The colorful Gangaur Festival is amongst the most popular and widely celebrated festivals of Rajasthan. The word Gangaur comprises of two words 'Gan' a synonym of Lord Siva and 'Gauri' his consort Parvathi. As its name suggests, the Gangaur festival is celebrated in the honor of Gauri who is regarded as the symbol of virtue and fidelity and a mythological role model for Indian married women. On the occasion, married women worship Gauri for the welfare of their husband, the young girls do it being blessed with a spouse of their choice.
The two-week long Gangaur festival commences with the ritual of collecting ashes from the Holika Dahan (on the day following Holi) and burying seeds of wheat and barley in it. Then these seeds are watered every day until the germination takes place. The ritual is performed with the songs praising Isar and Gauri (Shiva and Parvathi) and the carrying of painted water pots on head. Women folks also make clay images of Gauri and Isar.
On the evening of the 7th day after the Holi Festival, unmarried girls take out a procession with ghudlia (an earthen pot with holes around and a lamp inside) on their head. On the way, they are gifted with sweets, ghee, oil and cash. The festivity reaches to its peak during the last three days of the festival.
On the last day colorful images of Gauri are taken out in procession accompanied by the camels, bullock carts, horses and elephants, decorated in traditional finery. Songs are sung about the departure of Gauri to Siva house. The procession concludes with the women breaking their pots and throwing all the consignment into a tank or a pond.
The tribal of the region also celebrate Gangaur Festival with great fanfare. On this festive occasion, tribal men and women are allowed to meet and interact freely and select a life partner of their choice, and marry only by eloping.
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