संस्कृति

Culture

The festivals that mark the seasons, the drums that mark every rite of life, the food of the terraces, and the gods who live in the next village.

Ramman, religious festival and ritual theatre of the Garhwal Himalayas, India — © Arvind Mudgil · CC BY-SA 3.0 igo

Festivals & fairs

Many Pahadi festivals fall on a sankranti — the day the sun enters a new zodiac sign — and are tied to the farming year.

Kumaon & Garhwal· Chaitra Sankranti (mid-March)

Phool Deiफूलदेई

Children go door to door at dawn scattering spring flowers — fyonli, buransh, aaru — on every threshold, singing 'Phool dei, chhamma dei'. Families bless them with rice, jaggery and coins. A festival of welcoming spring and the new year.

HARELA .. Local Festival of Indian state of Uttrakhand

Kumaon· Shravan Sankranti (mid-July)

Harelaहरेला

Ten days before, seven kinds of grain are sown in small baskets at home. On Harela the green shoots are cut and placed on the heads of family members with blessings: 'Jee rayaa, jaagi rayaa…'. Today it is also the state's tree-planting festival.

Kumaon· Makar Sankranti (mid-January)

Ghughutiya / Uttarayaniघुघुतिया / उत्तरायणी

Sweet fried dough 'ghughute' are strung into necklaces for children, who call out to crows the next morning: 'Kale kale, ghughuti mala khale'. The great Uttarayani fair is held at Bageshwar.

Garhwal· 11 days after Diwali

Egaas Bagwalइगास बग्वाल

Garhwal's own Diwali. Villagers play 'bhailo' — whirling bundles of burning pine wood (chheela) on ropes — dance around bonfires and feed cattle special meals. Folk memory links it to the late return of the warrior Madho Singh Bhandari from Tibet.

Kumaon & Garhwal· Bhadrapad Sankranti (mid-August)

Ghee Sankranti (Olgia)घी संक्रांति

A harvest festival when ghee is eaten with bedu roti and 'olag' (gifts) were once offered to rulers and elders. A saying warns that whoever skips ghee today will be reborn as a snail!

Kumaon· Ashwin Sankranti (mid-September)

Khataruaखतड़ुवा

Marking the start of winter: children build bonfires on hilltops and drive out cold and illness from cattle sheds, singing as they wave burning torches.

Holi Festival Celebration Haldwani India 2025

Kumaon· Starts in Paush, peaks in Phalgun

Kumaoni Holiकुमाऊँनी होली

A months-long musical festival: Baithki Holi (classical-raga based songs sung sitting together), Khadi Holi (standing, dancing in circles with dhol and hurka), and Mahila Holi sung by women.

Nanda Badi Jat-Raj Jat 2026 at Bedni Bugyal.

Garhwal & Kumaon· Roughly once every 12 years

Nanda Devi Raj Jatनंदा देवी राज जात

A 280 km Himalayan pilgrimage from Nauti village to Homkund, escorting the goddess Nanda — the daughter of the hills — to her husband Shiva's home. A four-horned ram (chausingya khadu) leads the procession. Annual Nanda Devi melas are held at Almora and Nainital.

Lohaghat, Uttarakhand, India Himalayan Range November 2013

Kumaon (Champawat)· Raksha Bandhan (August)

Bagwal at Devidhuraबग्वाल, देवीधुरा

At the Barahi Devi temple, four clans traditionally hurled stones at each other as a ritual offering; today fruit and flowers are mostly used. Thousands come to watch.

Kumaon (Pithoragarh)· Bhadrapad (August–September)

Hilljatraहिलजात्रा

A masked agricultural festival of the Sor valley — farmers, oxen, deer and the spirit Lakhiya Bhoot are enacted in masks; Lakhiya Bhoot's blessing is believed to bring prosperity.

Garhwal (Chamoli)· April–May (Baisakh)

Rammanरम्माण

A religious festival and ritual theatre of Saloor-Dungra villages, with masked dances and recitations of local versions of the Ramayana. Inscribed by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2009.

Jaunsar-Bawar· April (Bissu), January (Maroj)

Bissu & Marojबिस्सू · माघ मरोज

Jaunsar's great festivals: Bissu celebrates spring with archery dances (Thoda) and flowers; Maroj is a month-long winter feast of hospitality and dance.

Kumaon (Pithoragarh)· November

Jauljibi Melaजौलजीबी मेला

Held at the confluence of the Kali and Gori rivers on the Nepal border — once a great trading fair for wool, horses, herbs and Bhotiya carpets.

Haridwar· Every 12 years (Ardh Kumbh at 6)

Kumbh Melaकुंभ मेला

One of the largest gatherings on Earth, on the banks of the Ganga at Har Ki Pauri.

The Pahadi year

Approximate months — many dates follow the lunar or solar Hindu calendar and shift each year. This month is highlighted.

Jan

Ghughutiya / Uttarayani, Maroj (Jaunsar)

Feb

Basant Panchami, Khadi Holi begins

Mar

Holi, Phool Dei

Apr

Bissu (Jaunsar), Baisakhi fairs

May

Ramman, Char Dham yatra opens

Jun

Ganga Dussehra

Jul

Harela

Aug

Ghee Sankranti, Bagwal at Devidhura, Hilljatra

Sep

Nanda Devi mela, Khatarua

Oct

Dussehra, Diwali (some years)

Nov

Egaas Bagwal, Jauljibi mela, Foundation Day (9 Nov)

Dec

Pandav Nritya season, winter seats of the Dham deities

Dance & ritual

Dance in the hills is rarely a performance for an audience — it is the whole village, and sometimes the gods, joining in.

Kumaon

Chholiya

A martial sword-and-shield dance performed at weddings, said to date to the days when brides were won by battle. Dancers in white with red turbans move to dhol, damau, ransingha and turhi.

Kumaon / Garhwal

Jhoda & Chanchari

Circle dances where men and women link arms and sway in step, singing call-and-response verses through the night at fairs.

Garhwal

Pandav Nritya (Pandav Lila)

Villagers enact the Mahabharata over many days; dancers are 'possessed' by the Pandavas to the beat of dhol-damau. Usually held in winter after harvest.

Kumaon

Chhapeli

A romantic duet dance — the man with a hudka drum, the woman with a mirror and handkerchief.

Garhwal

Thadya & Chaunphula

Women's group dances performed in the village courtyard (thad), especially during spring festivals.

Jaunsar-Bawar

Barada Nati & Harul

Jaunsari dances in traditional dress, Harul often narrating stories of the Pandavas.

Garhwal

Langvir Nritya

An acrobatic dance where a male dancer balances on top of a tall pole to drum beats.

Kumaon & Garhwal

Jagar

Not a dance but a ritual: the jagariya sings the stories of a local deity to the beat of hudka or daunr-thali until the god 'dances' in the body of the dangariya (medium).

Music & instruments

Dhol & Damau

The paired drums that accompany every rite of life in Garhwal and Kumaon. The beats are codified in the oral treatise 'Dhol Sagar'; the players (Dholi, Auji, Das) are hereditary custodians of this knowledge.

Hudka

Hourglass drum played with one hand; the voice of Jagar and of hurkiya bol — songs sung to pace farmers while transplanting paddy.

Ransingha & Turhi

Long copper horns sounded at weddings and religious processions.

Independence day celebration (9921072284)

Masakbeen

Bagpipes, adopted from Scottish regiments in the colonial era and now completely 'pahadi' — a staple of hill wedding bands.

Daunr & Thali

A small two-headed drum and a bronze plate played together in Jagar to summon deities.

Binai & Murali

The binai (jaw harp) and murali (bamboo flute) — the shepherd's instruments of the high meadows.

Song forms

Nyoli (songs of longing, sung in the forest), Bajuband, Khuded (a married daughter missing her maika), Chaiti/Chaitol (spring songs sung by Auji drummers), Mangal geet (wedding songs), Jhoda, Chanchari, Bair (sung contests), and Jagar ballads.

Food of the terraces

Millets, lentils and greens grown on terraced fields — simple, slow-cooked and deeply nourishing.

Washed fenugreek leaves for cooking methi-chadachadi

Kafuli

Thick green curry of spinach and fenugreek leaves, thickened with rice paste — Garhwal's comfort food.

Bhatt ki Churkani

Black soybean (bhatt) curry, roasted and simmered in an iron kadai.

Gahat ki Dal & Phaanu

Horse-gram dal — warming in winter, traditionally said to help with kidney stones. Phaanu is a slow-cooked dal of soaked, ground lentils.

Chainsoo

Roasted and ground urad dal cooked into a rich, smoky curry.

Mandua ki Roti

Dark roti of finger millet (mandua / koda), eaten with ghee, jaggery or green chutney.

Echinochloa frumentacea seeds, by Omar Hoftun

Jhangora ki Kheer

Sweet pudding of barnyard millet — the hills' original 'superfood'.

Cleome viscosa seeds in Ishigaki, Okinawa

Aloo ke Gutke

Spicy potato cubes tempered with jakhiya seeds and red chilli.

Bhang ki Chutney

Tangy chutney of roasted hemp seeds (non-intoxicating), with lemon and mint.

Kumaoni Raita

Yellow raita of cucumber, mustard and turmeric with a sharp kick.

Sana hua Nimbu

Big hill lemons (galgal) mashed with curd, hemp-seed salt and jaggery — a winter-sun ritual on the rooftop.

Bal Mithai & Singori

Almora's famous sweets: Bal Mithai is browned khoya coated in sugar balls; Singori is khoya wrapped in a maalu leaf cone.

Arsa, Swale & Rot

Festive breads and sweets: Arsa (rice and jaggery), Swale/Pue, and Rot offered to deities.

Attire & jewellery

Pichhora

The saffron-and-red odhni (veil) worn by Kumaoni brides and married women at ceremonies, hand-printed with auspicious motifs.

Garhwali Women in traditional dress on theire way to tungnath

Ghagra, Angra & Dhoti

Traditional women's dress was a long ghagra with an angra (blouse) or a dhoti draped with a waistband; men wore dhoti, mirzai and the pahadi topi.

Nath

The large gold nose ring — the Tehri nath being the most famous — a treasured heirloom passed between generations.

Galobandh & Hansuli

Choker of gold beads on red cloth (galobandh) and a heavy silver neck ring (hansuli).

Pauchi & Dhagula

Gold wrist ornament (pauchi) and heavy silver bracelets (dhagula).

Bhotiya woollens

Pankhi shawls, thulma blankets and dann carpets, woven by communities of the high valleys on traditional looms.

Arts & crafts

Several of Uttarakhand's crafts now carry Geographical Indication (GI) tags.

Aipan

Ritual floor and wall art of Kumaon: white rice-paste (biswar) lines and dots on a red geru base, drawn by women for every festival and rite. GI tagged.

Likhai (wood carving)

Intricate carved doors, windows and lintels of old stone houses (bakhali) — flowers, deities and geometric patterns in deodar wood.

Tamta copperware

Hand-hammered copper vessels made by the Tamta community of Almora, especially the gagar (water pot) and tauli. GI tagged.

Ringal Basket weaver in Chamoli district 02

Ringal craft

Baskets, mats and kandis woven from ringal, a dwarf mountain bamboo. GI tagged.

Thulma & Dann

Woollen blankets and carpets of the Bhotiya communities of Munsiyari and Dharchula. GI tagged.

Terrace farming on the way to Ransi village, Garhwal, Uttarakhand

Koti-Banal architecture

Earthquake-resistant multi-storey houses of interlocking timber and stone, found in Rawain and Jaunsar — some have stood for centuries.

Folk deities

Alongside the great Himalayan shrines, every village has its own gods — guardians of fields, forests, justice and family.

Culture

Festivals & fairs

Phool Deiफूलदेई

Harelaहरेला

Ghughutiya / Uttarayaniघुघुतिया / उत्तरायणी

Egaas Bagwalइगास बग्वाल

Ghee Sankranti (Olgia)घी संक्रांति

Khataruaखतड़ुवा

Kumaoni Holiकुमाऊँनी होली

Nanda Devi Raj Jatनंदा देवी राज जात

Bagwal at Devidhuraबग्वाल, देवीधुरा

Hilljatraहिलजात्रा

Rammanरम्माण

Bissu & Marojबिस्सू · माघ मरोज

Jauljibi Melaजौलजीबी मेला

Kumbh Melaकुंभ मेला

The Pahadi year

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Dance & ritual

Chholiya

Jhoda & Chanchari

Pandav Nritya (Pandav Lila)

Chhapeli

Thadya & Chaunphula

Barada Nati & Harul

Langvir Nritya

Jagar

Music & instruments

Dhol & Damau

Hudka

Ransingha & Turhi

Masakbeen

Daunr & Thali

Binai & Murali

Song forms

Food of the terraces

Kafuli

Bhatt ki Churkani

Gahat ki Dal & Phaanu

Chainsoo

Mandua ki Roti

Jhangora ki Kheer

Aloo ke Gutke

Bhang ki Chutney

Kumaoni Raita

Sana hua Nimbu

Bal Mithai & Singori

Arsa, Swale & Rot

Attire & jewellery

Pichhora

Ghagra, Angra & Dhoti

Nath

Galobandh & Hansuli

Pauchi & Dhagula

Bhotiya woollens

Arts & crafts

Aipan

Likhai (wood carving)

Tamta copperware

Ringal craft

Thulma & Dann

Koti-Banal architecture

Folk deities

Nanda Devi

Golu Devta

Bhumiya

Saim, Airi & Haru

Narsingh & Nagraja

Mahasu Devta