Which Kumaoni festival are you?

A fun personality test and guide to the festivals of Kumaon: Harela, Phool Dei, Saton-Athon, Ghughutiya, Uttarayani Mela, Kumaoni Holi and Ghee Sankranti.

Learn when, where and why each festival is celebrated.

Harela: Kumaon’s festival of greenery

Harela means “the day of green”. It welcomes the monsoon and the new sowing season, and celebrates the green earth that feeds the hills.

When: First day of the month of Shravan (mid-July). The seeds are sown 10 days earlier. Where: Across Kumaon (Nainital, Almora, Bageshwar, Pithoragarh, Champawat) and now all over Uttarakhand.

Phool Dei: Kumaon’s festival of flowers and spring

Phool Dei is the festival of flowers. Children welcome spring by placing fresh flowers at the doorstep of every home and wishing the family happiness and plenty.

When: Begins on the first day of Chaitra (mid-March), when spring arrives in the hills. Where: In villages and towns across Kumaon and Garhwal.

Saton-Athon: Kumaon’s festival of Gaura and Maheshwar

Saton-Athon celebrates Goddess Gaura (Parvati) and Lord Maheshwar (Shiva). The women of the village shape Gaura and Maheshwar from plants of the fields, worship them together, and celebrate with songs and dances that tell the story of their life and marriage.

When: In the month of Bhadrapad (August–September). It begins on Birud Panchami, the 5th day, and the main days are Saptami and Ashtami, the 7th and 8th days, which give the festival its name. Where: Pithoragarh and the villages of eastern Kumaon. Across the border in far-western Nepal, the same festival is celebrated as Gaura Parva.

Ghughutiya: Kumaon’s sweet winter festival

Ghughutiya, also called Kale Kauva, is Kumaon’s sweet winter festival. Families make crispy sweets called ghughute, and children offer them to crows and other birds.

When: Makar Sankranti, around 14 January, when the sun begins its journey north. Where: Across Kumaon. In Garhwal the same day is called Khichdi Sankranti.

Uttarayani Mela: Kumaon’s great fair at Bageshwar

Uttarayani (from “uttar” north and “ayan” path) celebrates the sun moving north. For centuries the Bageshwar fair was the great marketplace of the Himalayas, where traders from Tibet, Nepal and the hills met.

When: Starts on Makar Sankranti in mid-January and runs for several days. Where: The biggest fair is at Bageshwar, where the Saryu and Gomti rivers meet near the Bagnath temple. Fairs are also held in Almora, Pithoragarh, Nainital and Haldwani.

Kumaoni Holi: Kumaon’s musical Holi of songs and ragas

Kumaoni Holi is a Holi of music. Instead of only colours, people gather to sing Holi songs set to classical ragas, in homes, temples and village courtyards.

When: Baithki Holi begins in winter (in many places from the month of Paush) and the singing builds up to Holi in March. In all, the celebrations run for almost two months. Where: Across Kumaon, especially Almora, Champawat, Pithoragarh and Nainital.

Ghee Sankranti: Kumaon’s harvest festival of gratitude

Ghee Sankranti, also called Olgia, is a festival of gratitude. When the fields are green and the cows give plenty of milk, families thank nature for a good harvest and share its gifts.

When: First day of the month of Bhado (mid-August), in the middle of the rainy season. Where: Across Kumaon and Garhwal, and especially in hill villages.