The cold desert-land of Lahaul and Spiti in Himachal Pradesh are now buried under deep snow cover. The valley will remain so for the next months: isolated, cut--off from the rest of the world, and chilling cold to the bone. Rivers will turn blue as they freeze and the vehicular movement will come to a standstill. 

And the natives of the land will start rationing their supplies as they live through a cold and harsh winter. What keeps them going and cheerful is their festivals, which come as a fresh breath of 'warm' air in an otherwise cold valley. Winters of Lahaul comes with festivals that bring liveliness in the isolated valley. 

Primarily, a majority of these festivals are associated with harvest season and agricultural practices of the region. 

_Time to sow a new crop: let's celebrate._
_A child is born: let's celebrate_
_Time to reap the harvest: let's celebrate_

Every small event is celebrated in the form of festival where folks from the entire village gather and share happiness with each other. 

Here's a chronological sequence of festivals that are celebrated during the winters of Lahaul

__Halda – the Festival of Lights__

![Halda: Festival of Lights](http://tarungoel.in/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Halda.jpg)

Celebrated in the month of January, the chief abbot of Shashur Gompa declares the exact dates of this festival. The word halda literally means a torch in local dialect. Halda – a torch made of dried willow and cedar. Although a Buddhist monk decides calculates the date of the festival, it is not a Buddhist but a Hindu festival, which almost resembles Diwali.

__Fagli – the Yellow Festival__

![Fagli](http://tarungoel.in/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Fagli-Festival_Lahaul_Rajesh-Dhamral.jpg)


The festival of Fagli (locally Kuns or Kus) is celebrated in the month of February when the harsh winters start subsiding gradually. Celebrated mainly in the Pattan Valley, Fagli arrives a fortnight after the festival of Halda. Houses are decorated with marigold flowers. The festival lasts many days, sometimes even weeks depending upon the population of the village.

Each day of the festival has a special name and every day represents a special event. For instance, the first day is called Ghuntreyin when a goat is sacrificed. The following day is called Ghunnu when Maarchu (local puri) is prepared and offered as prasad to birds, animals, and human beings. The next day, Kuyhag (Ku-nine, Yhag-dinner)  is an occasion of feasting and nine types of dishes are prepared on this day.

__Yor – Dancing with the Masked Men__
 ![Yor](http://tarungoel.in/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Yor.jpg)

Yor is celebrated a fortnight after Fagli. Yor is mainly celebrated in the Madgram Village and the masked dance is the USP of this festival. These masks or mohras are made of wood.  This dance is actually a prayer for the well-being of the people, for good crop and healthy children.

The festival of Yor marks the start of the traditional new year and people dress up as spirits and dance all day long. This festival is usually celebrated in the month of March, when the winters start receding.


With Rohtang Tunnel made operational in 2017, although currently for just emergency vehicles, it is highly likely that the external world will also get a chance to witness the awesomeness of Winter Festivals of Lahaul