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FESTIVAL CALENDAR · SIKKIM · 011

Festivals in Sikkim.

11 festivals across Sikkim — organised by month.

February

Losar

Gangtok

Tibetan Buddhist New Year — masked Cham dances at monasteries, ritual offerings, butter sculptures, community feasting, and monastery rituals across Sikkim and Arunachal.

Dubdi Monastery Festival

Yuksom

Annual festival at Dubdi Monastery, the oldest monastery in Sikkim (established 1701), located above Yuksom. Features Buddhist rituals and celebrations marking the Buddhist calendar with prayers performed by monks.

Losar (Tibetan/Sikkimese New Year)

Gangtok

The Tibetan New Year is celebrated across Gangtok with monastery rituals, Cham dances, traditional food, and community gatherings.

May

Saga Dawa

Gangtok

The holiest month in the Tibetan Buddhist calendar. Monastery pujas, sacred Cham dances, circumambulation of sacred peaks, and the dramatic unfurling of the Thangka at Rumtek.

June

Saga Dawa

Gangtok

The holiest Buddhist festival marking Buddha's birth, enlightenment, and parinirvana. Devotees circumambulate monasteries and release caged birds.

Saga Dawa

Pelling

Buddhist faithful from the region gather at Pemayangtse Monastery for prayers, butter lamp offerings, and circumambulation on this sacred day.

August

Pang Lhabsol

Gangtok

A grand festival unique to Sikkim celebrating the guardian deity Kanchenjunga with the spectacular Warrior Dance performed by monks in elaborate costumes.

Pang Lhabsol

Pelling

Celebrated at Pemayangtse Monastery near Pelling with sacred warrior dances honouring Mount Kanchenjunga as the guardian deity of Sikkim.

Tendong Lho Rum Faat

Namchi

Lepcha festival commemorating Mount Tendong's protection of ancestors during 40 days of continuous rain. Grand celebrations held in Namchi with a trek from Ravangla/Damthang up Tendong Hill, cultural performances, and local cuisine.

September

Pang Lhabsol

Namchi

Festival honoring Mount Khangchendzonga, the guardian deity of Sikkim. Celebrated at Samdruptse Monastery in Namchi with masked Cham dances, religious ceremonies, and fireworks. Commemorates the consecration of Khangchendzonga and the Treaty of brotherhood among Lepchas and Bhutias.

November

Mahakala Dance (Ralang Monastery)

Ravangla

Annual masked dance performance at nearby Ralang Monastery celebrating the deity Mahakala. Part of Tibetan Buddhist festival traditions.

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