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Budhi Diwali Festival at Nirmand Village in Kullu in Himachal Pradesh

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Budhi Diwali festival at Nirmand Village in Kullu in Himachal Pradesh is observed from Margashirsha Amavasya for three days. In 2024, Budhi Diwali is on December 1. This is the no moon day in the next month after the Diwali. Also known as Dark Diwali, Budhi Diwali is observed because the villagers here believe that the news of Sri Ram returning to Ayodhya reached late in the remote villages in the region.

Bonfires are lit on the nights of the festival and people sing and dance on stories in the Mahabharata.
Hindustan Times reports 
Pritam Dev, a resident of Nirmand village, said in the district, the festival was celebrated to commemorate the killing of the demons, Dano and Asur, who resided there in form of snakes.
“Buddhi Diwali festival is our rich cultural heritage, which reminds our epic culture of Ramayana, besides adopting modernity in the festival,” said another resident Joginder Shukla.
“According to the ritual, in day time people dance in long chain according to age and outsiders are not allowed to take part in the dance activity” he added. 
During this festival, villagers would make Pahadi cuisines along with mixture of wheat grains and bhang. 
Budhi festival is marked by followers of Sage Parshuram who is believed to have lived in Himachal Pradesh to worship Lord Shiva.