Chilla, Punjab

Diwali

The village has a unique tradition of celebrating Diwali festival a day after its actual date.This tradition is being followed in the village generation after generation for over many decades. There is a story behind this tradition.The story is that the village peasants used to gather their animals /Livestock at a common point in the village.The animals so gathered was called chauna(Punjabi:ਚੌਣਾ) in local dialect.Many decades ago once on the day of Diwali when people were preparing for worship for the festival they got the news that their animals have run away to some unknown place.All the male fellows of the households of village left their houses in search of their animals.Their women folks also decided not to worship in absence of their male counterparts.hen the adult males of the villages returned home along with their animals it was past midnight and too late to celebrate the festival.Moreover the villagers perceived that the Diwali day is not good for them as that day their animals left them.Since then, the villages are celebrating Diwali a day after the usual date.