Inside Raulane, the rare Kinnaur festival where men become spirits and fairies

India’s traditions change almost as often as the terrain does, and the mountains take that idea to another level. Up in Kinnaur, tucked inside Himachal’s harsh, cold ridges, the Raulane festival takes place with a kind of mystery you do not see in big, loud celebrations. It has no fireworks and no giant crowds. This one leans into old beliefs - spirits in the forests, fairies in the snowline and men who carry those stories forward for the entire village.

Across the Himalayan belt - Uttarakhand , Himachal, stretches of Jammu & Kashmir and the North-East - people have long believed that unseen beings walk with them. Isolation shaped their customs, and nature dictated their stories. Fairies, guardians, and wandering spirits aren’t fantasy here; they’re part of everyday memory. Also Read