The Chitra Vichitra Fair is an annual

tribal The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide usage of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. This definition is contested, in part due to confli ...

fair held in northern

Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the nin ...

India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...

. The fair is an event for families who have lost a member in the past year to mourn the departed, accompanied by festivities and

matchmaking Matchmaking is the process of matching two or more people together, usually for the purpose of marriage, in which case the matchmaker is also known as a marriage broker. The word is also used in the context of sporting events such as boxing, in ...

. The fair attracts around 60,000 visitors, primarily tribal populations from surrounding villages in Gujarat and Rajasthan. The fair is held in Gunbhankhari village of poshina taluka,

Sabarkantha District Sabarkantha district is one of the 33 districts of Gujarat state of India and is located in the northeastern part of the state. The administrative headquarters of the district are located in Himatnagar. Geography Sabarkantha District is bounded ...

, near the Gujarat-Rajasthan border. The site of the fair is on the banks of the Wakal River, and the location is considered sacred because of the confluence of three rivers in the area - Sabarmati, Wakal, and aakal The fair occurs over the two days abutting the first eve of the new moon (

Amavasya Amāvásyā () is the lunar phase of the new moon in Sanskrit. Indian calendars use 30 lunar phases, called tithi in India. The dark moon tithi is when the Moon is within 12 degrees of the angular distance between the Sun and Moon before conj ...

) following the festival of

Holi Holi (), also known as the Festival of Colours, the Festival of Spring, and the Festival of Love,The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) p. 874 "Holi /'həʊli:/ noun a Hindu spring festival ...". is an ancient Hindu religious festival ...

, which typically falls in March or April in the

Gregorian calendar The Gregorian calendar is the calendar used in most parts of the world. It was introduced in October 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII as a modification of, and replacement for, the Julian calendar. The principal change was to space leap years di ...

. The fair commences on the eve of the new moon, when families submerge ashes of their departed family members in the river and mourn their passing through the night. The next day, a fair takes place at the location.

References

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External links

Gujarat TourismVichitra Tribal Fair Of Gujarat Part 1 - A Journey from Moksha to Maya
Festivals in Gujarat Fairs in India