The Raulane festival is a sacred and ritualistic dance festival held annually in Kinnaur valley in Himachal Pradesh, India. It is celebrated to mark the end of the winter season and as a farewell to the mythical mountain fairies, called Saunis and considered guardian spirits, for protecting lower lands before returning to upper meadows (called Kanda) at the beginning of spring.
The tradition is believed to be 5,000 years old. It features two men portraying Raula and Raulane as groom and bride respectively who wear handcrafted masks and perform devotional dances to honor the saunis.
While the festival is typically an annual tradition, it is suspended during times of drought.
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