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If you don't know about all Himachali Festivals then don't worry...
Read about these all festivals that are celebrated everyyear in
Himachal Pradesh.



FESTIVALS


The people in Himachal love festivals and participate in all the
local festivals and fairs with great enthusiasm. Most of the fairs
and festivals are connected with the various seasonal changes. There
are many folklores connected with the beginning of each festivals.
These fairs offer a clear glimpse into the lives, the beliefs and
the popular customs of the rural life in Himachal. Each district has
its own sequence of annual fairs which are connected with the
historical and sociological background of that area. Festivals have
an important place in the lives of the people in Himachal. On the
festival day the farmers do not work in the fields and rich and poor
alike celebrate these to the best of their financial abilities. If
there has been a death in the family on the day of the festival, the
festival is not celebrated by the other members, till a birth occurs
around the same time. The Sikh festivals are celebrated largely in
the cities. The tribal festivals have their own identity which is
totally different from the festival celebration elsewhere.


Pori festival

The Pori festival of the Lahaul valley is remarkable. It is
celebrated in the traditional way at the temple of Trilokinath. On
this day the statue of the lord is bathed with milk and yogurt and
then at about ten o' clock in the morning a crowd of people goes
around the temple beating drums and blowing conchshells and bugles.
A horse is also taken round the temple. It is believed that the god
sits on its back and this is why the horse is drenched in sweet
after the ritual. After the procession, the crowd along with the
horse goes to the palace of the local ruler where the horse is given
a grand welcome. The king then rides the horse and visits the fair
ground which is dotted all over with small shops. On this day a
butter lamp burns within the temple all day and all night long. The
devotees add more butter to it as they come and accept the ritual
Prasad of multi-coloured scraps of cloth with deep veneration.


Dussera

Dussera is celebrated all over Himachal. The Ramlila plays begins a
month prior to this and finish on the day of the festival. In the
evening an actor dressed as Lord Rama shoots arrows at effigies of
Ravana, his son Meghnad and his brother Kumbh Karna and sets them on
fire. After this, crackers are lit and sweets are
distributed.

The Kulu Dussera is the biggest draw among festivals. It is held in
October in Dhalpur maidan of Kulu. The beginning is marked by
Rathyatra, in which the chief deity 'Raghunathji' is carried in a
fully decorated wooden chariot. The yatra signifies the march of
Rama to conquer Ravana. The famous Nainadevi fair is held in August.
Some of the devotees cover the entire distance to the temple by
lying prostrate each time they take a step.


Fulaich

In the monsoon month of Bhadrapada comes the festival of flower-
watching (ukhyang) in the Kinnaur valley. This festival is also
known as Fulaich and it commemorates the dead. But it is not an
occasion to weep and wail. The fair opens with animal sacrifices and
soon the entire village collects on a hill top and looks for
the 'Ladra' flower. People serve rice wine and food to the dear
departed ones on a mound of bricks. These are later distributed to
the poor and the Harijans in the village. Afterwards the people of
the village reassemble at the house of the 'Dhangaspa' family and
garland all the family members of the clan. The villagers also
welcome the team that had gone up the hills to look for flowers.
Sacrifices are made into wood nymphs and at many places. Dancers
perform ritual dances with ancient weapons.



Holi

The festival of Holi comes in the full moon day in the month of
Falgun. Some women in the village offer special Puja during Holi.
Small twigs of the 'Kamal' tree are painted in red and yellow and
then laid out in little bamboo baskets (khartoo) along with thread,
kumkum, jaggery and roasted grams. The women carry this basket and
little pots of coloured water in their hands and go for the Puja.
This is first offered to an elderly man (Dandochh) and then the Holi
is played. The next day the entire village plays Holi. The day prior
to Holi, when the moon comes out, the Holi bonfire is built and set
to fire. There is a scramble during this among the younger men to
touch the Holi flag first. He who touch it first, is considered
lucky. Special Kadah Prasad (sweet gruel) is also cooked and
distributed.

The Holi melas at Palampur, Ghughar, Paprola, Baijnath, Jaisinghpur
and Sujanpur also have an attraction of their own. The Holi festival
of Sujanpur traces its colourful history back to the glorious days
of king Sansar Chand. This fair has been declared as a state
festival by the Himachal government. The fair lasts for five days
during which various processions of deities are taken out. Folk
dances and traditional folk theater forms are also presented. Clay
pots are also sold and the entire valley seems to reverberate with
the joyous sounds of the traditional Holi songs.



Chaitti

According to the vikrami calendar the new year begins in the month
of Chaitra. The first day of this month (Chaitra Sankranti) is
considered very important and is celebrated all over the state. Two
colourful festivals are celebrated during this month . One is
Navratri and the other is Ralli Puja. In some corner of the house
which faces east a plant is covered with soil and sown with barley
seeds, coconut, symbolising the goddess Bhagwati is also placed near
it. For nine days the ritual 'puja' is performed there and on the
tenth day (Dashami) the barley shoots are distributed all over the
village. These shoots are known as Riholi and they are said to
symbolise the goddess Durga Bhagwati.

In Ralli Puja, the young unmarried girls in the village make little
statues of the lord Shiva and his wife Parvati and place these on a
plank and offer prayers to it throughout the month of Chaitra. The
entire ritual is strange and beautiful. All the young unmarried
girls gather early in the morning in the house where Ralli is going
to be worshipped and afterwards they go to the local lake singing
songs. There they bathe and fill small metal pots with water and
come home and bathe the deities with this and offer them flowers. At
the end of the month a ritual wedding between Ralli and Lord Shiva
is enacted. On the Baisakhi day Ralli is brought out ceremoniously
in a palanquin and taken to a river bank. There she is immersed in
the water and as it is being done the girls cry and weep. On the day
of the wedding, people are invited for Bhat (ritual feast) and the
girls pray to the goddess to bless them with a husband as good as
her own.



Chaitraul

Chaitrual is a popular festival of the Sirmaur area. It is
celebrated in the month of Chaitra on a certain day in the bright
fortnight of the moon. On this day the walls in the house are
cleared, painted and decorated with figures of male animals and
crops symbolising plenty. It is also known as festival of pictures.
The Harijans are fed and the family deities are taken out into the
fields where the people cook a special delicacy known as Poltu.
Sometime people place the deity in the middle of the fields and cook
a special savoury gruel as offering. As they are driven back, the
wheels of the chariots of the gods are brushed with thorny twigs. At
some places clay pots are broken to chase away evil spirits.

Some other features of this festival are indicative of primitive
customs. One such custom is 'Khore'. It is said to symbolise the
compromise between the gods and the demons (the Aryans and the non-
Aryans). In this a man from a specific family dresses up in special
robes and puts on a demon mask (Khor). Cloth phallus is hung near
his neck and a cloth vagina (chhunchhuni) below his waist. The young
men in the village bring a phallus-shaped stick from their homes
known as Chaitral-Shid and tickle the 'khone' uttering obscene
remarks. This continues throughout the night obscene jokes are also
cracked with women. At the end of the night the khone returns to the
temple, having first gone around the village with drummers.



Basoa or Bishu

On the first day of the month of Baisakh the aboriginals and the
farming folk celebrate the Basoa festival. Three days before the
festival, people make little cakes with Kodra (a coarse grain) flour
and wrap them up in leaves. After three days the cakes ferment, then
on the morning of the festival day people invite the married
daughters and other relatives and break and eat these cakes with
honey and sweet water flavoured with jaggery. A ritual song is sung
on this occasion.

In Chamba some Jataras take place in memory of queen 'Sui'. Chamba
city is filled with the sounds of music and dancing on this
occasion. The sad songs about the queen Sui revive old memories in
the hearts of the people.

In Kinnaur this festival is known as Bishu. People cook a savoury
gruel known as Doon on this day and eat it together. In villages
which do not celebrate Chaitrual, Bishu marks the beginning of the
new year. On this day the gods are dressed up in special finery. The
brass masks of the gods are cleaned and polished. Every fourth year
a festival called Bala is celebrated. On this day old weapons
belonging to the deities are brought out and cleaned. The villagers
divide themselves into two teams and play-act a mock battle. The
winning team return to the village singing and rejoicing all the
way. In the village the deities are taken around in their
palanquins. It is believed that evil spirits and ghosts get into the
palanquin and increase the weight suddenly. Many dances are also
performed with ancient historical weapons.



Minjar

Among the monsoon festivals one of the most colourful ones is
Minjar. On this day people cook special sweet and savoury delicacies
and distribute them among friends and relatives. The women-folk all
decked up in their finery place these in platters with Minjar (the
ears of corn or flowers) and go singing to the banks of the river
and immerse them there. Most songs sung on this occasion express the
yearning of the married woman to go visit her father's house and her
sense of loss.



Rakhadumni (Rakhi)

On the full moon day in the monsoon month of Bhadrapad, Rakhadumni
festival is celebrated. The married sisters visit their father's
house on this day and tie the sacred rakhi around their brother's
wrists. They are received warmly and presented with gifts of money
and clothes. The family priests also go to the houses of their
patrons (yajman) and tie rakhi on their wrists, thus blessing them.
Women who do not have a brother tie rakhi unto other fellow
villagers and thus make a new brother. The rakhi threads remain on
the wrist for a whole month and when the Sairi festival comes at the
end of the month they are removed and offered to Mother Sairi.



Gugnaumi

It is a festival in honour of Googa, the lord of snakes. On this day
large feasts (Bhandara) are organized at all the temples of Googa
(Googmadhi) in which the food grains collected by the Guru (head
priest) are used. The farmers also come with offerings of food and
pray for their well being. Pictures of snakes are drawn on the walls
with turmeric and people feed snakes with milk and butter. Mentally
sick women dance at the temples on this day, in order to get rid of
their sickness. It is said that the spirit of Googa descends upon
them and suggests ways of curing the ailment. Googa Saloh and Shibo-
Da-than are two major temples where fairs take place.



Losar

This festival marks the beginning of the new year in the areas
bordering Tibet. On this day people light lamps in front of the
family deity Kimshu and meet all their friends. No one may come out
before midday. Early in the morning people sing Darshid songs. A
square lump known as Brang-Gyas is made out of mixed flour and
placed in a platter. The statues of deities and sweets are grouped
around this, along with figures of domestic animals. These must be
in odd numbers. It is considered auspicious to see this platter full
of statues and figures early in the morning.



Sairi

The first day of the month of Ashwin is celebrated as the festival
of Sairi. This is a winter festival which comes when the maize crop
is ready for harvesting. The nomadic Goddess of Bharmor (Gadderan)
celebrate this prior to migrating downwards into the valleys of
Chamba, Bhatiyat, Kangra and Mandi for the winters. They treat it as
a festival of farewells. At night they get drunk and dance and sing.

Sweet Bhaterus are cooked in each house and Pakodus (dumplings made
out of ground Urd Dhal) are also cooked and served. The young men
and women put Henna (seur) on their palms and the soles of their
feet. At night the village barber decorates a large yellow lemon
with kumkum and rice and arranges it in a basket with coconut and
flowers. This he carries around the village from door to door. Each
house-hold awaits the arrival of this basket and when it comes the
carrier along with the basket are received warmly and flowers,
sweets and money are placed in the basket as offering. This festival
symbolises the well being and prosperity of the entire community.
New brides visit their parents during this festival and those who
cannot come for some reason, sent gifts to the parents.


Diwali

Diwali is celebrated with great enthusiasm. The mud walls of the
houses are cleaned and painted over with white clay and cow-dung. In
the courtyards a red or black square is painted with coloured clay.
This is decorated with pictures of animals and birds. The walls are
hung over with flower garlands. People believe that Lakshmi who is
the goddess of wealth visit all the houses this day and settles down
in the house which is clean and pretty.

After sunset, clay lamps are lit on a plank in the memory of the
departed ancestors. Afterwards they are placed within the houses.
Sweets are distributed and the young one seek the blessings of the
elderly. Goats are sacrificed on this day. Women paint little
vessels (Auloo) with clay and decorate it with drawings in red
paint. They pray to these and exchange these with their best
friends.



Dyali

In some areas the Dyali festival is celebrated two months after
Diwali. At the evening the women light pine twigs and offer Puja to
it. They also throw walnuts to little boys who rush around from
courtyard to courtyard collecting them. Sweets are also cooked and
distributed.



Khogal

Khogal festival is celebrated in Lahaul in the month of January. The
Khogal night is lit up with clay lamps. Normally this festival falls
on a full moon day. All the male members of the village collect at
someone's house and get drunk on a local brew known as 'Chakti'.
Then they visit house after house, drinking all the while. This goes
on till midnight. At midnight the 'Chan' (the drummers) sit on
someone's rooftop and begin to play their drums and flutes. This is
a signal to begin the Khogal celebrations. As soon as the sound
comes, people run with lighted torches towards their houses with
screams. It is believed that the noise chases the evil spirit away.
In the end all the torches are placed together and as the flames
leap up people dance around the bonfire. After they return home, the
people offer Puja to their family deities including the local deity
Baraja.



Sajo

This is a festival in which the people bid farewell to the village
deities. In the villages the palanquins of the gods are laid open
and the doors of temples are closed. It is believed that this is the
period when the gods depart for the heavens for a short spell of
rest. Floors of the temples are cleaned and polished in the hope
that the gods will throw good things from the heaven upon them. This
festival comes in the spring month of Magh or Falgun. On this day
the many delicacies are cooked and eaten. This day the spirit of the
god may descend on his devotees. This is known as 'Deachar'
or 'Deokhel'. In some villages the village deity goes from house to
house to sniff incense. The priests who represents the deity is
welcomed into each house and presented with food grains and money.



Gotsi or Gochi

This is the most popular festival in the valley which is celebrated
in the month of February in the houses of those who have been
blessed with a son in the past year. People gather in those houses
and drink 'chhang' wine. On a large platter, some cakes made of
mixed flour are placed and carried to the deity by four men. This
place is marked by a tree or a shrub or a little mound. A young
unmarried girl dressed up in ceremonial robes accompanies the
platter and she carries a vessel of chhang wine in her hands. She is
followed by two men one carrying a lighted torch and the other a
bunch of pine branches bundled in sheepskin. The woman who has borne
her first son leads the procession of devotees which consists of
other mothers of sons. The sheepskin is suspended from the branches
of a tree and shot at with arrows. People drink chhang and beat
drums and dance. On their way home men and women throw snowballs at
each other.




Karwa Chauth

This is celebrated on the fourth day of the month of Kartika.
Married women eat a festive breakfast consisting of Jalebis, milk
and Fenis etc. This is known as Sargi. After this they observe a
fast till the fourth day's moon becomes visible in the skies. During
the fast they do not drink water. When the moon rises the women
offer Puja to it. They offer water to it sixteen times and pray for
a long life for their husband. A little painted clay pot (Auli) is
filled with rice and other things and offered to the mother-in-law.
Some unmarried girls observe a fast on this day so that they may get
a good husband.



Khepa

The word Khepa means the Siddha (Tantrik Guru) made of flour. It is
a festival of chasing the demons which is celebrated in the Kinnaur
region. On the day of the festival people bathe early in the morning
and then make a 'Laffi' with turnips. Some other delicacies are also
made with turnips and flour. On the roof tops a thorny shrub (cho or
Brek ling) is placed.

The other festival is known as Pulkhepa and is another form of Khepa
celebration. The head of a goat and special fried bread (Poltu) is
cooked and the ears of the goat are hung on the thorny shrub
(Brekling) along with Poltu and Sigre ( a turnip preparation, stuck
with thorns all over). For two days these are placed at cross roads
and sometimes put indoors. Various traditional delicacies are cooked
and eaten and distributed among neighbours and friends. At some
places the horns of a goat are burnt to chase away the evil spirits.



Magha Naun

This festival is celebrated at the end of the month of Magha. This
signifies the return of the gods to the earth after their brief stay
in the heavens. On this day all the villagers gather at their local
temple and through the priests the deity tells the devotees what he
has brought along from the heaven. People ask the priest a lot of
questions about the future and the welfare of their families and
crops. People rub butter upon the Lingam in the Shiva temples and if
the mice do not eat it up at night, it is taken to be a good omen
and supposed to herald a good harvest year.



Lohadi

At the end of the month of Pausha the Lohadi festival is celebrated
in every house. A month before this, the field workers go round from
house to house singing, Lohadi song known as 'Lohkadiyan'. The
people welcome the singers and give them gifts of food grains. On
Lohadi night the boys sing Harin (the deer) songs. A boy dresses up
as a deer and prances about as his companions sing songs. The
singing and dancing lasts the whole night. At night a bonfire is
built outside the house and fed with jaggery, sesame, rice and
radishes. Sweet and savoury delicacies known as Babru are cooked.
The next day (Makar Sankranti day) the girls sing songs of blessings
known as 'Rajde'. People bathe and eat a meal of Khichadi (rice and
pulses cooked together). The married daughters are also invited for
this ritual meal of Khichadi and some of it is kept aside in the
name of the forefathers. In some areas young girls wear garlands
made of dry fruits around their necks.



Faguli

This is the spring time (Falgun) festival of the tribals. In Kinnaur
this is connected with Basant Panchami. On this day people shoot
arrows at a portrait of Ravana drawn on a paper. The houses are
cleaned and the monsoon gods are welcomed by name. There are many
local stories about these ritual shooting of arrows at Ravana's
portrait. If an arrow hits home it is taken to be a sign of the
victory of gods over demons in the heaven. The blowing of
conchshells is forbidden because it might divert the attention of
the gods engaged in a brave battle against the demons up in the
heavens. Early in the morning, members of a certain family bring
wood called Suskar Horing. This is burnt in the evening in a cave.
The roof of the cave is covered with lard (foo) and barley is
roasted below on the fire. If grains of barley jump up and cling to
the roof of the cave, it is taken as a sign of good luck. At the
end of this the group of villagers goes back to their village led by
a man with Huri followed by the Lankawalla who is followed by the
Kittewalla carrying the 'Doo'. After three rounds of the temple,
people try to snatch the 'Doo' which they fed to their animals. In
some areas it is a festival of the Savani's and food is served to
them for seven days.