Kandali: The festival that celebrates a flower that appears every 12 years
There are several festivals around the world that are dedicated to flowers. For instance, Floralia in Italy celebrates the Roman goddess of flower Flora and summons her to protect their harvests and blossoms. Similarly, the Spanish and Latin American people observe Feria de las Flores, often deemed as the world’s biggest flower festival. Then there’s of course the three-day festival called “Phool Waalon Ki Sair” or the Procession of Florists that is conducted by flower sellers in the Mehrauli region of India every September.
We also have another regional Indian festival called Kandali that happens once every twelve years in Uttarakhand. Also known as the Kirji festival, Kandali is a flower festival commemorated by three tribes of Uttarakhand’s Pithoragarh district: Rungs, Bangbanis and Joutiya (Jainila). They celebrate the blooming (and eventual destruction) of the Kandali flower that appears once every twelve years. So, it coincides with the Kandali’s blossom that takes place somewhere between August and October in the Chaundas Valley. Kandali was last celebrated in 2011, which means 2023 will have its next celebration.
Kandali commemorates the victory of the locals over an invader
If you are familiar with Indian history, you might know about general Zorawar Singh Kahluria who was the military head of the Dogra Rajput ruler, Gulab Singh of Jammu. In fact, he was the one responsible for bringing Ladakh and Baltistan under the Hindu Rajput rule in the 19th century. But legend has it that he wasn’t satisfied with the region already under his control and wanted to expand it. So, he and his army attacked the Pithoragarh region and other parts of the present-day Uttarakhand around 1841. But in those days, these tribes were extremely self-sufficient and knew ancient warfare tactics. Long story short, when Zorawar Singh’s soldier were returning along the local River Kali after having looted and destroyed the villages, they often took shelter in the Kandali plantations. However, soon they caught the eyes of female reapers who resisted. They also attacked them with farming tools, which literally sent the enemy packing. In fact, this victorious lore is often re-enacted during today’s festival celebrations.
The curse of Kandali
There’s another legend surrounding this flower festival. It is believed that a young boy of the Rung tribe died after applying the Kandali plant’s paste on his wound. Hearing this, his mother, full of rage and grief, cursed the plant and requested other Rung women to help her uproot all the plants once they reached full bloom, once every twelve years. The goal was to ensure that no other child would use it by mistake. But as fate would have it, the Kandali didn’t get destroyed entirely and kept returning every dozen year. So, it’s no wonder that the tradition of ruining the shrubs following its blooming period continues till date.
The flower is kept alive for 24 hours after it blossoms and then the women of the tribes come together and perform a victory dance while on their way to ripping it off the ground. They carry a tool named ‘ril’ and utter war cries while attacking the bushes. The men and children follow them with swords and shields and help them in this activity. Once they are done, they return with a few Kandali remains as remnants of war. Later on, these flower remains are mixed with rice, and half of them are consumed as part of a feast, while the other half is tossed into the sky. It symbolises the bravery and victory of the local women over their enemies forever. Interestingly, Kandali is believed to be the harbinger of ill omen and misfortunes.
Kandali and the king
Local folklores also narrate the tale of a king whose lifespan was somehow linked with the Kandali flower. As it happened, with every blossom of Kandali, his lifespan would decrease. Knowing this, the locals took it upon themselves to destroy the Kandali plants before the flowers could even bloom. After they did so, they rejoiced and celebrated the long life of their king, by decorating the entire region, donning traditional attire and praying to Lord Shiva (deemed as the protector of the mountains) for their welfare. They also tied white strips of cloth around holy trees as a sign of eternal life. All these rituals are followed till date alongside feasts, music and dance.