KATHMANDU, March 28: The Newar community of Kathmandu Valley celebrates Pahanchahre today as one of their biggest festivals after Dashain. Various organizations across the country are hosting programs to mark the occasion.
People also call this festival Pasachahre. In the Newari language, "Pahā" means guest, while "Pasa" means friend. "Chahre" refers to the fourteenth day in the lunar calendar. Cultural experts note that since people eat garlic as the main food during this festival, some refer to it as the "Garlic Festival."
The Newar community in Kathmandu celebrates this festival with the same enthusiasm as Dashain and Tihar. On this day, children, young people, and the elderly wake up before sunrise and visit temples such as Bhadrakali, Raktakali, Shwetakali, and Kankeshwari, as well as shrines dedicated to Bhairav and Ganesh, to offer prayers and worship until noon. In the afternoon and evening, families gather at home and enjoy a variety of traditional dishes.
Shrawan Krishna Chaturdashi/Gathe Mangal festival being celebra...
People mainly eat Samay Baji during Pahanchahre, which includes beaten rice, black-eyed peas, eggs, bara (lentil patties), greens, pickles, potatoes, fish, and soybeans, among other items. In various places, they celebrate the festival with Khats Jatra, where they carry deities' chariots in a procession. On the first day of the festival, devotees worship various Shakti Peeths in the morning and perform rituals in the evening to honor Lord Mahadev, who, according to legend, once hid in fear of Bhasmasur.
People follow the tradition of worshiping an image of Lord Mahadev by burying it underground, calling it Luku Mahadyah. Families place garlic and yellow, and white radish flowers on the buried Mahadev and perform rituals at home.
During this festival, devotees organize Khats Jatra, carrying the idols of various deities, including Kankeshwari Devi, in a grand procession. On the second day of Pahanchahre, which coincides with Ghode Jatra, families feed children up to two years old with Mara: Ja, a special dish that includes Chaurasi Byanjan (84 varieties of food). They believe this ritual keeps children healthy and protects them from evil spirits.
On the final day of Pahanchahre, devotees perform the ritual of colliding deity chariots at Asan on Sunday afternoon. People wearing red, blue, and yellow caps and t-shirts gather at the main square of Asan. Devotees carrying the chariots of Bhadrakali (Lumri Ajima) and Kankeshwari (Chamunda Kang Ajima) exchange ceremonial lamps, a tradition locals call "Dya Lwakegu."
In the past, devotees organized seven chariot processions for Dya Lwakegu at Asan, but in recent times, only the chariots of these two goddesses take part. While three chariots are involved, two belong to Bhadrakali (Lumri Ajima) and one to Kankeshwari (Chamunda Kanga Ajima). Despite being called a chariot-colliding ritual, the chariots do not physically collide. People wearing red, blue, and yellow attire gather at Asan's main square to witness and participate in the festivities.