|
Entertainment / Festivals |
|||
|
Festivals |
|||
|
PAHAN
CHARHE Pahan Charhe is one of the biggest festivals for the native inhabitants of the Kathmandu Valley. Being an exclusive day of pisach (ghostly spirits), worship is offered to Luku Maha-dyo, an elusive manifestation of the Hindu deity Lord Shiva. The festival marks the defeat of evil spirits and people invite their relatives and friends to join in feasting and merry-making. The streets are filled with families on their way to visit relatives. There is also a seasonal song that is played during Pahan Charhe. In another part of the festival, God- dess Nyeta-maru Ajima, a representation of the female force, is adored at her shrine in Nyeta, near Kathmandu Durbar Square. Twelve masked dancers representing various divinities perform ceremonial dances all through the night. On April 8, the palanquins of various deities are brought to the market square of Asan for a grand finale ceremony, known as the ”crashing of the gods”.
|
GHODA
JATRA
Ghoda Jatra, or the horse festival, consists of colorful pageantgi dominated by horse races at Tundikhiel, the parade ground at the city center. Legend has it that the thundering hooves of the horses keep the unabsolved spirit of Tundi, a ferocious demon, buried under that very ground. In recent years, parachuting, aerobatics, bicycle races, and similar other sports have been included t o add to the thrills and stunts of the traditional horse races. Their Majesties the King and Queen, as well as various state dignitaries and members of the diplomatic corp, attend Ghoda Jatra at the Royal Nepal Army Pavilion. Large numbers of people can be seen gathered at Tundikhel from early in the morning. In the Patan version of the Ghoda Jatra festival, a horse is made to drink liquor and the townspeople chase the intoxicated animal through the city, streets amidst much cheering and clap- ping.
|
||
|
BISKA JATRA
Biska Jarta is Bhaktapur’s greatest festival and goes on for nine days. The festivity starts off with a raucous tug-of-war at the city center between two ”rival” neighborhoods trying to drag the huge, three-storied chariot of Bhairavnath to their own side. On April 12, a ceremonial pole called Yosin is erected on the city outskirts. The two strips of cloth unfurled from the top represent a p air ’ of dead snakes in whose memory the festival has been installed. The legend behind the festival goes like this: There used to be a learned priest who helped repel a Kirati invasion of Bhaktapur with his mystic power. Once, in order to satisfy his wife’s curiosity, the priest agreed to turn into a serpent and gave her some charmed rice with instructions to throw it at him so that he could regain his original form. But when the woman saw the serpent, she was so terrified that she swallowed the rice instead and got herself turned into a Serpent. After realizing that there was no hope of becoming human again, the two committed suicide. The king, after discovering who they actually were, installed a festival to perpetuate their memory.
|
NAVA BARSHA
The official Bikram Era followed in Nepal is accredited to King Bikramaditya who started the solar calendar some two millennium ago. The year 1997 corresponds to 2053-54 of the Bikram Era. The New Year’s Day is an official holiday in Nepal. On this day, devotees throng the Pashupatinath temple in Kathmandu to take a dip in the holy Bagmati river. Devotees also visit other religious; spots and spend the day picnicking. It: is a day to seek blessings from the, family priest and one’s elders as well. Elsewhere in the country, New Year’s Day is marked by pilgrimages to temples, ceremonial dips in holy rivers, and festivities and feasts.
|
||
|
JANABAHA-DYO JATRA The shrine of Janabaha-dyo or Sweta (white) Machhendranath (Buddha of Compassion) is situated in a courtyard in central Kathmandu. Besides the deity’s sacred bathing ceremony in January, the chariot festival is the most important event of the year and it is spread over three days. The image of the deity is put in a tall creaking chariot and dragged in stretches through the streets of Kathmandu accompanied by musical bands. The procession starts at Durbar Marg in front of the Royal Palace and winds through the market squares to end at Lagan, towards the southern end of the old city. When the chariot stops for the night at a specified locality, devotees gather to offer worship and receive flowers from the attending priests as blessings. Groups of women can be seen lighting rows of butter lamps in homage to the deity.
|
RAM NAWAMI The birth anniversary of Lord Ram - the protagonist of the great Hindu epic Ramayana - is known as Ram Nawami. This day sees flocks of devotees crowding Ram shrines throughout the country. The most spectacular event can be seen in Janakpur, a historic city in south-eastern Nepal, which is named after Ram’s father-in-law, King Janak.Various episodes from Lord Ram’s life are enacted in the Janaki temple complex. Marble images of Lord Ram, his consort Sita, and other deities are brought out of their shrines and taken around the city in a colorful procession. People line the streets to pay homage by offering flowers, vermilion, rice, fruits, and coins, and seek blessings from the deities.
|
||
|
MATA TIRTHA
Mata Tirtha is a special day set apart for the reverence of one’s mother, alive or dead. The festival is also known as the day of ”looking upon mother’s face”. On this day, people bow and touch their mother’s feet with their forehead and offer sweetmeats and other gifts in veneration. The mothers in turn bless their offsprings. The markets and streets come alive with shoppers and sweetmeat sellers set up special stalls for the festival. Married daughters can be seen hurrying to their mothers’ houses with loads of goodies. Those whose mothers are no more make a pilgrimage to the Mata Tirtha ponds, about eight km south-west of Kathmandu. There they take holy baths and perform anniversary rituals in honor of the dead.
|
BUNGA-DYO
JATRA Patan breaks out in color, music, dancing, and feasting in this month-long religious revelry, the year’s biggest festival in the city. Bunga-dyo, also known as Rato (red) Machhendranath, is the Buddhist deity of rain and his chariot festival heralds the rice-planting season. The deity’s image is installed in a tall chariot and dragged around the city accompanied by traditional musical bands. The deity’s month-long journey through Patan comes to an end as the juggernaut lumbers into Jawalakhel for the final ceremony. Known as Bhoto Jatra, the auspicious day is determined by astrologers. The festival climaxes with the display of the bhoto, or sacred vest, to the assembled masses.
|
||
|
BUDDHA JAYANTI
Buddha Jayanti commemorates three important events in the Buddha’s life – his birth, enlightenment and nirvana. The Buddha was born as Prince Siddhartha in Lumbini of southern Nepal on this full moon day over 2,500 years ago. And it was on this same full moon day that he attained enlightenment in Bodhgaya and passed away into nirvana at Kusinagar. In the Kathmandu Valley, the festival is also known as Swanya Punhi, or the full moon day of flowers. The main ceremonies take place around the massive stupa of Swayambhu situated atop a hillock to the west of the city center. From early in the morning, devotees can be seen thronging the shrine with musical bands. Offerings of butter lamps, incense and rice are made to the many Buddha images there. Prayer ceremonies are held and Bajracharya priests perform ancient ritual dances. Sacred paubha scroll paintings and Buddha images are put on display. |
|||
