NAMGAN: Festival Of Flowers

NAMGAN: THE FESTIVAL Of FLOWERS🌼
Namgan is celebrated every year in Kinnaur, also known by other names like Fulaich and Ukhyang. On this day we go high up to the tallest mountain of our area (4750m) to praise and please our mountain deities. We pray for peace and prosperity from the nature itself. This year I got lucky to witness this festival myself. And here I’ll share what I saw.
We had to climb straight on a steep mountain. We had some minor halts in between for resting and having snacks. At two marked places we do prayers to deities and made fire to do the offerings of Sur, local incense. Then we walked on a mountain edge, where on both side there were deep valleys.
Then finally it was the time to witness the beauty, we had been struggling for. We were all on top and from there we could see villages down below, we could see Shalkhar, Chango, Sumdo, Tabo and Lari all from a single place. It was windy up there. We again did the prayers here, with offerings too. Then we sang traditional NAMGAN Songs and did some dance too. Then we had our lunch and got geared up for the main task, The Flower Hunt. The flowers to be collected were Ladar Mentok, Lama Mentok, Kharwa Mentok and Dzo Mentok. These Mentoks (flowers) have different names in different places. We had to look for flowers under rocks and collect them. Then we all gathered at a silent valley in between mountains, and started sorting flowers. We made bundles and garlands there and started the descent. This part too was quite tiring as we had to run downwards on a slope. And by dark, we managed to reach the village.
There villagers were all waiting for us. The ladies were all dressed in traditionals to welcome us. Here again we sorted the flowers and offered them to our Lha, Lama, Khimba and Dzo. Ladies sing traditional songs here and sometimes dance too. And by the end everyone have flowers with them, which they take to their homes. And this is how the festival ends.
So overall it was a great experience, got to witness the beauty from high above. The vibe up there was all pure and happy. So now,
I bow to you Mountains🏔️❤️
May peace and prosperity prevails✨
Will return to these mountains soon.🌼

[@ellis7016]

😑 'promo sm'