mela

American  

[mey-lah] / ˈmeɪ lɑ /

noun

1. a religious fair, especially one held in connection with a festival.

2. a throng of people.

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mela British  

/ ˈmiːlə, ˈmɛlə /

noun

1. an Asian cultural or religious fair or festival

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Etymology

Origin of mela

1790–1800; < Hindi < Sanskrit melā assembly, company

Example Sentences

At least 400 million devotees attend the Maha Kumbh Mela, the six-week ritual bathing spectacle.

From The Wall Street Journal

In January, at least 30 people were killed in an early morning crush at the Kumbh Mela, a Hindu mega-festival in the northern city of Prayagraj.

From Barron's

He was one of the founding directors and is vice chairman of the multi-cultural festival Edinburgh Mela.

From BBC

A BBC Hindi investigation reveals that Indian officials quietly paid compensation to the families of more people than they admit died in a deadly crowd crush at the Kumbh Mela, a Hindu festival which is the world's largest religious gathering.

From BBC

In contrast, the cases that received 500,000 rupees mostly mention "Sector-20 or Sector-21, Kumbh Mela area, Jhusi".

From BBC