Fulaich Festival of Himachal Pradesh is celebrated in the September in the beautiful Kinnaur valley. This festival is also known as Fulaich and it commemorates the dead. It is mainly celebrated to honor the dead relatives and to pray for their peace of soul. In the monsoon month of Bhadrapada comes the festival of flower-watching (ukhyang) in the Kinnaur valley. But it is not an occasion to weep and wail.
The fair opens with animal sacrifices and soon the entire village collects on a hill top and looks for the 'Ladra' flower. People serve rice wine and food to the dear departed ones on a mound of bricks. These are later distributed to the poor and the Harijans in the village.
Afterwards the people of the village reassemble at the house of the 'Dhangaspa' family and garland all the family members of the clan. The villagers also welcome the team that had gone up the hills to look for flowers. Sacrifices are made into wood nymphs and at many places. Dancers perform ritual dances with ancient weapons. |