Halda fest celebrations begin in Lahaul-Spiti

Mandi, January 23

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The Halda festival celebrations began in the Gahar and Tinan valleys of Lahaul and Spiti district today. The festivities would continue in different valleys till the first week of February but in the Patan valley, the celebrations would conclude on January 25.

To celebrate the festival, villagers cut thin cedar branches into pieces and tie them into bundles to make a torch called ‘halda’. The torch is lit at a house where villagers gather to perform various rituals, besides singing and dancing.

Lahaul resident Anil Sehgal said, “The festival begins in the second or third week of January every year. Today, it is being celebrated in the Gahar and Tinan valleys. In the coming days, it will be celebrated in the Patan and Chandra valleys. A lama in the Gahar valley fixes the date of the Halda festival, which is celebrated in the Pattan valley on Magh Purnima. The aim of the festival is to appease local deities, seek better crop yield and ward off evil spirits.”

Mohan Lal Relingpa, another resident, said, “The Halda festival is similar to Diwali and starts on a full moon day. It is dedicated to Shishkar Apa, who is believed to be the goddess of wealth in the Lamaistic pantheon.”