Postcard from Taxila - Orange Festival

Australian Photographer in Pakistan

Instagram @gaynor.shaw.photography

Every year in late February an orange festival is held in Taxila, Punjab.  February is at the end of the orange season and a festival seems like a great way to celebrate a wonderful harvest.  It was my first time at an orange festival and so apart from lots of oranges I didn’t know what to expect.  I should have known that oranges would play a role but that music, entertainment and food would be key. 

The festival started with horse dancing, a traditional way of celebrating success.  A double headed drum, a dhol, plays the main beat as the horse dances.  Another traditional form of entertainment is stone lifting, known locally as ‘watee’ or ‘gutti’ lifting.  The stones are made of solid granite, 80kg, 100kg and 120kg each. The stone is lifted in one fluid motion onto their shoulders and thrown behind them.  The program also included the less traditional entertainment of orange squeezing and musical chairs for adults. 

Taxila is a UNESCO world heritage site and is an area rich in tradition, culture and history. The orange festival was a great introduction to some unusual Pakistani traditions.