KATHMANDU, Aug 4: Amid the heightened fears of the novel coronavirus disease, this year’s Gaijatra was celebrated without much fanfare in Sankhu, Kathmandu.
Bereaved relatives went round the city with cows in memory of their deceased ones without forming large crowds.
'Virtual Gaijatra Pride Event' concludes
Gaijatra, a traditional festival of cows, is observed in Nepal mainly in the Kathmandu Valley with fun, humor, and much fanfare.
During the festival, people of all ages impersonating cows and lunatics go around the city, wearing odd costumes to commemorate those who died during the past year. The bereaved families offer fruits, bread, beaten rice, curd, and money to those participating in the procession including the cows.
This festival is believed to have started during the reign of King Pratap Malla, who, in a bid to console his queen grieving the death of her son who died due to smallpox, ordered his people to organize a program full of humor and satires with various comic postures.
