In Sammoo village, nestled 25 km from Hamirpur’s district headquarters in Himachal Pradesh, Diwali passes with no lights, no noise, and no festivities. Unlike the rest of the country, which celebrates the festival of lights with zeal, the people of Sammoo shroud their homes in darkness and silence. For generations, the villagers have avoided Diwali out of respect and fear for a curse cast by a distraught woman who committed sati on this very festival long ago.
Legend has it that a distraught woman, who committed Sati on Diwali after learning of her husband’s demise, cursed the villagers. Since then, Diwali has been a day like any other in Sammoo, with houses remaining dark and devoid of lights and crackers.
The villagers believe that any celebration would invite misfortune, disaster, and deaths. Speaking with PTI, Pooja Devi, Bhoranj panchayat pradhan said, “Even if the villagers settle outside, the curse of the woman won’t leave them.” “Some years back, a family who had moved away was preparing some local dishes for Diwali. Their house caught fire out of nowhere,” she shares.
To this day, villagers only light a diya at the sati site to honor the woman’s memory but avoid all other celebratory customs.
“We’re warned that anything festive a single cracker or a special dish will bring disaster,” Veena, another resident, said to PTI. “For hundreds of years, people have refrained from celebrating Diwali. On the day of Diwali, if a family even by mistake bursts crackers and makes dishes at home, then disaster is sure to happen,” she added.
Veena and other villagers say that elders’ warnings have kept the Diwali tradition firmly grounded in fear. A village elder, who has witnessed over 70 Diwali without celebrations, recounts instances where attempts to observe the festival resulted in misfortune. His stories of past attempts to celebrate and the consequent misfortunes—are shared widely, reinforcing a community belief that disregarding the curse invites calamity.
Efforts to break the curse have been made over the years, with villagers performing havan-yagya in hopes of reversing their fate. But each attempt has been unsuccessful, only furthering the villagers’ resolve to adhere to their traditions. “The belief keeps us together, even if it keeps us from celebrating,” says Veena, reflecting on the community’s collective memory that binds them to this custom.
(With inputs fron PTI)