Festival of Kathmandu

Paaha Charhe

This festival is celebrated in between March and April according to the Lunar Calendar. One of the most popular festivals of Kathmandu valley is generally celebrated for 3 days. Paaha literally meaning is the guest and charhe means fourteenth day of lunar fortnight when the festival commences. Inviting friends and relatives to one’s home and honoring them with a feast is one of the highlights of the festival. The celebration is itself a sign of early development of hospitality management in traditional way. It is celebrated with particular eagerness in Kathmandu and consists of various activities including parades, masked dances, horse racing and religious worship held over three days in different places.

On day first people clean their surroundings and take out the stones that are covered as Lord Shiva for a year. Lord Shiva is one of the principal deities of Hinduism that transformer within the Hindu trinity that includes Brahma and Vishnu. And that covered Lord Shiva is known to be Lukumahadya literally means hidden Lord Shiva. It is belief that in early days of creation Lord Shiva gave a power to Bhasmasur, a Demon that anyone that get this Demon’s hand on their head will be converted into ash. To make sure about his power, he wanted to try this to Lord Shiva at first and Lord Shiva went to hide from him. This hidden Lord Shiva is known as Lukumahadya.

Householders perform their devotions to the deity by making offerings of a feast including meat and wine. Rape blooms (लुँबुँ) and radish blooms (वहबुँ) are special offerings of the festival, and are considered to symbolize gold and silver respectively.

At Netah in Kathmandu, sacred masked dances are shown on the stone platform at the street corner. It is known as Netahmaru Ajima Pyakha or Swetkali  Dance. The dance is performed by concerned persons wearing masks representing various deities. The dance starts in the evening and last throughout the night. The historic neighborhood of Netah is also known as Naradevi. On this day culturally all the idols of Lumadi, Bhadrakali,Kankeshwori,Naksha Bhagwoti, Luchubhulu Ajima, Makha Ganedya, Tyanga Ganedya,Nhyakantala ajima and Narsingh Aaju on chariots are brought and take around historic periphery of the Kathmandu along with traditional music and parade of the people.

The main event happens on second day that coincides with Ghode Jatra, the horse festival. According to belief there was a Demon called Gurumapa who was brought by Keshar Chandra (a person lived at Itumbahal, Kathmandu) to carry out the bundle of gold. In return he would feed with a buffalo and two tons of rice to this demon. Still once in a year the inhabitants of Itum Bahal cook food and in the middle of night carry it in huge cauldrons to Gurumapa tree in the Tudikhel parade ground where the demon is said to live. In those times the children and the people were terrorized in Itumbahal by this demon. So Keshar Chandra took this demon to the meadow of Kathmandu city that is known to be Tundikhel today and hid him on a tree behind the leaves. Even then the people were terrorized by him and later when this demon died the dead body decayed and insects and germs were seen on the body. This tree is still in Tudikhel and local people know as a Gurumapa tree. In Nepal Bhasa (Newar language) that kind of insects and germs are called tuo. People were worried about disease that could be caused by these insect and germs in the city so according to the tantric there should be Taleju Goddess’s Horse run on this ground so that these insects and germs would be killed by horse’s foot. In back days they didn’t have pesticide to get rid of from these kinds of insects like we have today. In Newar Language ground is called as khyow . Since there were lots of insects produced from decayed body this ground was called Tuo Daau Khyow . Literally it means insects effected ground in newar language. Later it was called as Tudikhyow and turned into Tundikhel now. Since then people used to make horse of Goddess Taleju free run at this place on this day and Living Goddess Kumari take a view of her horse. Living Goddess Kumari is a human form of Goddess Taleju. Keshar Chandra Bihar in Itumbahal that has been built by same person Keshar Chandra on his own name that proves the person used to live in this place.Things have been changed nowadays, Nepal Army organized horse parade and other activities. The festival Ghode Jatra  is over shadowed by this Army horse parade. But still living goddess Kumari takes a view of parade from the roof of Nepal Airlines Building. Early morning on this day there is event called Mala Jaa Nakegu (special cooked rice) in which children below 2 /3 years will be feed the rice and it is believed that the children who will participate and have rice will be healthy for a year. Another interesting part of this day is Dyah Lwakegu ceremony at Tundikhel parade ground in Kathmandu where portable shrines of the Ajima mother goddesses are brought together.

Various chariots of various goddesses that are installed on portable shrines paraded in their respective localities of Kathmandu. Late at night they are carried on the shoulders of the attendants and assembled at Tundikhel accompanied by musical band. After that the Dyah Lwākegu ceremony is held when the entourages accompanying them exchange flaming torches symbolizing the meeting of the goddesses. This chariots procession of the Ajimā goddesses was started by King Amar Malla in Nepal Sambat 580. On this day people of Kathmandu invites all their relatives and friends and offers good hospitality and celebrate together.

On 3^rd day of the festival concluding event take place in traditional market of the Kathmandu that is Ason. The Chairots of Ajima mother goddesses Lumadhi Ajima, Kanga Ajima and Tebaha Ajima are brought at the market square of Ason for another Dyah Lwakegu ceremony. Prior to the event, the portable shrines are paraded through the streets of Kathmandu escorted by musical bands. The chariots bearers, musicians and followers wear red, blue and yellow caps representing their respective neighborhoods. The processions stop frequently to allow devotees to make offerings to them. During the ceremony participants accompanying the shrines exchange flaming torches as crowds of onlookers fill the market square and round flat bread made of rice flour known as chatanmari are scattered on the chariots from the rooftops of houses around the square.