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The precipitous terrain of Sikkim comes alive every year with festivities as the locals celebrate their culture and traditions. Every Sikkim festival is a kaleidoscope of colours that is a celebrated with family, friends and community. Be it the Kagyat Dance performed by the monks of the Tsuklanghang monastery or the farmers celebrating Losoong, dance is an integral part of all the festivals here.
The exhilaration of celebration is deeply tinted with rustic traditions that go back centuries. People venture out in their finest attire as they join in the festivities. The elaborate masks and the colourful costumes of the performers add more colour to the proceedings.
Witness the quaint rituals at these celebratory events that are entertaining and uplifting. Plan your trip around any Sikkim festival and you will be unwittingly drawn in the euphoria of the festive spirit. Here’s your handy guide to some of the colourful festivals celebrated in Sikkim.
The Tibetan New Year is perhaps the most enthusiastically celebrated festival of Sikkim. This harvest festival is marked by the Chaam and other traditional dances. People visit the monasteries for rituals before venturing out for celebrations. Family and friends greet each other with flowers as they gather for the celebrations. You can catch Losar around February or March.
The Pang Lhabsol pays tribute to Mt. Kanchenjunga, Sikkim’s guardian deity. It commemorates the oath of ‘Blood Brotherhood’ between the Bhutia and Lepcha communities. The locals and visitors are treated to graceful dance performances by the monks, but the ‘Pang-toed Chaam’ is the highlight. You can catch this festival between August and September.
The beginning of the Sikkimese new year is celebrated with great joy and enthusiasm across the state. It is marked with religious ceremonies. But the high-point of the festival are the traditional folk dances that are a part of Sikkim’s rich culture. The colourful flags that adorn the streets provide a wonderful contrast against the vast open skies and distant snow-capped mountains.
This is a celebration of Lord Buddha’s birth, enlightenment and salvation from the material world. The Mahayana Buddhists gather in temples to pay their respects to their supreme Lord. It is a solemn scene to witness as monks chant hymns in the dancing light of butter lamps. You can be a part of this festival in May or early June.
Your Sikkim holiday will be enriched by the colourful festivals that are celebrated here with fervour. Simply choose a Sikkim tour package from SOTC and start packing.
