Spiti
Festivals
DACHANG
Winter’s last festival. Held for seven days to a month around late February & March. Dancers in traditional dress, sword dances, comic charades and archery games are organized among the village folk.
SPITI FESTIVAL
A far better option than La Darcha, the Spiti valley festival is held every year in September. A well organized festival with cultural dances is well attended by the people of the valley. Usually for 3 or 4 days there are performances by the Buchans from Pin and different schools as well.
NAMGAN
Experience the wild spirit of Spiti. Nagam is a pre harvest festival and is celebrated in the month of August. Riding without saddles the riders race around the village amongst much fan fare and the winner is the talk of the village for that day.
Women great all the participants with a generous dose of locally brewed alcohol and everyone relishes the festive atmosphere. This festival is help in Demul, Langza and Komic.
LADARCHA
Traditionally a trading festival (in August) between Spiti and Ladakh where the nomads from Changthan bartered Yaks for Spiti horses and barley was exchanged for salt, this festival is now best avoided. Though there are cultural events and traders from different parts of Himachal Pradesh and India make their way to the valley, far too much alcohol is consumed and this festival is miss-managed.
CHAM DANCES
These mask dances are held in between May to November in different monasteries. Usually Ki monastery will have a festival in August, Komic in October, Buddu Purnima (21st May) is also another day when one of the monasteries will hold the Cham.