My journey started in January as I made my way to experience the Sazo festival in Kinnaur Valley. As the festivals here are throughout the year, it's not possible to experience all of them in a year. It took me two to three years to learn about and witness all these festivals. Lohri, a mid-winter festival celebrated in North India, a day before Makar Sankranti is majorly popular in other parts of the country such as Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, and Jammu. Two years before in January, I went to Himachal Pradesh so that I could witness the celebrations. I heard from the local folks that this festival, celebrated by the Sikhs and Hindus. is associated with the harvest of Rabi, a winter crop. They celebrated the harvest festival with great enthusiasm. As I planned my tour of Himachal Pradesh, I explored the state’s sightseeing spots and important festivals. This festival of Kinnaur fascinated me when read about It. The local people believed that the Gods and Goddesses visited heaven for a short period. Devotees bid farewell amid these celebrations.
Halda is another festival celebrated in the Lahaul district of Himachal Pradesh. Let’s go there and experience the Halda festival. Curious about this festival, I decided to go there and spoke to a local person. The explanation he gave was quite interesting. The information I got about Halda is that it’s a local festival among the Lamas of Himachal Pradesh. They worship the God of wealth – Shashikar Apa on this particular day. This festival marked as their New Year is celebrated with great fervour. Have you ever dreamt of leaving your bed on a chilly day without having a cup of hot coffee? Then let’s go to Manali to witness the winter carnival. This festival which is held in January started in 1977, invites tourists both from India and abroad. Earlier it was just about playing in the snow like skiing, but now it includes performances, food festivals, street play, adventure sports, and much more.
Now let’s move on to celebrate Basant Panchami which is held in February that marks the arrival of spring. This festival is dedicated to Goddess Saraswathi. Legend says that Brahma, after creating the universe and the living beings, was not satisfied by the creation. There was something missing in the world. He asked Vishnu for help. Vishnu summoned Goddess Durga who created a beautiful woman with veena and a book and they named her Saraswathi. She gave sound and knowledge to the universe. Thus, this day is celebrated as Goddess Saraswathi’s birthday. Losar is another festival celebrated by the tribals of McLeod Ganj, Shimla and Spiti Valley who follow Buddhism in Himachal Pradesh. Losar meaning New Year, a Tibetan-Buddhist festival marks the New Year. The festival is celebrated in a span of three days. As we move to Mandi town, the annual international, Mandi Shivarathri fair is celebrated. The fair is held on the Krishna Paksha as per the Hindu calender. As more than two hundred Gods and Goddesses assemble here for this fair, Mandi town is also known as “The Varanasi of the Hills”. The Phulaich Festival, the festival of flowers held in Kinnaur is celebrated during the monsoon season, on the 16th day of the Hindu month of Bhadrapada. This is celebrated in remembrance of the deceased.
The next on our list is the state festival of Himachal Pradesh. Do you know which festival it is? Yes, you guessed it, right; it’s the spring festival. The spring festival, or the Vasantotsav (Pipal Jatra) is also known as Rai-ri-Jach. It is held at the Dhalpur Ground of Kullu. The three-day festival is celebrated from April 28th to 30th every year. The festival which marks the beginning of the spring season is the Doongri festival held at Manali. It is held at the Hadimba Temple to observe the birthday of Hadimba Devi (wife of Bhima). This occurs on the auspicious day of Basant Panchami. The festival which lasts for three days, is an important occasion in the lives of the people here. As we all know, festivals are a mix of traditions, rituals and faith. The next festival which is celebrated in October with great enthusiasm and excitement is Kullu-Dusshera. As the name indicates, this festival is celebrated in the Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh. Unlike the Dusshera celebrations, in the other parts of the country, this week-long celebration is held at Dhalpur Maidan in Kullu Valley.
