Phulaich Festival is celebrated in the month of
September in the Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh. It is also known
as Ookayand Festival and Ukyam Festival. The term 'Oo' means 'flowers'
while 'Kayang' means 'festival'. Thus, Phulaich is a 'festival of
flowers'. On 16th day of the Hindu month of 'Bhadrapada', the flowering
season of the wild flowers of the upper regions of Kinnaur district, ten
Rajputs (belonging to warrior clan) of the village go to the high hills
to pick up some of the choicest flowers. They spend that day as well as
the next day on the hills only.
Thereafter, they return on the 18th day, with their collection of
flowers. It is said that some of these flowers are so fragrant that some
of the people who are witnessing the event for the first time feel giddy
with their strong scent. Infact, the fragrance is so intoxicating that
when the natives visit the forests where these flowers bloom in
abundance, even they start feeling giddy. The night on the 18th is spent
singing and dancing under the deodar trees. Phulaich Festival of
Himachal Pradesh lasts for a week.
The variety and beauty of the wild flowers is the main highlight of the
festival. Thus, the return of the village men with them is celebrated as
the main day of Phulaich. On the 20th of the month, a procession of the
local deity, adorned in fine clothes and surrounded by gold and silver
idols of the deities of the surrounding areas, is taken out. The
villagers, dressed in their best clothes, dance under the trees on all
the days of the festival. On 23rd day of the Bhadrapada, all the other
deities are brought back to their original temple and sacrifice of a
goat and a lamb is made. With this, the festival comes to an end.
