The most recent decision made by the Uttarakhand government includes declaring November 12, 2024 as a public holiday, in all schools and colleges in the region. The holiday has been declared for the purpose of celebrating the Igas festival incultural heritage of the country has great significance.
Why Igas Festival is Celebrated
Igas is one of the oldest festival of Uttarakhand which falls 11 days after Diwali. It is the festival that marks the triumphal return of Lord Ram to his kingdom, Ayodhya after 14 years of exile and the news of the same reached Ayodhya late by 11 days. Mainly people of Uttarakhand celebrate this event with lot of enthusiasm and energy in the form of Igas. It is celebrated on Kartik Shukla Ekadashi and is an occasion when families festivals get together to revel themselves in their ethnicity.
Public Holiday for Cultural Preservation
Due to the circumstances, the Igas festival has been officially recognized by the Uttarakhand government as a holiday for school and college going students and their faculty. This falls among the state’s attempts to encourage the retention of cultural heritage in the same manner. In the same manner as other regional festivals like Diwali, Chhath or others, Igas has now started to become institutionalized on the states calendar.
Uttarakhand has 25 general public holidays of this year along with 17 optional holidays which signify the tradion and celebrations of specific areas of the state. This feature of the calendar speaks volumes about the state’s willingness to appreciate the indigenous festivals of the people and in this case the inclusion of Igas festival cannot be overlooked.
Igas and Their Celebrations and Traditions
Igas is followed by several rituals that are traditional by nature. They keep oil lamps (diyas)lite in their homes like Diwali and prepare special sweets and eatables which are taken to neighbors and friends Of the customs observed during this festival, one is to light torches and afterward perform the Bhailo dance is always an entertaining dance for the community members.
The feast plays also community building role and give a chance to younger generation to understand a importance of our traditions. The colourful celebrations are a symbol of continuity of the state’s traditions and the need to preserve such customs.
Cultural Significance of Igas
Igas is very dear to the people of Uttarakhand. To some, it is more than the festival it is a symbol of social culture and history of the region. Now, Igas is celebrated officially through this day to help the government preserve this tradition for generation to come.
