Halda festival begins in Gahar valley

Tribune News Service

Mandi, January 9

The Halda festival celebrations began at the Gahar valley in tribal district of Lahaul Spiti yesterday. It will continue till January 14.

During the celebrations, villagers congregate at one place to perform puja of local deities to make them happy and offer local dishes to the guests.

Gyalchhan, a resident of the Gahar valley, told The Tribune here today that this festival is generally celebrated in January every year to please local deities and seeking their blessings for better crops in the coming season as well as to keep evil souls out of the villages.

“To celebrate the event, pencil cedar branches are cut into strips and are tied together into bundles to make a torch called Halda and the number of torch is equal to the male members of each family. Halda is lit inside the house before going outside. All villagers gather at a specific place to perform the rituals,” he remarked.

According to local residents, it is considered the beginning of the New Year for crops in the Lahaul valley, which remain covered with snow for months.

“This festival is celebrated at Pattan, Chandra and Gahar valley in Lahaul Spiti in the second and third week of January every year,” said Ravinder Kumar, a native of Pattan valley in the district.

“The date of festival is fixed by a Lama here while in the Pattan valley, it is celebrated on Magh Poornima (full moon). When the ceremony is over, the villagers return to their houses. The Haldas are prepared and lit in the same manner and collected at one place where they burn to ashes,” said Sanjiv Kumar, a resident of the Gahar valley.

Special local dishes “manna” and “siddu” are prepared and offered with ghee to local deities.

Despite bone-chilling cold in the district where temperatures are hovering below freezing point these days, the residents of the Gahar valley are enthusiastic about celebrating the festival.