Phool Dei
फूल देईKumaon & Garhwal · the Kumaon and Garhwal hills
What Phool Dei marks
A gentle spring festival that welcomes the new Hindu year and the flowering of the hills. It belongs to children, especially young girls, and is one of the most tender days in the Pahadi calendar.
How it's celebrated
Girls go door to door at dawn scattering fresh flowers, rice and jaggery on each threshold, singing 'Phool Dei, chhamma dei' and wishing every home a year of plenty. Households give them sweets, jaggery and a special rice pudding in return.