10 Jul 2023 3 min to read
Nepali festivals Chaite Dashain, Chhath Parva, Udhauli Parva offer a vibrant tapestry of traditions. Chaite Dashain celebrates Lord Ram’s victory over evil in a two-day festival filled with temple visits and prayers. While Chhath Parva honors the Sun deity and Chhathi Maiya through holy baths, fasting, and devotion. Udhauli Parva marks the Kirati community’s gratitude for nature with traditional dances. Yomari Punhi, celebrated by the Newar community, involves offering fish-shaped sweets and engaging in masked dances. These festivities showcase Nepal’s diverse cultural heritage and the joyous spirit of celebration.
Chaite Dashain (March/April)
Chaite Dashain is a festival that celebrates Lord Ram’s victory over evil. It lasts for two days. It falls on Chaitra Shukla Ashtami and Chaitra Shukla Navami. People visit Ram and Durga temples, observe fasts, and worship the deities with offerings of fruits and prayers. Some also go on pilgrimages during this time. The second day is known as Ram Navami, which marks Lord Ram’s birthday. On this day, all Ram Temples are filled with devotion and joy as people celebrate with great enthusiasm.
Chhath Parva (October/November)
Chhath Parva is a festival in Nepal that starts in the month of Kartik Shukla Chaturthi. It lasts for four days where four main rituals are performed. They are Nahay Khay, Kharna/Lohanda, Sandhya Argha, and Usha Argha. It involves worshipping the Sun deity and Chhathi Maiya, the sister of the Sun. People take holy baths, keep fasts, and offer prayers to the rising and setting sun. Special rituals and offerings are made, and the festival is especially grand in the eastern Terai region. Chhath Parva is believed to bring blessings of good health and longevity from the sun deity and Chhathi Maiya.
Udhauli Parva/Yomari Punhi (December/January)
Udhauli Parva is a festival celebrated by the Kirati community to welcome the winter season. It takes place in the Nepali month of Poush. During this festival, they express gratitude to Mother Nature for providing a good harvest. One of the highlights is the traditional Sakela dance performed in a circle, accompanied by rhythmic beats from instruments like Jhyamta and Dhol.
In addition, the Newar community celebrates this day as Yomari Punhi on full moon night. Yomari is a special sweet made of rice flour, filled with molasses or khoa, and shaped like a fish. The Newars of the Kathmandu Valley offer the first Yomari to the grain goddess Annapurna as a symbol of the new harvest. In villages like Harisiddhi and Thecho, the festival is celebrated with colorful masked dances.
