Ladakh Fair and Festivals

 

Most of the festival events in Ladakh are the annual monastic festivals. Among non-monastic events count the Losar or New Year celebrations and the notable Ladakh Festival organized by the Kashmir and Jammu government. The monastic festivals are dance-dramas in the gompa courtyards. The performers are the lamas, the monks themselves. Wearing colorful garments and often frightful, at times comic masks, the monks perform mimes representing various aspects of the religion, be it the progress of the individual soul and its purification or the triumph of good over evil. The events draw spectators from among the local populace, from near and far, in great numbers for attending these auspicious events promises spiritual benefits aside the enjoyment of the party atmosphere. Huge crowds that gather heighten the sense of the occasion. Most monastic festivals are two-day events. Losar celebrations take close to one month and the Ladakh Festival is a two-week event. Our tours are designed around the dates of these unique events, bringing you the first hand experience of their festive atmosphere and thus broadening your insight into the cultural heritage of Ladakh

The festival begins with a spectacular procession in which various cultural troupes and village contingents participate in full ceremonial costumes, singing and performing various types of colorful dances to the tune of the traditional orchestra. Thousands of traditionally attired men and women line the route of the procession, adding to the carnival atmosphere. At the polo ground, where the procession terminates, the participants break into a variety of folk and popular dances, presenting the best samples of the region's performing arts. Among the regular programs, including a fortnight of musical concerts, lama dances and folk ceremonies, the most colorful and exciting are the archery events. Designed with an objective to revive and promote the richness, depth and pageantry of Ladakh's centuries-old culture for worldwide appreciation and enjoyment, the Ladakh Festival offers a unique opportunity to witness many of Ladakh’s traditions and folk heritage in a very short time and without having to traverse to its often formidable outlying areas. Our tour brings you to experience the best of it. Our tour's daily program is not finalized until Kashmir and Jammu Tourism Department publishes the schedule of events, released usually about two weeks before the start of the festival.