Brij Festival is a well known festival celebrated in the Indian state of Rajasthan. More specifically, this festival is celebrated in the Brij region in Bharatpur district. It is thus named after the region where it is celebrated. This festival is also known as the Brij Mahotsava. It can be defined as a colorful festival of Rajasthan and is celebrated for three days in Shukla paksha of Phalgun, a few days ahead of Holi. It is considered to be one of the most popular festivals of Rajasthan and is known to be celebrated with a lot of enthusiasm by the local people as well as tourists from all over the world. Tourists take part in this festival, enjoying and witnessing the festivity. This festival is celebrated in the honor of Lord Krishna.
Celebration of Brij Festival
Before the celebrations start, devotees congregate at the temple of Shri Radha Krishnaji in the morning, after taking bath in the holy waters of Banganga River</b>. It is believed that the holy water has the power to purify souls. The devotees then visit the temples of Hanuman, Ganga Bihari, Lord Shiva and matha of Goswamiji.
Raslila Dance is a well known feature of the Brij Festival. This dance is a means of conveying the eternal love story of Radha Krishan. The villagers perform the love ballad called the Raslila. For this purpose, they dress themselves in multicolored attires. The dance is often a part of the cultural music and stories. The Pabu Bhopas or Nayaks have female accompanists. Together they recite the phad, also known as a painted ballad. The folk songs have mesmerizing rhythm. The folk opera performed by professionals and amateurs is known to have been popularized by the Brij festival. Holi continues with the Brij Festival. Bharatpur comes alive and is painted in bright colours. Everyone plays with colours and paint each other. The beauty of dashes of colours in to the air is something to look at, during the celebration of the festival. It is important to note that there is no discrimination with regards to age, gender, economic status of the individuals to participate in the Brij Festival.
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