Bikhauti

Bikhauti (also called Vishuva Sankranti or Baisakhi in the hills) is celebrated on the first day of the Baisakh month (mid-April) across Uttarakhand. It marks the beginning of the new Hindu solar year. People take holy dips in rivers and visit temples. Large fairs called Bikhauti Melas are organized near rivers and confluences. In Almora, the Syalde Bikhauti fair is particularly famous. Agricultural communities celebrate the end of the rabi harvest season. Traditional foods, folk dances like Chholiya and Jhora, and wrestling competitions are common attractions at the fairs.