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FESTIVALS
FESTIVALS:- Fairs and festivals are very important part of Lahouli people. During these fairs and festivals they dress up themselves with their traditional dresses. They shed all their worries and enjoy festival and fairs by heart. There are many festivals and fairs celebrated in Lahoul but with passage of time some of them are now not in practice to a great extent like Dashen, yor etc. Among the festivals, the most important is FAGLI or Kunh of Patten valley. It is held on the last day of the amavasya, of the month of February. People start cleaning and dusting of their houses quite earlier for the preparation of celebrating Fagli. On the day of amavasya, they cook various special traditional dishes like marchu, manna etc. At night, they serve it with ghee and enjoys the occasion of 'kuyakh'. Next day early in the morning, they first worship their 'kulj devta' and other deities and then they start wishing each other by offering 'yora' and taking bless from the elders. They also go to their relatives with marchu to greet them. It is continued for seven days. HALDA is another important festival of Chandra and Bhaga valley. Halda is known as losar in Khoksar and Keylong . The date of halda is fixed by the lamas and it generally falls in the month of January. On this day, two or three persons from every house burn sticks of cedar and take them towards the west and pile these sticks at one place where a born fire is made. After this they disperse and go back to their houses. The following morning youngsters wish good luck to the elders. The festival goes on for two or three days during which time nobody visits other houses. If anybody happens to call on others, it is considered as bad omen. They come out to meet friends and relatives after the worship period and wish a happy new year to each other. GOCHI festival is celebrated in Chandra and Bhaga valley in the month of February. It is celebrated in that house where a son was born during the year. The villagers gather in that house in the morning and take chang or local wine. The women giving birth to first son in that year, dressed in her best, pay her homage to the village God with other villagers. A young girl dressed in her best clothes and decorated with all kinds of ornaments accompanies them. Labdagpa [the village priest] worship the God with a bow and an arrow. The villagers gather at a place and after making merry and taking delicious food and chang they disperse.
OTHER OCCASIONS:-
PORI is an important fair celebrated in pattan valley at Triloknath temple. This fair is held generally in the month of August. People from all over Lahoul come to see this fair. They are very excited and eager to visit this fair. After a long days of working hard in their fields ,they feel relax while watching this fair as it is celebrated in Triloknath temple, which is equally important for both Hindus and Buddhists. People from various regions come to this fair to perform their cultural programmes. It is also providing a big platform for local artists. People wear new clothes and dressed in their best one enjoys the fair and purchase things of their interest. It is said that Lord Trilokinath rides a horse which takes him round the temple but it is not seen, as the horse perspires in cold. This very horse is taken to Thakurs house who is in turn rides this horse and comes to the fair and sits at such a place where from he can see the entire fair and all the participants in the fair can also see him. This way the fair is celebrated for two days.
15 AUGUST is celebrated at Keylong, headquarter of Lahoul . In other parts of state we can see that it is celebrated for few hours by hoisting flag and march past but in Lahoul it is celebrated for two- three days as a tribal fair. People from all over Lahoul , outsiders from neighbouring districts and foreigners visit this fair. We can see real traditional and cultural glimpses of Lahoul in this fair. Cultural and Sports competition are also organised here. Artists from national level performs on this platform.
REPUBLIC day is also celebrated with great enthusiasm in Lahoul. It is organised in schools,
where the people from two three villages gather and celebrate it with children. Children performs
various cultural programmes and they are appreciated by the elderly persons of the area. As it celebrated in winters, when people are free from their agricultural activities so it is very much enjoyed by villagers.
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