Halda Festival is mainly celebrated with great zeal among the Lamas of Himachal Pradesh for welcoming the New Year. It is mainly dedicated to the Goddess of wealth - Shashikar Apa under the Lamaistic Pantheon. This festival is truly a great reason for joy among the local people ensuring togetherness and the eternal bond of love.
Apart from the emotional side, this festival also depicts the sustainability of the cultural charm of Himachal Pradesh. In 2021, Halda Festival will be celebrated from 24th -26th February.
Major Attractions of Halda Festival 2024 Celebrations
1. Gatherings
On this occasion, people gather along with their families and loved ones for celebrating this festival and offering their faith to the Goddess Shashikar Apa through their prayers. After offering the prayers, bonfires are lighted and people throw cedar twigs into them. Another interesting thing to note here is that the date for this festival is particularly chosen by the local pujaris along with the place where the festivities would be celebrated.
2. Dancing, Music, and Other Festivities
Dance and music are a major part of the celebration on this occasion. Apart from the locals, there are many national as well as international tourists who can be seen enjoying the cultural dance and music. The main objective of celebrating the Halda Festival is to impress the local Gods for seeking better crop production next time. Another major role for the festivities is to make sure that all the evil and negative energy goes out of the village. Perhaps, this is the main reason why each and every member of the family contributes few branches from their respective houses to be lit in the bonfire. This essentially signifies unity in the local community.
How to Reach Lahaul for Halda Festival 2024 Celebrations
Lahaul in Himachal Pradesh is quite a picturesque travel getaway that is all about exploring the fine beauty of nature. It is located at an approximate distance of 436 km, 2,141 km, 2,865 km and 1,486 km from Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Kolkata. Let’s discuss how you can reach here via the following routes.
By Air
If you are planning on travelling to this place via flights then one of the best options to reach here would be Kullu Manali Airport situated in Bhuntar. This airport is situated at an approximate distance of 80-100 km from Lahaul.
You can easily travel here via flights connecting from various cities like Delhi, Jaipur, Ajmer, Lucknow. As you deboard at this airport, you will need to cover the remaining distance by some means of public transportation like a cab.
List of flights from different Indian cities to Kullu
By Road
The Lahaul and Spiti Valley offer some really great travel possibilities to explore. But before you make any decision to travel here via road, you must know some significant things prior to your visit. Yes, the first and foremost thing to consider is that as this place is a cold desert, it will be quite different from other hill stations to drive here. Thus, you will not be comfortable driving here until you are able to drive on snow. One more important point to consider here is that your vehicle must also have good ground clearance. From Delhi, NH44 will be a good option, from Chandigarh NH 505, from Mandi you can opt for NH3.
By Train
The Joginder Nagar Railway Station is the nearest train station. However, this station doesn’t have very good connectivity with other Indian cities and there are not many direct trains to this place. Thus, it is best advised to either travel via road networks or take a flight to Kullu Manali and further cover the distance via road.
