift hampers from their parents. This custom is known as Sinjara. 

Clay idols of Shiva-Gauri are decorated and worshipped during the festival. Women wearing traditional attire loaded with jewellery often place these idols on their heads and march in processions across the streets with musicians and the local people taking part in it. All the people enjoy the fair with traditional folk songs and various kinds of delectable items to eat. 

The end of Gangaur

The festival marks its endnote with the immersion of the idols in the water bodies. Usually, unmarried women and men from certain tribes of Rajasthan come forward to meet each other with the prospect of marriage in mind. People from several parts of the world chime in on this celebration. Many kinds of fairs occur across the state in various corners, and every person takes up the spirit of festivity. 

Jaipur and Udaipur are the two places that are famous for Gangaur, and Udaipur even has a ghat named after the festival – Gangauri Ghat. Ghewar is a dish that the locals usually love during this time.

Also Read –Chaitra Navratri 2022: Scientific & Religious Reasons Of Fasting