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.
