HAMIRPUR: People of Sammoo village in Himachal Pradesh‘s Hamirpur district are not celebrating Diwali, a custom they have been following since many years, fearing the curse of a woman who committed Sati on Diwali day.
Village elders have cautioned the younger lot that celebrations would not bode well and invite misfortune, disaster and deaths. Legend goes that, many years ago, the woman had left for her parents’ home to celebrate Diwali. But soon she got the news that her husband, a soldier in the king’s court, had died. The woman, who was pregnant, could not bear the shock and burnt herself on her husband’s pyre. She cursed the villagers that they will never be able to celebrate Diwali.
Sammoo village, located about 25km from Hamirpur district headquarters falls under Bhoranj panchayat. “Even if the villagers settle outside, the woman’s curse doesn’t leave them.
Some years ago, a family from the village, settled far away, were preparing some dishes for Diwali when their house caught fire. The people of the village only worship Sati,” Bhoranj panchayat pradhan Pooja Devi told PTI.
A village elder, who has witnessed over 70 Diwali days without any celebrations, says whenever someone tries to observe Diwali, some misfortune or loss happens and so the villagers prefer to remain indoors. “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,” says another villager Veena.