The Gochi festival, which celebrates the birth of sons in the previous year, is predominantly celebrated in:

Gochi is a festival celebrated in the Lahaul valley of the Lahaul and Spiti district of Himachal Pradesh, especially in the Bhaga valley around Keylong. It is held in February, during the cold winter, when the valley is covered with snow.

Gochi is celebrated by families in which a son was born during the previous year. These families host celebrations and feasts for the whole village, and offer prayers to the local deities for the health, long life and well-being of the child. The festival is celebrated with traditional rituals, songs, dances and the sharing of food and chhang (local beer). An important ritual of the festival is an archery contest, in which the men of the village shoot arrows at a target, often a figure made of snow or a cake made of flour (sattu). The results of the archery are believed to predict whether more sons will be born in the village in the coming year. Offerings are also made to the local deities.

The festival reflects the traditional preference for sons in many rural communities, and it is also a time of community celebration in the long winter months, when the Lahaul valley is cut off from the rest of the state by heavy snowfall. The opening of the Atal Tunnel under the Rohtang Pass in 2020 has given the valley a year-round road link.

The Lahaul valley has a mixed culture, with both Buddhist and Hindu traditions. Other festivals of the region include Halda, a festival of lights in January, similar to Diwali, and Phagli, a festival to welcome spring and the new year.

Why not the other options?

• ✗Sikkim celebrates Buddhist festivals such as Losoong and Saga Dawa.
• ✗Ladakh celebrates festivals such as Losar and Hemis.
• ✗Uttarakhand celebrates festivals such as Phool Dei and Harela.