Festival Himachal Pradesh

A plethora of rich culture, warm hospitable people and a stunning landscape all combine to color Himachal Pradesh with a variety of fairs, festivals and events.

Some of these have come down hand in hand with age-old tradition while some others have developed with the adventure sports in recent times. Statistics reveal that more than 2000 festivals and events are held each year in Himachal Pradesh and the number is constantly increasing. The fairs and festivals are a riot of colors against the picturesque landscape.

The simple Himachali people like to celebrate each and every moment of life. In remote places when winter brings life to a standstill, the fairs, festivals and events brings the fun and frolic. Thus, these festivals and events are inseparable parts of Himachal Pradesh society.

The festivals and events in Himachal Pradesh reflect the culture and traditions of Himachal Pradesh. They are the venues for singing and dancing, buying and selling, and, meeting and greeting for the simple Himachali people.

Some events are of religious importance while others have commercial significance. They serve as healthy recreation, amusement and even as marketing place.

These festivals and events of Himachal Pradesh are rich in culture, tradition and heritage. They bring forth the religion, rituals, belief and are abound in folk songs, dance forms and other lucid expressions of the people of Himachal Pradesh.

Nature has endowed Himachal Pradesh with immense natural beauty with magnificent mountains, gorgeous rivers and deep gorges all of which are viable for adventure sports. Such exciting activties are immensely popular in Himachal Pradesh and has given rise to many events and carnivals centering around them.

Baisakhi :

This fair is held at various places in the state. People carry village deity with music procession from one place to another. In upper hills, people perform 'Mala Dance' by joining hands to form a large circle. During day time, some games like archery and wrestling are also played.

Minjar Fair ( Chamba ) :

This festival is held in the month of August on second Sunday. It continues for a week. Minjar ( maize flowers) festival is celebrated in district Chamba at a place 'Chowgan' in Chamba town.Maize flowers, a coconut, a rupee or a smaller coin, a fruit and a few paddy tentacles are offered to Varuna, the god of rain. It is a state fair. It is difficult to say, when the fair first started, but the present form of the fair is attributed to Raja Sahil Verman, who ruled the state in the 10th century A.D.

Naina Devi Fair :

This fair is held in the month of August, at Naina Devi Temple, in district Blaspur, which is 8 km. from the Gangul Power House. This is the most delightful fair in district Bilaspur.

Kullu Dushehra :

Kullu Dushehra mirrors Himachal culture in its entirely.. It clearly shows the lefestyle, love of dance and music of the people in this region. To see the colorful Himachal at one place, Kullu Dushehra is the right place. Although Dushehra is celebrated all over the country, but in Kullu, it has its own distinctive glamour. This is a state fair.People from Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh throng to enjoy Kullu Dushehra.