On the journey to the mystical festivals of India

We all love Festivals, attending them and even organising them. But some of the communities don’t just go with the normal norms of Festivals. They love celebrating festivals for a cause, with a motive and that is why you should explore these festivals to know what different cultures exist among us.

Hemis Festival: Ladakh

A festival dedicated to the Lord Padmasambhava also known as Guru Rinpoche is celebrated in Ladakh at the Hemis Monastery by performing dance. It is believed that Guru Rinpoche had been born on the 10th day of the 5th month of the Monkey year which was predicted by the Buddha Shakyamuni. This event takes place once in 12 years to follow the steps of the Lord. 

You can hear the beating of drums when the morning ritual “Gompa” starts. The spiritual wail of pipes and portrait of Padmakarpo is put on display for people to worship. 

But it is notable for its beautiful Mystic Mask Dancers. These performances are known as “Sham” performances and are part of the Tantric Tradition which is performed only by Gompas. They worship the Lord in their own way and its the highlight of the festival.

Jagra Festival: Himachal Pradesh

This is one of the local festivities and celebrations for it take place in different parts of Himachal Pradesh. Celebrations take place in the month of September this event has many rituals. like Fasting after that praying to the village deity. Many places you can also see folk dances and bonfires along with music as a part of the festival.

Pooram: Kerala

Pooram is the temple festivals and it represents the hearts and souls of Kerala. In this event, you can come across such festivities like Elephants on the street and the approving crowd decked up beautifully for the individual rituals. Every temple has its own individual ritual to follow and you can experience all that in these beautiful small festivals.

Phulech and Fair: Kinnaur

The organization of this fair takes place in the month of Bhadrapada and it witnesses a sprout of monsoons. It is certainly for the flower viewing of Ukhyang in the Kinnaur Valley.

Phulech festival whereas is doe as an act of remembering the ones that have passed away. You can experience the village being decked up with colors, also for the people who love food, you would get good authentic himachali food during the fair and festival.

Jidjed: Kaza

This festival takes place in the Thang Yug Gompa which is an ancient monastery located 13 kms from Kaza in Himachal Pradesh. The main objective of this festival is to protect people from diseases, epidemics and to bring happiness, health and prosperity.

If you want to attend this festival you would need to visit in the month of October.

These were some of the Unexplored and Mystical Festivals of India through our eyes. Which ones do you think you would explore next?

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