Tribals in Lahaul celebrate Halda festival with fervour

• To carry on the legacy of an age-old custom, the people of the tribal areas of Lahaul-Spiti are celebrating the Halda festival with traditional fervour. The event started on January 15 and will continue till Monday.
• It is also called the festival of lights as residents light up twigs to keep evil souls away from the village.
• The festival is celebrated in Tinnan, Chandra and Gahar valleys of Lahaul-Spiti in January or February every year, depending on the dates specified by Lamas. It marks the beginning of a new year for the crops in the valley, which remain under cover for six months due to heavy snowfall.
• As part of the celebrations, pencil cedar branches are cut into strips and tied together into bundles to make a torch, known as halda. The number of torches is equal to the number of male members in each family. Halda is lit inside the house after which the family moves out, where all villagers gather at a specific place to perform the rituals.
• “The festival is dedicated to ‘Shashikar Apa’, goddess of wealth in the Lamaistic Pantheon. The date of the actual celebration is decided by ‘pujaris’ and a Lama. They choose the site where members from every household collect lit cedar twigs to form a bonfire,” he stated.
• The festival was celebrated to appease the local deities, seeking better crops in the coming season as well as to expel evil souls out of the villages.
•  The bonfire, which consisted of a few branches from every family, signified the unity of the community. After being lit, it was dispersed to the bonfires at homes and community areas as good luck, happiness and hope.
• “The festival teaches us to live happily and stay in touch with our land, ancestors and cattle. Special local dishes, such as ‘manna’ and ‘siddu, are offered with ghee to local deities,”.

The residents of Lahaul remain cut off from the rest of world for six months during winter season because of the closure of the 13,050-feet-high Rohtang pass, the gateway to Lahaul. To deal with the bone-chilling cold during this period, a majority of festivals are celebrated during which people make merry, drink and sing to spend quality time with family and neighbours.

About Halda :

This festival is celebrated by the Lamas in January. Halda is a festival of lights celebrated in Magha Poornima. On this auspicious occasion, twigs and branches of Juniper tree are tied together and used as a torch. In the evening, every household lights this torch and the people gather at a common location in the village. A special ceremony is performed and offerings are made to local deities for prosperity and wellbeing of all the villagers.

Some of the major attractions of the Halda Festival are family gatherings, dancing and heady cocktails. The festival is considered to be an occasion of private celebration and spending time with the family. It is more popular in the valleys along Rivers Chandra and Bhaga. The bonfire, which consists of few branches from every family, signifies the unity of the community. After being lit, it is dispersed to the bonfires at homes and community areas as good luck, happiness and hope.