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“Local residents in these villages worship the Chipla Kedar deity, a form of Lord Shiva and Bhagwati, his consort…,” said Narendra Singh, a resident of Baram village in Dharchula.
‘Holi will bring bad luck, so we stay away from colours’
There are over 100 villages in Pithoragarh district that stay away from Holi festivities.
The Chipla Kedar yatra, a famous trek and a pilgrimage that takes place every three years, is immensely very popular among locals in the region.
As part of the holy expedition, pilgrims perform ‘parikrama’ and take holy dips in the Chipla Kedar ‘kund’, also known as the Gupt Kailasha (secret Kailash), located at a height of about 16,000 ft. They believe that the land of the deities will be sullied by colours,” said Narendra Singh, a resident of Baram village in Dharchula.
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Narendra Singh, a resident of Baram village in Dharchula, said: “So playing Holi is considered inauspicious. For these people, Holi is just another regular day. This has been the norm for years, No one wants to annoy the gods. Why take a chance.”
Some also believe that tragedy befalls anyone who tries to celebrate Holi in those parts. It’s said that families that have done so in the past saw some kind of deprivation soon after, like death in the family or loss of cattle. “This land belongs to Bharadi Devi and colour is prohibited here. It is believed that Holi will bring bad luck, so we stay away from colours,” said Khusal Harkotia, a resident of Harkot village in Munsiyari.
According to historians, Holi is in any case not primarily a hill festival. “The tribal communities in the state, especially in the Jaunsar-Bawar region in Garhwal and other interior parts, do not believe in the rituals of Holi. Due to migration people are slowly starting to adapt to new cultures and traditions. But historically, Holi is not a festival of hills,” said Jai Prakash, a Mussoorie-based historian.
Jeewan Thakur, a social worker from Dharchula, said, “These are remote villages, mainly inhabited by tribes – the Anwal community in Dharchula and the Barpatia community in the Johar region of Munsiyari. Over the years, they haven’t really warmed up to Hindu festivals so they do not celebrate Holi to this day.”
Those who do celebrate the festival said that traditional Holi in the state is not about colours as much as it is about community traditions. “Neighbourhood gatherings, collective cooking of traditional dishes and singing folk songs mark the celebrations of the famous Baithki Holi (sitting Holi) in Kumaon,” said a resident.
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