The Newar people say they celebrate Gathe Mangal to bar Ghanta-Karna, a mythological demon, from entering their houses and keep themselves, especially children, safe from diseases. [break]
On the occasion, a variety of traditional foods is cooked by the Newar people. They usually celebrate it within their tol to protect the whole tole-inhabitants.
On the day of the festival, they place beaten rice, rock sugar, blood and lungs of animal, egg, among others, on a small plate and keep it at a road intersection close to their homes.
The Newar people also wear iron rings in their fingers in the faith that the rings will protect them from demons. They also make an effigy of the demon Ghantakarna using straw, which is also called Narkat in Newari language.
And a man from every tole imitates Ghantakarna by painting himself with different colors and roaming the streets and begging for money from all the houses.
At the end of the day, the person imitating Ghantakarna collects everyone´s Narkot and burns them and throws the remains into a nearby river. That person must bath in the river before entering the house. Finally, people eat Samay Baji, a traditional dish of Newar community.
According to culture experts, the Gathe Mangal festival dates back to the Lichhavi period. There are no clear views about how the demon Ghanta Karna looked because it looks like god Bhairab, one of the forms of Lord Shiva. On this day, people also worship lord Nawa-Durga in Bhaktapur.
"We cannot say whether Ghanta Karna was a demon because nothing in the history proves that," said Om Dhouvadel, a culture expert. "Although people claim that the demon used to terrify public by stealing away children, there is no clear proof to support it."
According to Dhouvdel, the face of Ghanta-Karna matches with that of Lord Bhairab and if this festival is held to celebrate the death of the demon then why Nawa-Durga is worshipped on the same day. "There must be some connection between both of the festivals," he said.
While the confusion is still there about the demon Ghanta-Karna, the culture experts also says that there are other impact of celebrating the Gathe Mangal festival.
"On the day, people used to clean their homes and garden, which protect them from snakes or other dangerous creatures," said Indra Mali, another culture expert and critic. "And while burning the Narkat, it emits huge amount of smokes which help to minimize the mosquito and other harmful files."
Related story
Gathe Mangal: A tradition to ward off evil spirits (with photos...
_20231206205910.jpg)
