KATHMANDU, Dec 15: On the full moon day of Margashirsha Shukla, the Kirat community is celebrating the Udhauli festival today as a tribute to ancestors and in honor of nature.
On the occasion of Udhauli, the Yakhas of the Kirat community celebrate ‘Chasuwa’, the Sunuwars celebrate ‘Pholsayadar’, the Rais celebrate ‘Udhauli Sakela’, and the Limbu people observe ‘Chasok Tangnam’. Kirtikumar Dumi Rai, a researcher on Kirat culture, mentions that although different ethnic groups within the Kirat community call the festival by different names, it is collectively known as Udhauli.
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The Kirat community celebrates the Udhauli festival as a day to offer the harvested crops to their deities, seek permission for food, and remember their ancestors. During the time of sowing crops, the Kirat community observes the Ubhauli festival.
Performing land worship, both men and women of the Kirat community are celebrating the festival today, dressed in traditional attire and participating in various ‘sili’ (dances). Sano Hattiban in Lalitpur is considered a historical and religious site from the Kirat era. Today, the Kirat festival is being celebrated there with special rituals and worship.
After the worship, it is customary for people to engage in entertainment by dancing the ‘Sakela Sili’ and ‘Chyabrung’ according to their traditions. After performing the ‘Ubhauli’ worship on the full moon day of Baisakh, the Kirat people observe the ‘Udhauli’ worship today, symbolizing the descent from the upper regions to the lower ones. This practice is also considered in alignment with environmental sustainability, as explained by cultural researcher Rai. The process of descending during the winter and ascending to the mountain top during the summer is regarded as the observance of the ‘Udhauli’ and ‘Ubhauli’ festivals.
During Ubhauli, prayers are offered for good farming, while during Udhauli, thanks are given to ‘Sakela’ (Bhume) for a successful harvest.
