Phool Dei

Phool Dei (also spelled Phul Dei) is one of the most cherished folk festivals of Uttarakhand, celebrated on the first day of the Hindu month of Chaitra (mid-March). Young unmarried girls go from house to house, placing flower petals and rice flour patterns on doorsteps while singing traditional folk songs. The festival symbolizes the arrival of spring and the blossoming of flowers in the Himalayan valleys. Householders offer the girls jaggery, rice, and coconut as blessings. The phrase "Phool Dei, Chamma Dei" is sung as a blessing for prosperity. The festival lasts for about a month, concluding on Baisakhi.