Dehradun: Igas is a folk festival of Uttarakhand, which will be celebrated with great enthusiasm across the state today. CM Dhami extended his best wishes to the people of the state on the occasion of the Uttarakhandi folk festival. CM Dhami said that the rich folk culture and traditions of Devbhoomi Uttarakhand are our identity. Just as there is a renaissance of cultural pride and heritage across the country, the people of Uttarakhand are also celebrating their folk festival Igas with enthusiasm, faith, and joy.
CM Dhami wrote on X: “Our government has declared a public holiday on Igas festival so that people can connect with their roots and celebrate this folk festival with their families in the traditional manner. On this auspicious occasion, I pray to God for happiness, peace, and prosperity in all your lives.”
What is Igas festival: There is a tradition of celebrating Bagwal and Igas in Uttarakhand. Diwali is called Bagwal here, while another Diwali is celebrated 11 days after Bagwal, called Igas. On the day of Igas, a festival deeply rooted in the mountain folk culture, after cleaning the houses, sweet dishes are prepared and deities are worshipped. Cows and bulls are also worshipped. In the evening, a Bhailo dance is performed in an empty field or barn in the village. Bhailo is a type of torch that is swung around during the dance. Firecrackers are not used on Igas.
Two beliefs are most popular about the Igas folk festival: According to folklore, there are many different stories behind the celebration of Igas, but two are the most popular. The first story is about the brave commander of Garhwal, Madhav Singh Bhandari. In fact, he was the commander of the King of Garhwal who, while fighting the enemy, went beyond the Tibet border. During this time, the festival of Diwali came, but no one in the Garhwal region celebrated Diwali. Exactly 11 days after Diwali, when the brave soldier Madhav Singh Bhandari returned to his province, the festival of Diwali was celebrated with great pomp and show throughout the Garhwal region.
Information about Lord Rama’s return from exile was received late: Another story is very popular regarding the Igas folk festival. It is said that when Diwali was being celebrated to mark Lord Rama’s return from exile, due to the lack of any means of communication in the mountains at that time, people received the news of Lord Rama’s return late. As a result, Diwali is celebrated 11 days after Diwali in the mountains, which is known as the folk festival Igas.
