Festivals of Sikkim

  Dasain The Dasain festivals is the main festival of the Hindu Nepalese communities residing is Sikkim. The festival signifies the victory of good over evil or dharma over adharma , remembering goddess Durga’s victory over the buffalo demon Mahishasura to restore and protect the dharma. On the following day elders apply vermilion Tikkas on the forehead of the young to bless them with longevity and success. The fifteen days long festival commences on the bright lunar fortnight (Shukla Paksha) of the holy Ashwin month of Bikram Sambat Calendar (mid-September to mid-October). Among these fifteen days, the most auspicious and celebrated days happen to be first, seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth, with tenth being the day of ‘Bijaya Dashmi’. Puja ceremonies, community processions, family get-togethers and festive meals are some of the integral parts of the Dashain celebrations.

 Drupka Teshi :- It is a festival celebrated by the Buddhists in Gangtok in a place called Muguthang. It is believed that on this day, Lord Buddha for the first time, turned ‘The Wheel of Dharma’ and preached his first sermon of the four noble truths to his five disciples. It is said that he did so at the deer park in Sarnath. During the festival, a yak race is also held every year . This festival is a significant one for the Buddhists. Pilgrims from all over the world travel to the monasteries to be a part of the celebrations. It is not only a festival for the pilgrims and the devotees but also for travellers all around the world as this festival gives them a wonderful opportunity to be a part of this spiritually fueled festival in the beautiful northeastern state Sikkim.

    Saga Dawa :- Saga Dawa or the Triple Blessed Festival is an auspicious month for the Sikkimese Buddhists with prayers held throughout the month in various monasteries.It is celeberated When the star of Saga appears in the sky in the fourth month of Tibetan Calendar, Tibetan Buddhists start to celebrate the most auspicious and significant time of a year: Saga Dawa Festival. This month-long festival honors Buddha Sakyamuni whose birth, enlightenment, and nirvana all took place in the same month and reaches its peak on 15 April.Its celeberated as 'budh purnima' in rest of India. For Buddhists, the period of Saga Dawa is a time for making merits, which means carrying out "meritorious actions." These generally fall into three categories: generosity ( dana ), which often involves making charitable donations, morality ( sila ), and meditation ( bhavana ). Saga Dawa Duchen, the day of the full moon during Saga Dawa, is typically observed by performing meritorious d...