Yartung Festival

Muktinath is one of the holiest pilgrimage site of both hindu and buddhist pilgrimage people of all over the world. Mustang is very rich in culturally and naturally. Yartung festival is celebrate in the middle mustang especially in muktinath valley and upper mustang( lo manthang) . Now middle mustang people are called bargungwa gurung and thakuri.

In their language, yartung mela means the end of summer, mela means festival. Yartung mela means a festival to send off summer .they celebrated the festival with enthusiasm appreciating the good lives , the summer has brought to them by that time , they have finished harvesting the crops and stored the cereals at home.

Yartung festival is base on lunar Tibetan calendar, especially on the august full moon day or janai purnima day. It is celebration and attraction of horse parade, horse racing , scarf picking from horse riding with wearing colorful dresses, local shyabru dance, singing and various local games. Ridders from surrounding villagers gather and take part in horse festival and a special horse for the god of the yartung is brought out for him to ride.