October – November
Diwali
On the new-moon night of Kartik, the scattered homes of the valley each light their lamps — and from a terrace the whole hillside glimmers, a constellation of households against the dark.
All festivalsDiwali
Lamps across the hillside villages.
Diwali in the hills is quieter and more beautiful than in the plains. Homes are cleaned and lit with diyas, Lakshmi is worshipped, and from a ridge you can see the lamps of distant villages pricking out across the dark folds of the valley. Some Kumaoni villages also keep Budi Diwali, an ‘old’ Diwali eleven days later, with folk songs and the bhailo.
Cool clear nights, lamps everywhere, sweets and family — autumn at its warmest.
Lamps on the ridges
Each home lit with diyas; the whole valley glimmering from a terrace.
Sweets & Lakshmi puja
Homes cleaned and blessed, sweets shared around.
