Travel tips: Sikkim is the perfect place to celebrate holidays, definitely enjoy these festivals during your trip.

In this vast country of India, you will find more than one place where your beauty and beauty can please you. One such state is Sikkim which is known for its plants, animals, rivers, mountains, lakes, and waterfalls. Sikkim is a mountainous state located in the north-eastern part of India. This thumb-shaped state is also known for its festivals which become the attraction here.

The main religion for the people of Sikkim is Hinduism although a large population also follows Buddhism. Today in this episode, we are going to tell you about the famous festivals of Sikkim which can make your trip even more memorable. Let us know about these festivals...

Losang Festival
Losang Festival is a major festival of Sikkim celebrated at the end of the harvest and the tenth month of the year according to the Tibetan calendar. During this festival, people pray for a good harvest and good prospects in the coming year. This festival symbolizes the spirit of good over evil. Chams were held 2 days earlier in most monasteries. People wear masks and are well-dressed and perform the Cham dance. During the festival, many competitions of traditional skills are organized, such as archery, merrymaking competitions, etc.

Sonam Lhochar Festival
Sonal Lhochar Festival is one of the most prominent festivals of Northeast India which is celebrated as the beginning of the Tibetan New Year for the Tamang community. To celebrate this festival with full enthusiasm and pomp, men and women wear colorful and traditional clothes and perform rituals. People wear masks and dance to the beats of drums. The exotic and delicious Tamang dishes served to the people are a real treat for the people of Sikkim as well as the visitors. It is celebrated in Sikkim as well as in Bhutan, Nepal, and Tibet in February.

Losar Festival
Losar Festival is celebrated as Tibetan New Year in February. Yak dance is very popular in this festival and a procession is also taken out in it. Here the local community gathers together to watch grand religious performances. People celebrate the festival by singing, dancing, eating, and drinking along with traditional Sherpa songs. Many traditional ceremonial dances are performed that depict the conflict between demons and gods, this event is mainly held in monasteries. Even in Nepal, the Saur festival is celebrated with great enthusiasm.

Saga claim
Saga Dawa is an auspicious month for Sikkim. It is also known as the Triple Blessed Festival. Tibetan Buddhists celebrate the auspicious time of the year when the Saga star appears in the sky in the fourth month of the Tibetan calendar. Buddhists celebrate Shakyamuni festival on the full moon day of this month. Those of birth, enlightenment, and nirvana were all born in the same month and reached their peak on April 15. Believing that good deeds and prayers are multiplied during this period, people are much more compassionate than usual. Jokhangs chant around the temple and give alms to the needy to avoid killing animals.

Bhumchu
Bhumchu is celebrated with many ceremonies and rituals among the northeastern people of India. Bhumchu means sacred vessel of water. The festival features an opening ceremony on the first day where monks from Tashiding Monastery open pots and predict the future of the coming year. The next day, during the closing ceremony, the monks refill the pot with water brought from the sacred river and the pot is sealed until the next year. The festival showcases the rituals and customs of Buddhism and is an ideal opportunity for tourists to witness the traditions.

Dance festival
The Dance Festival is one of the special festivals in Sikkim which is celebrated in December. The dance performed by the monks during this festival depicts the destruction of evil forces. During this festival they also pray for peace and prosperity in Sikkim.

Tendong Lho Rum Phato
It is the most important and ancient festival of the people of Sikkim celebrated by the Lepcha tribe people as it is believed that the ancestors of the Lepcha tribe were saved by Tendong Hill during a flood that lasted for 40 days. A grand festival is organized and rituals and ceremonies are performed throughout the state of Sikkim. The main focus of this festival is the trek from Ravangla to Tendong hill which is a unique experience and is visited by many locals as well as tourists to induce some adrenaline rush.

Pang Lhabsol
Pang Lhabsol is a very popular festival of Sikkim which is celebrated as the Independence Day of India. On this festival, people pray to God for the country and Sikkim. All celebrations are held around Mount Kangchenjunga, the third-highest peak in the world. Apart from celebrating the peak it honors the treaty between the Lepchas and Bhutias. All the Gods and Goddesses are welcomed in this festival. The celebration takes place around the fifteenth day which falls in the seventh month of their calendar and at the end of August in the English calendar.

(PC: Lifeberrys)