Excelsior Correspondent
LADAKH, Jan 18: People of Kargil celebrated Mamani, the seasonal Ethnic Food Festival and the Traditional Food Festival of Purig, to observe the end of winter and start of new season.
On this occasion, people of Kargil prepare traditional dishes like Thukpa, Popot (Grain Soup), Hrtsrap Khur (Yeast Bread), Markhur, Azoq (Skinn & Kabchey) (Puri), Poli (Pane Cakes of Buck Wheat), Curd, Suggoo (Kash or Pachae) etc. With all the dishes they gather at a specific place (Changrah).
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According to myth, there was a tradition of a small Mamani called (Maqsoomi Mamani) which was celebrated on the same day at the dawn, by lighting a fire in the courtyard of every household which has been stopped by the society now.
There is another tradition related to this festival which still exists. On this day, a gift of every dish is sent to the house of those woman members who were married to other places.
The history of the celebration of this festival in Ladakh is dated before Buddhism reached there. At that time, people used to worship spirits called Lha and that time the tradition was that whatever dish, one prepares at his home, they had to bring out a quantity of each item on this day in the name of the dead spirit.
According to Mohammad Ilyas Ansari of Hundermo Brok, this festival can be a major attraction for the tourist which can attract them to Kargil in this lean season.
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