Folk Culture, Fairs & Festivals — PPSC previous year questions

Rakhri (Raksha Bandhan) is celebrated on the full moon of Sawan, which falls near August. Holi falls in Phagan, Lohri and Maghi in Magh, and the new-year festivals in Chet.

Luddi is a male folk dance of Punjab, performed to celebrate a victory with swaying movements and one hand behind the back. Sammi (Sandal Bar), Giddha and Kikli (girls whirling in pairs holding hands) are all performed by women.

In Lahore, on the day of Basant Panchami, the Basant fair used to be held at the shared samadh of the Sufi poet Shah Hussain and his disciple Madho Lal — famous by the name Madho Lal Hussain — and people used to fly kites there; in the time of Maharaja Ranjit Singh this fair was held under royal patronage. The Mela Chiraghan is also held at this same samadh. Bulleh Shah's mazar is at Kasur and Hashim Shah's is at Jagdev Kalan (Amritsar).

Lohri is celebrated on the last night of Poh, the day before Maghi and usually 13 January. The next day, the sangrand of Magh, is Maghi — which is what makes the option 'Magh' tempting, but Lohri itself falls in Poh.

Ahoi Ashtami is kept by mothers for the long life of their sons on the eighth day of the dark half of Katak, four days after Karva Chauth. A figure of Ahoi Mata is drawn on the wall and worshipped; Ahoi Mata is a form of Kali Mata. Sheetla Mata is worshipped at Sheetla Saptami, when stale food is eaten, and Ganpati at Ganesh Chaturthi.

In Punjabi folk culture the trinjan is the gathering where the young women of a village sit together and spin at the charkha, singing folk songs as they work. The charkha, the trinjan and the sath (the village men's meeting place) are central emblems of Punjabi village life.

The Chhapar fair (Ludhiana district) is held at the mari of Gugga Pir, the snake deity, on the Chananni Chaudas of Bhadon (Anant Chaudas); devotees lift earth from the mari seven times in fulfilment of a vow. It is among the largest folk fairs of the Malwa. It has no connection with Durga, Saraswati or Lakshmi.

The Shraadhs, the rites performed in memory of the ancestors, fall in the dark half of Assu — from the full moon of Bhadon to the amavas of Assu — and the Naratre begin the following day. So the folk phrase 'Assu de shraadh'. Teeyan falls in Sawan and Diwali in Katak.

Bahar vadhauna is a childbirth rite (the mother and newborn are taken out of the house for the first time), surma puai is a marriage rite (the groom has kohl applied by his bhabhi or sister-in-law), and dastarbandi is a death rite (the turban is tied on the eldest son after the father's death). That fixes B-I, C-III and D-II, and jatheriaan di puja takes the remaining head, garbh sanskar (IV). Only one option carries this pairing.

The Maghi fair is held on the sangrand of Magh (the first of Magh, about 13–14 January) at Sri Muktsar Sahib in memory of the Forty Liberated Ones; it is Punjab's well-known sangrand fair. The Chhapar fair falls on the Chananni Chaudas of Bhadon, Hola Mohalla on the day after Holi (Chet vadi ekam) and the Roshni fair of Jagraon on 14–16 Phagan — none of them tied to a sangrand.