Himachal’s Raulane Festival: A 5,000-year-old festival that celebrates mystical fairies
Far from the madding, in the laps of the mighty Himalayas, lies the beautiful Kinnaur district. In winters, the place turns into a snowland but also tests people’s resilience as the wind sharpens to a blade, and silence settles over the valleys like a second skin. But locals believe this silence is guarded. They believe in the existence of celestial fairies known as the Saunis. These celestial fairies of Himalayan lore are believed to come down from their palaces and walk the frozen paths of these villages. These fairies are the protectors. The fairies guide and stay until the harshest winter days are over! And in the honour of these guiding and protecting fairies, villagers celebrate a unique festival called Raulane.Let’s have a look:A festival where men pretend to be married
Raulane is one lesser-known festival of Himachal. It starts with an interesting announcement:“Two men will be “married.”Well not two men get married seriously but as symbolic partners who embody the spirits themselves. One becomes Raula, meaning the “groom” and the other becomes the Raulane, the “bride.”Completely covered facesAnother unique fact about the festival is the faces of the people remain wrapped in heavy Kinnauri woollens. Not any ordinary but the kind woolen that fights heavy Himalayan frostbite! Sounds quite mystical, right? All the faces remain hidden behind masks and the hands too vanish into thick gloves. These woolens and jewel-laden shawls along with decorated headpieces turn these people into ritual figures. A blurred version somewhere between human and divine. In a region where the cold makes the mountains feel alive, this disguise is not just theatre — it is a gateway. Villagers believe the pair becomes a vessel, a messenger, a bridge to the Sauni spirits or fairies.The slow dance and the walk to Nagin Narayan TempleOnce fully decorated, the Raula and Raulane slowly walk to the heart of the village inside the Nagin Narayan temple, a centuries old temple that holds immense importance for the villagers. People gather here to watch the couple dance, a deliberate slow dance. It is a mystical spectacle. Just soft movements and no leaps or dancy leaps.As per locals, this dance is a channel between worlds. A silent doorway where humans speak not with words, but with devotion. For the villagers, this is the time when heaven comes closer to earth. Not many must be aware of the fact that the land of Kinnaur is also home to one of the world’s oldest continuous civilisations. The culture and people here have survived avalanches, invasions and migrations. We can’t ignore the stubborn silence of lsnow.What makes Raulane unique and remarkable
It is important to note here is the fact that men who wear the masks do not perform for tourists but for their ancestors, cattle, family, crops and their community. For their guiding fairies or Saunis who, they believe, will return to bless the village with warmth, safety, and abundance.Looking at these centuries-old festivals still being celebrated without any plastic decor, no glamour, and no artificial light shows the beauty of simplicity, home products (wool), music, and above all, faith and belief.In a world rushing forward, this festival is a reminder that some stories are too sacred to abandon and that traditions survive not because they are ancient, but because they still make sense.
