India is a land of festivals. In every corner of India festivals are celebrated with great pomp and show. So are festivals celebrated in Ladakh with great joy and happiness. During festive season people from different corners come to Ladakh to celebrate and enjoy the fascinating programmes held during the festivals. Festivals are a way to see the Ladakhi culture and their tradition. There are lots of festivals celebrated in Ladakh.

Hemis Festival

June-July

In Ladakh , the most important festival celebrated is Hemis which is a three day festival and is celebrated with lots of joy and enjoyment. This festival is celebrated in the Hemis monastery. Hemis festival is dedicated to Guru Padmasambhava and occurs in the month of June. In this festival people wear facial marks and perform dramas or plays depicting the life of good and evil.Every 12 years , a religious icon painted or embroidered on cloth especially known as thangka is displayed..

Ladakh Festival

Early September

Ladakh festival is celebrated in Leh . This is a 15 day festival and takes place from 1st to 15 th September every year. This festival is inaugurated by the Jammu and Kashmir Tourism. The main purpose of this festival is to bring out the famous old culture and tradition of Ladakh. Various sports such as polo, archery are conducted in this festival. Besides sports various cultural programs such as folk dance, songs, marks dances by monasteries, beautiful artifacts ect are main attraction of the festival.

Losar Festival

29th January 2006

Losar festival is celebrated in every the eleventh month of the Tibetan calender. This festival is considered as the beginning of the Ladakhi New Year. The duration of this festival is 1 month and occurs in December or January in different years according to Lunar calender. This festival is celebrated by worshipping Gods, deities in Gompas and also in their houses. Devotees perform rituals, offers sacrifices, and chanting ect to praise their Gods. The images of Ibex Deer is considered as the important symbol during Losar festival. This festival brings lots of joy and amusement..

Other Festivals

Other festivals that take place in Ladakh are Lamayuru, which occurs in the month of July . Phiyang is another Ladakhi festival which occurs in the month of July-August.T he main attraction of Phiyang festival is the exhibition of thangka, which is celebrated every year. Tak-thok is another festival of Ladakh which is held after 10 days of Phiyang festival. .