Open Access Open Access  Restricted Access Subscription Access

Understanding the Importance of Food Festivals: The Case of Mamani, the Ethnic Food Festival of Ladakh, India


Affiliations
1 High Mountain Arid Agriculture Research Institute, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST-K), Leh 194 101, India
2 Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Kargil-I, SKUAST-K, Kargil 194 103, India
3 Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Zanskar (Kargil-II), SKUAST-K, Kargil 194 302, India
 

The present study aims to give a comprehensive picture of Mamani, the sole ethnic food festival of Ladakh, India. A total of 40 people, selected at random, were involved in the interviews and discussions after receiving their prior consent. The annual Mamani festival promotes the preparation and consumption of traditional Ladakhi foods. It indicates the end of the harsher part of the winter season and is also considered a tribune for showcasing the communal and social harmony of the region. This festival will boost winter tourism in Ladakh. It will also be a helpful tool in the introduction of local foods at Anganwadi centres and schools. In light of modernization, this time-tradition that has started to fade needs to be revived on priority.

Keywords

Ethnic Food Festival, Fating, Mamani, Tsabskhur.
User
Notifications
Font Size

  • Humbert-Droz, B. and Dawa, S., Biodiversity of Ladakh: Strategy and Action Plan, Sampark, New Delhi, 2004.
  • Hussain, A., Ahmad, S. R. and Kanwar, M. S., Characterization of Ladakhi churpe enriched with apricot and spinach. Indian J. Dairy Sci., 2022, 75(3), 215–224.
  • Khan, K. S., Mamani. In Qadim Ladakh-tarikh-wa-tamaddun, Kacho Publishers, Leh Ladakh, 1987, pp. 599–600.
  • Shakspo, N. T., The significance of Kuksho in the cultural history of Ladakh. In Proceedings of the Fourth and Fifth International Colloquia on Ladakh, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, 1995.
  • Bhasin, V., Social change, religion and medicine among Brokpas of Ladakh. Ethno Med., 2008, 2(2), 77–102.
  • Cardif, M. K., Preliminary remarks concerning solar observation, solar calendars, and festivals in Ladakh and the western Himalaya. In Proceedings of the Seventh Colloquium of the International Association of Ladakh Studies. Universitat Ulm/Ulmer Kulturanthropologische Schriften, Ulm, 1997.
  • Vohra, R., Ethnographic notes on the Buddhist dards of Ladakh: the Brog-Pa. J. Soc. Cult. Anthropol., 1982, 107(1), 69–94.
  • Gupta, R., The importance of being Ladakhi: affect and artifice in Kargil. Himalaya, 2013, 32(1), 43–49.
  • Aggarwal, R., Beyond Lines of Control: Performing Borders in Ladakh, India, Duke University Press, Durham, 2004.
  • Gulistan News, A special coverage on Mamani festival, 2018.
  • Hussain, A., Spaldon, S. and Tundup, P., Traditional food systems of Changthang, Ladakh. Indian J. Tradit. Knowl., 2022, 21(3), 625–636.
  • Hussain, A., Dawa, S. and Akbar, P. I., Solar apricot dryers and drying processes in the high altitude cold-arid Ladakh region of India. Int. J. Ambient Energy, 2013, 35(4), 180–185.
  • Hussain, A., Akbar, P. I. and Lamo, K., Apricot drying: preservation technique currently practiced in Ladakh, India. Stewart Postharvest Rev., 2012, 3(1), 1–6.

Abstract Views: 83

PDF Views: 62




  • Understanding the Importance of Food Festivals: The Case of Mamani, the Ethnic Food Festival of Ladakh, India

Abstract Views: 83  |  PDF Views: 62

Authors

Anwar Hussain
High Mountain Arid Agriculture Research Institute, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST-K), Leh 194 101, India
Nazir Hussain
Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Kargil-I, SKUAST-K, Kargil 194 103, India
Shabber Hussain
Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Zanskar (Kargil-II), SKUAST-K, Kargil 194 302, India

Abstract


The present study aims to give a comprehensive picture of Mamani, the sole ethnic food festival of Ladakh, India. A total of 40 people, selected at random, were involved in the interviews and discussions after receiving their prior consent. The annual Mamani festival promotes the preparation and consumption of traditional Ladakhi foods. It indicates the end of the harsher part of the winter season and is also considered a tribune for showcasing the communal and social harmony of the region. This festival will boost winter tourism in Ladakh. It will also be a helpful tool in the introduction of local foods at Anganwadi centres and schools. In light of modernization, this time-tradition that has started to fade needs to be revived on priority.

Keywords


Ethnic Food Festival, Fating, Mamani, Tsabskhur.

References





DOI: https://doi.org/10.18520/cs%2Fv125%2Fi1%2F73-78