Fagli festival celebrated with fervour in Lahaul

Dipender Manta

Tribune News Service

Kullu, February 16

Fagli festival was celebrated with traditional fervour in the tribal district Lahaul & Spiti today. The festival will continue for the next few days in Pattan valley of the district.

This is a new year festival preceding the beginning of Tibetan or Chinese calendar and is celebrated to mark the end of winter or the beginning of spring. It is celebrated in February in the entire valley on the moonless night or Amavasya.

This festival is locally known as Kus or Kuns and is the most important festival in Pattan valley. The people celebrate it with traditional fervour every year.

Chander Mohan Parsheera, a resident of Pattan valley, told The Tribune, “To mark the festivity about two feet bamboo stick is fixed on the floor and a white bedsheet is draped around it to signify an angel dressed in white. The figure called Baraza is embellished with jewellery and marigold flowers. The delicacies are placed before it, the incense is burnt, oil lamps are lit and the house is fully decorated.”

“As per ritual, the family heads get up early in the morning and prepare totu or dough of roasted barley flour and buttermilk. Totu is offered to the deities on the rooftop and then it is distributed among the family members as god’s offerings. Then the family heads feed cows. They pay their respects to the cow and sheep to acknowledge their dependence on animals expressing gratitude”, he remarked.

“Despite modernity people of Lahaul are connected with their traditions and customs, whether they are living inside or outside the district ”, he added.