Title: Hand Book on Nature Based Festivals of Sikkim
KeyWords: Tendong Lho Rum Faat, Losar, Dasai or Vara Dashai, Khir, Khicheri, Sel roti, Curd, Chewra and Bum Chu
Published by: Sikkim Biodiversity Conservation and Forest Management Project (SBFP) Forest, Environment And Wildlife Management Department Government of Sikkim.
Author Name: Sikkim Biodiversity Conservation and Forest Management Project (SBFP) Forest, Environment And Wildlife Management Department Government of Sikkim.
Printed Year: 2023
Editor:
Language: English
Pages: 28
Details:
Introduction
Festivals are integral to the cultural and social life of Sikkim. Festivals or Utsavas in Sikkim range from local events to state wide festivals which are declared as state holidays. Festivals are spread throughout the year; practically none of the months passes by in Sikkim without a festival. However a good number of festivals occur particularly during the spring and fall season as both these seasons roughly corresponds to the end of the agricultural season. It is the availability of ample ‘leisure time’ and ‘resources’ that enable the communities to celebrate their festivals during this period with much fanfare. Sikkim is inhabited by multi cultural communities and each of them has cultures, traditions and rituals which are specific and typical of them. In general, the Sikkimese society is inhabited by three communities namely; Lepchas, Bhutias and Nepalese. Buddhism and Hinduism are the major religions followed by the people here. Coexistence of these diverse communities has offered Sikkim wide variety of festivals as they are being celebrated with lots of fervour in different parts of the state.
Notably many festivals in Sikkim are rooted to respective religions and are largely based on religious scriptures, events or sermons. Some of these festivals occur as a sign of changing seasons while others mark the beginning or culmination of seasonal agricultural activities like sowing or harvest. Similarly there are festivals which pronounce the arrival of New Year and some festivals are being celebrated on certain ethnic traditions, historic moments, etc. Monasteries and the monk community act as the focal point for many of the Buddhist festivals. These festivals are known for their magnificence and spectacle and it captivates the tourists in awe. The Buddhist calendar is filled with many festivals, among which the most popular are, Panglhabsol, Namsoong, Loosong, Bum chu. For the majority Nepalese community, their festivals are mainly connected to the Hindu religion. Invariably all important Hindu festivals like Dasai, Tihar, Maghey Sankranti, etc. are being celebrated in Sikkim with slight variations in festivities and associated rituals compared to the celebrations elsewhere. Besides this there are festivals which are celebrated by ethnic tribal communities and the festivals of the Lepcha community deserves special mention here.
It is also observed that the list of festivals in Sikkim are growing every year mostly due to the addition of festivals and special events which are being promoted for attracting tourists to the state. Some of these festivals namely; Winter Carnival, International Flower show, Rhododendron festivals, Trekking festival, Paragliding festival, etc are promoted by Government agencies namely Tourism department, Forest department, Culture department, etc. as special occasions to attract more and more tourists to the state and to make the state an all-year-round destination. Nevertheless, the objective of this handbook is to showcase prominent festivals prevalent among different communities of Sikkim which are nature based. Accordingly the handbook covers nature based festivals of Lepcha community, Bhutia community and the Nepalese community.