KATHMANDU: The Kirat community is celebrating the Udhauli festival today on the occasion of Margashirsha Shukla Purnima, honoring their ancestors and expressing gratitude to nature.
Different groups within the Kirat community observe the festival under various names: the Yakkha celebrate Chasuwa, the Sunuwar observe Pholasyadar, the Rai mark Undhauli Sakela, and the Limbu celebrate Udhauli.
Three days ago, the Limbus began the Chasok Tangnam festival, and today marks the first day of their joint celebration of Udhauli Sakela. According to Kirat culture researcher Kirti Kumar Dumi Rai, although the festival is known by different names among Kirat subgroups, it is broadly recognized as Udhauli.
The festival is celebrated when crops ripen, symbolizing gratitude for a good harvest. Offerings are made to deities, permission is sought to consume the new grain, and ancestors are remembered. During the planting season, Kirat communities celebrate Yawa or Ubhauli.
For the Bhumi Puja, Kirat men and women gather early in the morning, dressed in traditional attire, performing the rice dance to the beat of the Chhyabrung drum (traditional drum). While rituals remain similar across groups, each community uses its own language to name the celebration.
The Sano Hattiban in Lalitpur is considered a historic Kirat-era pilgrimage site, and celebrations there are held with special significance. The Limbus worship Yumasamang and Thewasamang, while Kirats revere Tagera Ningwaphumang, an unseen, formless divine force, which is why no idol or statue is used during worship.
After the rituals, participants celebrate with traditional dances such as the Chandi, Chhyabrung, and Dhol dance. Cultural programs and traditional sports competitions are also organized.
According to Rai, the Kirat people who celebrate Ubhauli on Baisakh Shukla Purnima descend to lower altitudes during Undhauli, symbolizing seasonal migration for environmental balance. The festivals represent the transition from warmer months to winter and express gratitude to Sakela (the Earth) for a bountiful harvest.
The significance of Undhauli parallels festivals like Dhanya Purnima of the Khas Arya community and Yomari Punhi or Yomari Purnima of the Newar community, festivals that celebrate the new harvest by offering first grains to the deities. The government has reinstated public holidays for this occasion, and today is observed as a national holiday.
Comment