A riot of colours spread across the streets of the city as the fourth edition of Jamshedpur Carnival got flagged off on Saturday. From rock music to Bhangra and from Chhau dance to garba, the people of the city got plunged into celebration.
The fourth edition of Jamshedpur Carnival kicked off on Monday with various social organisations, and corporates participating in the carnival parade that kicked off from the Jubilee Park.
The carnival parade was headed by the legendary figure of King Momo, which is the titular head of a carnival parade.
This visit by King Momo makes Jamshedpur a very special town indeed, since it is possibly the only place outside of Goa, where this Latin American tradition comes alive.
The tradition of King Momo comes to us from cities like Rio de Janiero which are famous for hosting the biggest and most spectacular carnival celebrations in the world.
Every major carnival has a King Momo, who is often given the symbolic key to the city. Typically, a tall and rotund man with a smiling joyful face and a prominent belly, King Momo is like a tropical Santa Claus who serves as the harbinger of carnival festivities, much in the way Santa brings in Christmas.