Mela () is a

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

word meaning "gathering" or "to meet" or a "

fair A fair (archaic: faire or fayre) is a gathering of people for a variety of entertainment or commercial activities. Fairs are typically temporary with scheduled times lasting from an afternoon to several weeks. Fairs showcase a wide range of go ...

". It is used in the

Indian subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a physiographic region of Asia below the Himalayas which projects into the Indian Ocean between the Bay of Bengal to the east and the Arabian Sea to the west. It is now divided between Bangladesh, India, and Pakista ...

for all sizes of gatherings and can be religious, commercial, cultural or sport-related. In rural traditions melas or village fairs were (and in some cases still are) of great importance. This led to their export around the world by South Asian diaspora communities wishing to bring something of that tradition to their new countries. In recent times "mela" also popularly refers to shows and exhibitions. It can be theme-based, promoting a particular culture, art or skill. Generally at "melas" people can find eateries, entertainment activities, shops and games. The

Kumbh Mela Kumbh Mela (, ; ) is an important Hinduism, Hindu pilgrimage, celebrated approximately every 6 or 12 years, correlated with the partial or full orbital period, revolution of Jupiter. It is the largest peaceful gathering of people in the w ...

, held every twelve years, at

Prayagraj Prayagraj (, ; ISO 15919, ISO: ), formerly and colloquially known as Allahabad, is a metropolis in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.The other five cities were: Agra, Kanpur, Kanpur (Cawnpore), Lucknow, Meerut, and Varanasi, Varanasi (Benar ...

Haridwar Haridwar (; ; formerly Mayapuri) is a city and municipal corporation in the Haridwar district of Uttarakhand, India. With a population of 228,832 in 2011, it is the second-largest city in the state and the largest in the district. The city is s ...

, Nashik and

Ujjain Ujjain (, , old name Avantika, ) or Ujjayinī is a city in Ujjain district of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It is the fifth-largest city in Madhya Pradesh by population and is the administrative as well as religious centre of Ujjain ...

is one of the largest fairs in

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

, where over 50 million people gathered in January 2001, making it the largest gathering anywhere in the world.

Notable Melas in South Asia

India

* Gangasagar Mela at

Sagar Island Sagar Island is an island in the Ganges delta, lying on the Continental Shelf, continental shelf of Bay of Bengal about 100 km (54 nautical miles) south of Kolkata. This island forms the Sagar (community development block), Sagar CD Block ...

* Gita Mahotsav * Haridwar Kumbh Mela * Jhiri Mela * Kapal Mochan Mela, Haryana *

* Mela Maghi at Muktsar * Minjar Mela * Perfect Health Mela * Nashik-Trimbakeshwar Simhastha * Prayagraj Kumbh Mela * Pushkar Fair * Pushkaram – the river festivals of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. * Ratha-Yatra Mela * Sonepur Cattle Fair * Shaheedi Jor Mela * Ujjain Simhastha

Bangladesh

* Banijya Mela * Ekushey Boi Mela *

Boishakhi Mela The Boishakhi Mela () is a Bengali culture, Bengali celebration (mela) which takes place outside of Bangladesh. It is celebrated by the Bangladeshi diaspora in the United Kingdom, United States, Canada as well as many other countries with sig ...

* Muharram Mela * Lalon Mela * Maizbhandari Mela

Pakistan

* Mela Chiraghan * Lok Mela

Usage outside South Asia

In modern usage outside

South Asia South Asia is the southern Subregion#Asia, subregion of Asia that is defined in both geographical and Ethnicity, ethnic-Culture, cultural terms. South Asia, with a population of 2.04 billion, contains a quarter (25%) of the world's populatio ...

it has become a term that shows widespread diversity of interpretation, just as has been the case in South Asia. One can find a

Nepal Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...

ese mela in the US, or a Bengali mela in London, such as the

. The Boishakhi Mela is the largest open-air Asian festival in Europe and the largest Bengali festival outside of

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

. After the

Notting Hill Carnival The Notting Hill Carnival is an annual Caribbean Carnival event that has taken place in London since 1966

, it is the second-largest street festival in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, attracting over 80,000 visitors from across the country. Many melas are wider intercultural (though mainly Asian) festivals incorporating music, dance, food and other aspects of mainstream culture. Since the 1980s an increasing number of melas have regularly been held in larger towns outside south Asia, especially in the UK and North America. The larger melas tend to be those with larger ethnic minority populations, but many melas are held in communities with small South Asian diasporas. Community ownership of these melas is important to the South Asian communities, who see them as opportunities to share their cultural heritage with the mainstream. They are opportunities for bridge-building and community-building and can perform a strong socially cohesive function. More successful outside-of-Asia melas tend to have a strongly diversified funding base with private/public/third sector collaboration. Public money is often spent on the melas. This reflects the mela organisers' and public authorities' joint conviction that, as in the sub-continent, melas are for everyone.

Notable Melas outside the Asian subcontinent

* Milan The Hague (The Netherlands) * Oslo Mela Festival (Norway) * Belfast Mela (UK) * Birmingham Mela (UK) *

(UK) * Bradford Mela (UK) * Cardiff Mela (UK) * Edinburgh Mela (UK) * Glasgow Mela (UK) * London Mela (UK) * Manchester Mega Mela (UK) * Middlesbrough Mela (UK) * Newcastle Mela (UK) * Nottingham Mela (UK) * Preston Mela (UK) * Southampton Mela (UK) * Brooklyn Mela, Coney Island Ave, New York (US) * Punjabi Mela, Centreville, VA (US)

References

External links

Mela festival: Thousands turn out for Belfast festival

BBC list of UK Melas in 2010

Makar Mela Panauti, Nepal
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mela Sanskrit words and phrases Hindu festivals Festivals in India Culture of India Fairs in India Fairs in Pakistan Religious festivals in India ml:മേള (ചലച്ചിത്രം)