T
he annual Lucknow Festival
showcasing Avadhi culture, tradition and cuisine started in Lucknow on the
bank of River Gomti on November 25.
The 15-day festival,
organised jointly by UP Tourism and Lucknow District Administration,
will, this time, also have stalls by the craftsmen of other states
presenting a composite culture of the entire country.
Besides providing a platform for the local talents, the festival
will also have programmes by well-known personalities including
Shovana Narayan, the Vadali brothers, Shubha Mudgal, Hansraj Hans,
Pandit Jasraj, Hema Sardesai and Sapna Awasthi.
|
The Lucknow Festival, held in
the months of November-December every year, captures the undying elegance
and splendour of Awadh, now Lucknow. A brilliant showcase of the arts,
crafts, and above all the exotic cuisine of this land, the festival is a
once-in-a-lifetime experience.
During the festival, the city of Lucknow is abuzz with excitement and
activity. Colourful processions, traditional dramas, Kathak dances in the
style of the famous Lucknow gharana,sarangi and sitar recitals along with
ghazal, qawali and thumri sessions create a festive atmosphere. Exciting
events such as ekka races, kite flying, cock fighting and other
traditional village games recreate an atmosphere of Awadh's nawabi days.
And to top it all, one can taste the traditional delicacies of Lakhnawi
cuisine, ranging from mouth-watering vegetarian cuisine to the
lip-smacking non-vegetarian spread for which Lucknow is famous.
HOLI
Holi heralds the beginning of spring and is
celebrated with great enthusiasm all over India. According to a legend,
Hiranya Kashyap, the demon who ruled over 'Sapta Deep' believed himself to
be more powerful than God. He contemplated killing his youngest son
Prahlad, an ardent devotee of Lord Vishnu after he refused to worship him
as God.
Holika, the demon's sister who possessed a divine,
garment to protect her from fire, agreed to enter the burning pyre with
Prahlad in her lap but got burnt herself.
Holi thus signifies the triumph of good over evil
and is marked by grand festivities all over India and particularly in the
Braj area where it is celebrated with great gaiety and fervour.
It is believed that Lord Krishna, an incarnation of
Lord Vishnu, in human form played holi with the Gopi's (cowherd maids) in
the ancient past. Keeping this tradition alive in Braj, Holi celebrations
last for more than a week and are marked by people sprinkling colored
water & smearing colored powder on each other.
The playful teasing of the Gopis by the Gopas
(cowherd boys) is enacted by groups of men and women through special Holi
songs and dances, called Rasiya.
Barsana Holi
48 km. from Mathura at Barsana, is celebrated the
famous "Latthmaar Holi" of Braj. Tradition has it that Krishna from
Nandgaon use to come to Barsana to play Holi with Radha alongwith his Gopi
friends. The Gopis after merriment chased away the Gopas of Nandgaon by
beating them with "lathis". So it came to be known as the 'Latthmar Holi'
of Barsana.
To this day, the village women have the freedom to
literally take up cudgels against their menfolk, a right they exercise
with all enthusiasm and shower colored water as an expression of joy.
The main celebrations at Barsana, take place at the
Ladliji temple, dedicated to Sri Radha Rani, (the beloved of Sri Krishna).
Nandgaon
The day after Barsana Holi, it's the turn of
Nandgaon to get soaked with the myriad hues of holi. The men and women of
Barsana go to Nandgaon (7 km.) to play Latthmar Holi with each other.
Dadjee Ka Huranga (Baldeo)
20 km. from Mathura, the town is named after Balram
the elder brother of Sri Krishna. A temple dedicated to Baldeo stands in
the centre of the town.
The Holi festival celebrated here is famous as
Daujee Ka Huranga. Men & women collect here in large numbers to play holi.
Falen
Falen, a village 15 km. from Kosi, celebrates Holi
in a very special way and has great significance. A "Panda" (Holyman)
walks bare feet over holy pyres without getting burnt, symbolising
Prahlad's emergence from the burning pyre unharmed.
RAMLILA
Ramlila, the enactment of the story of Lord Rama is
believed to have been started by great Saint Tulsidas. The Ramcharitmanas,
written by him till today forms the basis of Ramlila performances. In some
places, Ramlila is associated with the Vijayadashmi celebrations in late
Sept. & early Oct. and also with Ramnavami, the birthday of Lord Rama.
Ramlila, basically an enactment of a myth, is
presented as a. cycle-play with the story varying from 7 to 31 days. The
Ramlila performance evokes a festive atmosphere & enables observance of
religious rites. It is also rich in performance crafts such as costume
jewellery, masks, headgear, make-up and decoration.
The four main Ramlila styles are the pantomimic
style with a predominance of jhankis - tableaux pageants; the dialogue -
based style with multi - local staging; the operatic style which draws its
musical elements from the folk operas of the region and the stage -
Ramlila of the professional troupes called "mandalis"
Chitrakoot Ramlila
Celebrated for five days every year in the last week
of February at Chitrakoot beginning from the Maha Shivratri day. It is
believed that during the Bharat-Milap, an important lila, Rama himself
manifests in the swaroop playing Rama. Thousands of people watch this
enactment with tears of joy.
Varanasi Ramlila
The Ramlila Festival (October- November), is
celebrated with great fervor at Varanasi. Jhankis and pageants depicting
scenes from the life of Lord Rama are taken out. Some of the episodes of
the Varanasi Ramlila are witnessed with great interest.
Bharat- Milap-Leela of Nati-Emli and the Nakkataiya
of Chetganj are extremely famous.
Ramnagar Ramlila
Ramnagar, 15 km. from Varanasi presents the Ramlila
started by the erstwhile Maharaja of Kashi in the most traditional style.
The performances lasting for31 days are marked by detailed dialogues and
impressive enactments. Hundreds of sadhus called Ramayanis come to
Ramnagar to watch and recite the epic. Permanent structures are built and
spaces designated to represent the main locales of the story i.e. Ashok
Vatika, Janakpuri, Panchvati, Lanka etc. transforming the whole township
into a vast Ramlila ground. The audience move along with the performers
with every episode to Hie next locale. To maintain the austere character
of the Ramlila, electric lights, mikes and loudspeakers are not used,
though the average audience is rarely less than ten thousand.
Allahabad Dussehra
Allahabad Dussehra is marked with the unique
procession of beautifully decorated "chowkis" accompanied by Ramdals every
evening, that are taken out from different Localities, from four days
preceding Dussehra.
Ayodhya
The place is popular for mandali Ramlilas. The
performance is dialogue - based and presented on a platform stage. High
standard of performance is complemented by songs and kathak dances and
eye- catching decor.
