Winter Evenings in Kashmir: Kangri, Kahwa and Card Games

The first winter evening I spent with a family in Srinagar, the power went out just after sunset. Nobody seemed bothered. The grandmother tucked a kangri, the small wicker basket holding a clay pot of hot embers, under her pheran. Someone lit a lamp. The samovar was already full of kahwa. Within ten minutes, three generations were sitting on thick carpets around a deck of cards, arguing cheerfully about the rules.

Kashmiri winters are long and cold, with temperatures in Srinagar often dropping well below freezing in the coldest weeks. Much of life moves indoors, and the evenings have a rhythm and warmth that visitors rarely see.

Chillai Kalan and the rhythm of winter

The harshest part of Kashmiri winter is called Chillai Kalan, a forty day period that traditionally runs from late December to the end of January. It is followed by two shorter, milder periods, Chillai Khurd and Chillai Bachha. During Chillai Kalan, snow is common, lakes and water pipes can freeze, and days are short.

Households adapt in ways that have been refined over centuries. Families gather in one warm room. Meals become heavier. Visiting relatives and neighbors in the evening is an important part of social life, and conversation, stories and games fill the long hours. If you are thinking of traveling in these months, Kashmir in winter covers practical preparations.

The kangri and the pheran

Two objects define a Kashmiri winter more than any other.

The kangri is such a part of daily life that it appears in proverbs and poetry. It is also treated with care, since embers and wool are a risky combination, and children learn early how to hold one safely.

Kahwa and winter food

No winter evening is complete without kahwa, the fragrant green tea brewed with saffron, cardamom, cinnamon and sometimes almonds. It is served in small cups, often from a copper samovar that keeps it hot for hours. Noon chai, the pink salted tea, is more common in the mornings, while kahwa belongs to the evening and to guests.

Winter meals lean on dried vegetables, preserved during the summer and autumn, along with meat dishes. Dried turnips, aubergines and tomatoes, known collectively as hokh syun, are a traditional part of the winter kitchen. For the great feast dishes, see the Kashmiri wazwan feast.

Games in the warm room

Card games are a fixture of winter evenings in many Kashmiri homes, alongside storytelling, singing and long conversations. Games are usually played for fun, bragging rights or the task of making the next round of kahwa. The older generation often favors traditional games, while younger family members may spend part of the evening on their phones, some following cricket and football scores or checking results on sites like ankertoto, before being pulled back into the circle.

What struck me most was how games bridged generations. Grandparents taught the rules, children bent them and everyone had an opinion. The game was really just a reason to stay together in the one warm room.

The view we disagree with: winter is the wrong time to visit

Many travel guides suggest visiting Kashmir only between spring and autumn, when the valleys are green and the lakes are open. Winter, they say, is too cold, too inconvenient and too quiet.

We think this misses much of what makes Kashmir special. Winter brings snow covered landscapes, skiing in Gulmarg, fewer crowds and a chance to experience the region's hospitality at its warmest, quite literally. The inconvenience is real, with power cuts, road closures and cold rooms, but for travelers who prepare, winter offers a side of Kashmiri life that summer visitors never see.

Stories and songs by the lamp

Before television and phones, and still today when the power fails, winter evenings were filled with stories. Elders told tales of saints, kings, lovers and clever villagers, and many families have their own favorites passed down over generations. Kashmiri poetry, especially the verses of Lal Ded and later Sufi poets, is recited and sung, sometimes accompanied by a tumbaknari drum.

These evenings are also when family history is shared. Children hear about grandparents' journeys, old floods and heavy snows, and how the family came to live where it does. Visitors lucky enough to be invited into such an evening often find that the conversation, more than the cold or the snow, is what they remember most.

Tips for a winter visit

• Pack thermal layers and consider buying a pheran locally. It is the most practical garment you can own there.
• Choose accommodation with reliable heating and ask about backup power.
• Allow extra time for travel, as roads and flights can be disrupted by snow.
• Accept invitations to tea. Winter hospitality is where visitors are most warmly welcomed.

That first powerless evening in Srinagar ended long after midnight, with the lamp burning low and the cards finally put away. It remains one of my favorite memories of Kashmir. More on Kashmiri traditions is in our Culture section.