Fairs and Festivals of District Sirmaur

The fairs and festivals celebrated in the district Sirmaur are Vyas fair, Gandhi fair, Nag Naona fair, Bisu fair, Haryali fair, Renuka fair, Trilokpur, Holi fair, et al. They are explained below:

Festivals in District Sirmaur

Baishakhi/Bisu Festival:

• The Bisu festival falls on the last two days of the solar month of Chaitra and the first of Vaisakha i.e. corresponding to generally 18th and 19th of April. It is more or less, same as Baisakhi of the plains.
• The first day is asklanti, the second bashri and the third is saja.
• The fair is held on a high summit under the flag of the village Devta. The gathering worship Lord Shiva.
• All over the hilly areas of the Paonta Tehsil it is celebrated from 1st to 12th Vaisakha.

Haryali Festival:

• As the name signifies this is a festival of verdure/luxuriance.
• It is celebrated during the rainy season at the onset of monsoons, i.e. mid-July. on the first of Sravana and the last two days of the preceding month of Asadha, to hail the verdurous nature all around.
• Not just in Sirmaur, the festival is celebrated in the entire state and known by different names in different regions.
• The village deity is taken out in a palanquin and Haryali songs are sung.

Salona Festival/Raksha Bandhan:

•  It is celebrated on Puranmashi of Shravan.
• People offer prayer to their deities and oblation to their forefathers after changing their sacred threads.
• This festival is also called Raksha Bandhan.

Festival of Lights (Hill area Diwali): 

• The manner of celebration of Diwali in the illaqa Dharthi, Sain, and trans-Giri is different. A bonfire called the balraj is lighted on the tops of the hills.
• The villagers assemble there and twirl the fire-brands called Mushi tied with ropes, producing a pleasing effect of fireworks in a dark night.
• This festival is celebrated with great enthusiasm in the hilly parts where the normal activities are suspended for about four or five days.
• There is a night-long vigil and a torch-light procession is taken out in the villages of the trans-Giri area.
• Rasa Dance is yet another highlight of the festival. The people dance and sing throughout the night.

Fairs in District Sirmaur

Renuka Fair: 

• On the eve of Prabodhini Ekadashi, in November, the Five-day long International level Shri Renuka Ji fair begins with the arrival of son Lord Parshuram at Shri Renuka Ji the Lake in Himachal, the home of his divine mother Shri Renuka Ji.
• It starts ten days after the famous Diwali festival.
• Parshuram is believed to be the sixth incarnation of Lord Vishnu.
• Folk dances, magic show, Kariyala play, Thoda dance, wrestling bouts, fireworks, police and homeguard’s band display, developmental exhibitions, cinema shows and bhajan-kirtan are other attractions of the week-long fair.

Beas/Byas Fair:

• In the Hindu month of Chaitra, 5 days prior to Holi, Sirmaur celebrates the Byas Fair in Paonta Tehsil in the honour of renowned Sage Byas/Vyasa.
• It is widely believed that Byas rishi practice penance and meditation on this site.
• People from all corners of the country gather during the time and bring consecrated offerings to Lord Shiva and Rishi Byas.
• Wrestling matches constitute an important feature of the fair.

Gandhi Fair:

• Gandhi Fair: Each year, on the eve of 30th January, Gandhi Fair is held in Amboa, Sirmaur where hundreds of people from the nearby regions gather together and celebrate the festival in the honour of Mahatma Gandhi.

Trilokpur Fair:

• It is celebrated at village Trilokpur near Nahan town, in the month of September.
• The place is famous for its temple of renowned goddess Bala Sundri.

Nag Nahona Fair:

• Nag Naona is an ancient, flood-damaged village in Paonta Sahib, Sirmaur, which celebrates the Nag Naona Fair each year during the time of Dussehra.
• This festival is held at the Naona Temple, Hindolas (Merry-go-round) and confectionery shops are the main attractions for the villagers with sweets, utensils, toys, and village pottery being sold around.

Read also: Geography of District Sirmaur