SAIR-The festival of Homecoming of winters

Happy sair guys..

I know many of you don't know what really Sair or Sayar is..So let me introduce to the never so famous but unique of its own kind festival called as Sair.

Sair is mainly the festival of Kangra, Bilaspur, Mandi, Solan and Shimla districts of Himachal Pradesh. 

This festival is celebrated to rejoice the old traditions of preparing themselves to face the coming harsh winter. This festival marks the end of summers & begining of winters.

As per the tradition, himachalis will harvest their crops and will start stocking foodgrains and firewood for the harsh winter days that are about to come.

Old stories also believes that on this day gods used to return back from the heaven.

Sair is basically celebrated on 16, September every year to mark the end of bad month called as kaala mahina and to open up slots for all the good things such as festivals like Diwali, Dusshera and new marriages or functions.

Every district have their own ways of celebrations but in Kangra district it's celebrated in quite unique & different way..

Here we celebrate sair to mark the end of kharif season. All the harvests are cut and offered to "Sairi Mata".

Preparations for festivity start day before. All the recent harvest such as apricot, walnuts, cucumber, pumpkin, maize, wheat, pomegranate, big lime are collected along with their leaves and kept outside home.

The night before sair early before dawn, a plate is prepared for pooja with each of the seasons harvest is decorated along with Ganesha idol (we always prepare it by hand, every year new) & then we worship all of them and make wishes for prosperity and success.

Brothers use to untie there rakhis on this day and offer them to Sairi Mata.

In the morning as many as 6-7 dishes are prepared, out of which pakodu(fritters), patrodu (Colaccasia Leaves), mithru(sweetened yeast balls), gulgule and bhaturu (fermented bread) are a must have other dishes may vary according to the need.

Then these dishes are shared with the relatives and they in return gives the same dishes they had cooked for festival.

Next day the worshipped vegetables are thrown in the fields with hope of even better harvest next year.

This festival is also celebrated as the reunion among families and relatives after the harsh month of monsoons and heavy rains. On this day newly weds brides can return back to their husbands house after spending one month at their father's home. 

Recently, this festival is getting lost with time due to westernisation & modernization, but still locals celebrate it with same spirit among their families and in villages. 

Locals also use to play games with walnuts among themselves which I had never seen anywhere else. But sadly due to modernization I haven't seen any of these games being played since last 2 decades which is quite heartbreaking.

I really wish such traditions should continue till long ages because these festivities are part of our tradition and provide uniqueness to our culture...

Happy sair again..

#beingpahari

Regards ,

DreamingVet