LADAKH FESTIVALS Highlights : Annual Monastic Festivals Main Festivals : Hemis, Losar and Ladakh Other Festivals : Sindhu Darshan, Lamayuru Festival and Thiksey, Karsha Destinations : Leh, Liker, Matho

Ladakh – The Festivities of India's Tibet

Ladakh

Festivals

People

Ladakh, Popularly known as the 'The Small Tibet', has the influence of Buddhism and Tibetan culture. The reflections of these cultures are very evident in their festivals. The best way to have a feel of the Ladakhi culture, is to visit it during the festive seasons, when this province of Jammu and Kashmir comes alive. These festivals acts a junction to bring the people closer. Most of the festivals celebrated in this region are the annual monastic festivals, which comprises dance-dramas in the gompas courtyards by the 'lama' or the monks themselves. The monks disguise themselves wearing comic masks, which represents the various aspects of their religion, and is often appalling.

Most of the monastic conviviality go on for two days and draws the common masses as their spectators. The other festivals include the Losar or the New Year Celebration, which goes on for a period of a month, and the Ladakh festival, which is a two week celebration. Some of the favorite festivals of Ladakh are Hemis Thiksey, Karsha and Spituk Gustor.

Hemis Festival – A Paradigm of The Buddhist Culture

Monasteries Pilgrimage

Shopping Music and Dance

To solemnize the birth of Guru Padmasambhava, the founder of Tantric Buddhism in Tibet, this festival is celebrated. It is one of the most important festival celebrated for three days during the month of June. It is a perfect time to buy handicrafts, as people from nook and corner of Ladakh come to display and sell their handicrafts during this time. During this fete, once in every 12 years, four-storey thanka(a religious icon painted on cloth) of Guru Padma Sambhava is hung in the courtyard along with other thankas. The next unveiling is due in 2016 A.D.

Losar Festival – A New Year Celebration

'Losar' is the Tibetan word for New Year, and falls in the eleventh month of the Buddhist year. It is celebrated during winter months. It is a sacred time for the Buddhists, a time for celebrations and feast. During this festival Namchot people lighten their houses, monasteries and mountains and make offerings. This festival lasts for around a month where the deities, people and even animals are fed. This is a very auspicious occasion which is relinquished by the children as well as the elders of the family.

Ladakh Festival – The Harvest Festival

Another major festival of this region is Ladakh Festival, celebrated during the month of September. It is celebrated in the Leh, where processions by the various cultural troupes of Ladakh, in its inaugural function. With traditional Ladakhi music and people wearing colorful Ladakhi attires can be seen presenting folk dances on the street. It goes on for fifteen days where programmes like archery, Polo, and mask dances along with musical concerts and dances are performed. This festival is the perfect blend of the culture tradition and the arts and handicrafts of the region.

Sindhu Darshan – The Indus Festival

The government of Jammu and Kashmir, in collaboration with the ministry of tourism and culture, introduced this festival in the October 1997. This festival falls in the month of May or June and celebrated exclusively in Leh. This festival is celebrated to acknowledge river Indus as a symbol of harmony and peaceful co existence of the varied cultures of our country. This festival also pays homage to all the gallant soldiers who had given up their lives for their country.

Other Festivals

There are many such colorful festivals that form a integral part of the Buddhist as well as the Tibetan culture. Some of the much celebrated festivals include Lamayuru, falling in July, Phiyang that takes place in July-August, Tak-thok, another festival which is held 12 days after Phiyang.