Yartung

Yartung is perhaps the most famous festival in Mustang and Manang regions and many trekkers try and coincide their trek so that they can witness this festival. It is basically 4 days of debauchery and daredevilry. The main attractions of this festival are archery contest, horse riding and not to forget, lots of drinking! Yartung is celebrated just before the harvest is brought and right after the plantation ends. "Yar" means 'monsoon' and "Tung" means 'end'. So basically it means the end of monsoon. This is the time when the Himali people have more time than ever and decide to make the best use of this boring period. Yartung festival is also famous for the horse racing festival because of the incredible displays of horsemanship by the young lads. The racing of the horse happens bareback or saddled. One race requires the riders to pick a silk scarf from the ground while running on the horseback at full speed. Another competition tests the riders' target skills as they have to throw stones at a target whilst on a horseback at great speeds. The targets represent the evils and obstacles to a prosperous life they say. Archery competitions are also organized along with merrymaking and drinking excessively. It will definitely be a fun festival to witness. Yartung is celebrated on the full moon day of August every year. Here are the predicted dates for the next five years (dates may not be 100% accurate so it is wise to confirm when the festival nears). The given dates are the last days of the 4-day festival: 2017: 7 August, Monday 2018: 26 August, Sunday 2019: 15 August, Thursday 2020: 3 August, Monday 2021: 22 August, Sunday Having said that, different places celebrate Yartung on different dates. The one that is celebrated in the Muktinath region is coincided with the Janai Purnima dates. Have a look at the dates for Janai Purnima in the Janai Purnima placecard.