Maharjan made all the preparations for the festival a day in advance. She bought and kept a bucket of small beans soaked to distribute it to revelers who would pass by her door the next morning.
But unlike in the previous years, more than half of her offerings remained untouched on Sunday
"I am pretty disappointed to find my alleys empty on this auspicious day. I don't understand where all the children have gone?" said Maharjan.
Gaijatra is marked to pay homage to the departed souls. Families who have lost their dear ones offer beans and other cooked food items to people in processions that traditionally pass by the homes where someone has died in the past. At least one member from the family of deceased joins the procession of merrymakers.
The festival is celebrated in similar manner in Patan, Basantapur and Bhaktapur.
Sushma Rimal, a local tea shop owner in Patan made similar observation. The muted celebrations and a Gaijatra shorn of joviality had turned off her mood since early morning.
"Streets and alleys teemed with people and kids wearing funny garbs and reverberated with traditional music. But nothing like that happened this year. It felt like the zeal surrounding Gaijatra has ebbed and I don't feel right about it," said Rimal.
But those who formed part of the Gai Jatra processions had a reason to stick to the main streets and avoid narrow alleys.
In several alleys in Patan where quake-hit houses stand vulnerably, the annual procession of Gai Jatra has been cancelled this year. Many houses in Patan are propped up with wooden stands while mild aftershocks are still being felt.
Out of around 8,844 human casualties in the earthquake, almost 2,000 were Kathmandu valley residents.
According to Kiran Man Pradhan, chairperson of Mangal Tole Sudhar Samiti, Patan, "We cannot risk allowing massive crowds of people to pass through the alleys where damaged and cracked homes stand vulnerably," said Pradhan.
Pradhan further shared that the second day Gai Jatra, or Mathiya, has also been shortened compared to previous celebration.
"If we follow our custom, the whole procession will take at least 8-10 hours to complete. But this year it will take only four hours," said Pradhan.
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