Shabir Hussain/Kargil

People of Kargil have managed to revive more than 35 cuisines that had gone out of their food platter thanks to the annual Mamani festival during which locals celebrate ethnic foods in memory of their ancestors.

The day-long annual Ethnic Mamani Festival was is being organized by the Himalayan Cultural Heritage Foundation (HCHF) in collaboration with village communities and youth associations in the Kargil district of Ladakh for the last several years.

This year’s festival was organized in the historical village of Steyangkung, Barsoo in collaboration with the village Nyarpa committee and collaboration with the new portal Awaz-the Voice.

The Steyangkung village is around 500 years old and people have managed to preserve their traditions. It’s being developed as a heritage village. During the festival, people exchange food with their relatives and neighbours and worship a variety of spirits called Lha. He said the main purpose of the festival was to revive the ethnic foods that were going out of the fashion.

Talking to the media, prominent cultural activist Anayat Ali Shotopa said that Ladakh’s Mamani Festival is rooted in the ancient tradition of giving food to departed family members.

During the festival, people exchange food with their relatives and neighbours and worship a variety of spirits called Lha. He said the main purpose of the festival was to revive the ethnic foods that were going out of the fashion.

In recent years, at least 35 cuisines have been revived. Besides, the festival has also helped in preserving traditional attire, culture, and artifacts.

Dr. Sonam Wangchuk Founder of HCHF said that the best traditional food stalls have been given cash prizes to motivate the participants.

He said it’s encouraging to see VIPs attending the celebrations and their support for the villagers' efforts to revive this significant traditional festival.

Ladakhi Women of the local areas enthusiastically participated n the festival. As such women play a crucial role in preserving culture and traditions.

Dr. Sonam Wangchuk said that the celebration of the festival was started by Anayat Ali Shotopa 6 years back and in the 3rd year HCHF collaborated in organizing the event.

The venue of the festival shifts after every two years from one village to another. The idea behind shifting the venue is to motivate people toward the preservation and promotion of their culture.

Local attending the festival hoped that this will add to the importance of this historical village and attract tourists to the area.

On this occasion, 6 groups of 4 families from each of the villages presented 25 different dishes like Kung, Kapchey, hRchab, Popot, Gangtur, Prapoo, Samik, Gruma, etc, and some 8 varieties of Herbal Products.

Haji Ghulam Mohammad, a local told Awaz-the Voice that he was happy to see the systematic celebration of the festival and the age-old tradition of Mamani in a systemic way.

Besides, traditional utensils and agricultural goods were on display and the village youth also set up a stall on the idea of a Museum they set up in the village.

On this Occasion Himalayan Cultural Heritage Foundation Presented 3 Certificates for 3 different Persons for their outstanding contributions in different fields. This year the certificate was presented to Haji Ghulam Mohammad Styangkung and Mohd Ibrahim (Garba) for their contribution to the preservation and promotion of Cultural Heritage and Ahmad Hussain Ambulance Driver BHR&C for his voluntary service to save precious Life in Ladakh.