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Barber and beard culture, India

Pushkar and Rajasthan

Rajasthan's moustache culture, celebrated each autumn in the moustache contest at the Pushkar Fair.

In Rajasthan a full, curled moustache, or moonchh, is a long-standing mark of pride, linked in folk tradition with honour and Rajput courage. The Pushkar Fair, held each October or November at the holy lake town of Pushkar near Ajmer, includes a moustache competition that draws men who have grown and trained their moustaches for decades. The Desert Festival in Jaisalmer also holds a moustache contest.

The moustache contest

The Pushkar Fair is one of the world's largest camel and livestock fairs, held around the full moon of the Hindu month of Kartik. Alongside camel races and the bridal contest, the moustache competition is among its most photographed events. In 2018 the winner said he had grown his moustache for 29 years, with each side reaching about 2.6 metres. Judges look at grooming and shape as well as length.

Care and meaning

Long Rajasthani moustaches are washed, oiled, combed and waxed, and very long ones are rolled or tucked behind the ears. Phrases about the moustache run through Hindi and Rajasthani, where keeping one's moustache high means keeping one's honour. Rajasthani women's adornment is equally rich: the large bridal nath, the borla on the forehead and the bindi are worn at fairs and weddings.

Guides of Pushkar and Rajasthan

Handlebar moustacheCurled moustaches compete at the Pushkar FairMoustacheA mark of pride in Rajasthani traditionNose jewelleryRajasthani brides wear a large nath

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

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