Much to everyone´s curiosity, the musical arrangement was in fact part of a celebration going on to mark an ancient Newari festival Mataya, also popular as Neku Jatra and Shringa Bheri Jatra. The festival dates back to Licchavi period and is celebrated at Patan, Lalitpur by indigenous Newar community.
The one-day festival shares some similarities with the famous festival Gai Jatra, or the cow festival, which was observed in three districts of Kathmandu Valley on Thursday, says Ram Prasad Amataya, a septuagenarian in Saugal Tole, of Patal. [break]
“Like the Gai Jatra, locals who lost their relatives hold a procession for the departed soul. But unlike the festival, the participants in the procession hold big burning candles and go around the city of Patan and pay homage at each and every Buddhist temples, monasteries, stupas and pagodas praying for the deceased,” he said.
The festival is held every year after the festival Gai Jatra and two days after another festival Janai Purnima.
It is believed that the festival was firstly introduced by a Licchavi King Bala Rajan Dev some 1400 years ago to commemorate his dead relatives. “But later, the festival was improvised by a Malla King, Siddhi Narsingh Malla. He assigned the responsibility of organizing the festival to ten communities of Patan city, turn by turn,” informs Amatya, adding, the responsibilities was assigned only to the communities having better economic status as a hefty amount of cash is required to conduct the festival.
The responsibility has been assigned to Okubahal, Chakra Bahal, Hougal, Ekhalakhu, Bubahal, Ekhache, Kobhahal, Mangalbazar, Saugal and Nawahil communities in the Patan city. Each community gets the chance to organize the festival once in ten years. This year, the festival was held by locals of Saugal Tole.
Though the festival is organized by the locals of Patan, locals living in Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Kritipur throng to Patan and celebrate the festival, says Batsa Gopal Baidya, president of Neku Jatra Mataya festival Organizing Committee.
While the procession went around the city, some locals put on different traditional Newari dresses and funny marks on their face and made funny gestures and danced to entertain the viewers.
Similarly, two groups of traditional musicians went around the city, playing around 15 different local Newari musical instruments like Dha and Doma Khin. The groups also play an instrument Neku, which is made of Buffalo horn.
“It is from the instrument the festival has derived its name, Neku Jatra. We will go to around 32 toles in Lalitpur today and play the instruments,” said Baidya, adding, the musical groups worked hard for around eight months to prepare for the occasion.
Though the procession concluded today, the musical groups will continue to play the instruments for the next four days by going to Buddhist monasteries at Badegau and Swayambhu. “On the last day, a puja will be organized and the Neku Jatra will end formally,” he said.
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