Halda festivities begin in Lahaul-Spiti district.

January 18, 2023

Halda festivities began in Gahar and Ranglo valleys of Lahaul and Spiti district yesterday and would continue in different valleys till February 5.
To celebrate Halda festival, villagers cut thin cedar branches cut into pieces and tie them together 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.
This festival begins in the second or third week of January every year. It is celebrated in Gahar, Ranglo, Tinan, Tod and Chandra valleys.
The date of Halda festival is fixed by a lama in the Gahar valley. The festival is celebrated in the Pattan valley on Magh Purnima.
The aim is to appease local deities, seek better crop yield and ward off evil spirits.