A Village Fair in Bangladesh

A village fair is an annual affair in rural Bangladesh. It is generally held on the occasion of some religious festivals or some local important events. It is an occasion for show, sale of various goods and entertainments. Some fairs last for a day or two and some for days together. Men, women and children eagerly wait for the day. Where held: A village fair generally sits on the bank of a river, or a big canal or tank. Some fair also sits in an open field under a big ancient tree or in the market place, or in the yard of a temple or by the side of a big road. Preparation: Preparation begins before the fair. First the ground is cleared and the whole area is fenced. Then rows of sheds made of bamboo and thatched roots are built. In between the rows there is wide space for the people to move about. The stalls are arranged accordingly to the articles sold. Things bought and sold: A village fair serves as a sort of exhibition of village products. Things of many kinds and tastes are brought here for show and sale. Potters, carpenters blacksmiths, and weavers sell their hand made goods. Potters make various types of earthen pots, dolls and some fashionable goods and sell them at a high price. Carpenters sell horses, elephants, boats, carriages made of wood and many other beautiful things painted in an attractive way. Blacksmiths come with their things and sell them in the fair. Weavers come with their best fine cloths and sarees. Generally children gather around the stalls that sell sweets, toys and balloons and women are attracted mainly by those stalls that sell artificial Jewellery, earthenware, brassware, iron ware sarees etc. Special attraction: A village fair is an occasion of great joy and excitement among the villagers. Circus, magic shows, merry go rounds mock fights, jarigan, jatra etc. are arranged in the fair. Circus parties often bring their trained small tigers, elephants, monkeys, horses, and bears to show funny feats. However the largest crowd gathers in the jatra pandal. Demerits: The village fair has demerits top. Gambling parties come here and entice innocent people to take part in gambling. Cheats pick-pockets, criminals and village mastans come to the fair and commit various kinds of evil deeds. Sometimes children are lost and this causes great anxiety for the parents. A village fair also creates in sanitary conditions. Sweet stalls are open. There is no shed over them. Flies sit on the sweet and dust falls on them. People buy these sweets and eat them. As a result there is every chance of the Out break of cholera and dysentery. A village fair is very useful and important. It removes the monotony of life and brings joys to the villagers. It helps a man to forget his sorrows and sufferings for the time being. People meet their kith and kin and mix with a variety of people. It enables the village people to show and sell their hand made things. It is of great importance to all.