The traditions in this village are quite eccentric to what is followed throughout the country. It is very well known that Diwali is one of the most iconic festivals of the Hindu religion which people throughout the world celebrate in their ways. Be it the lights, fireworks, or the traditional attires, things are quite grand and aesthetic, representing the absolute win of good over evil. This festival of lights is celebrated throughout the country on one particular date, this time it fell on November 14th. However, things aren’t quite the same in every part of the country.
Getting into the details, there are some villages in Himachal Pradesh, specifically the tribal villages in and around Jonsar and Babur regions. The natives of this village consider Kartak, the following month as the month of the festival. The locals dearly call it ‘Ghardi Diwali’. When the whole country celebrates Diwali, these villages don’t. The people of this place believe that the Ayodhya felicitated Lord Rama and celebrated the same a month later.
Mythologically, they feel that Lord Rama retrieved Sita Devi by killing the evil Ravana, and it is only after completing the fourteen years of exile, then a month after killing Ravana, Lord Rama returned to Ayodhya with Sita. Anyway, unlike the modifications in the date and time, the Budhi Diwali is celebrated in over 200 villages around this area.
On the other hand, the way locals celebrate Diwali is quite different from what we do every year in general. We start off with fireworks, but they set up fire and dance around it with huge drums. Like Jonsar, the other 50 villages in Kandoi, Bodur, and Kandoi Bharam follow this tradition.
