KATHMANDU, August 23: Yartung festival is one of the most important festivals for the people of Baragaun Muktichhetra Rural Municipality of Mustang district. It is celebrated by the ethnic Gurungs and Thakuri people, who reside in the region. The day marks the start of the winter season and locals in various settlements inside the municipality gather to celebrate and enjoy the festival. 

According to Tsering Nogtuk Gurung (Prem Prasad), a social worker and tourism entrepreneur from Baragaun Muktichhetra Rural Municipality, as many as 19 villages used to gather in Muktinath to celebrate the Yartung festival in the past. The number has decreased to just three villages over time. “Yartung is one of the major festivals for the Gurung and Thakuris of Khinga, Jharkot and Ranipawa. They gather in Muktinath to celebrate the end of the summer, wear nice clothes, ornaments and make merry among themselves,” Gurung said.

The local residents entertain themselves with some serious nail-biting horse races. In another event, horse riders compete to grab a Khata (silk scarf) from the ground while still riding the charging horse. Other events include a football competition and archery between teams and individuals from various villages. Cash prizes are awarded to the winners in such competitions. 

According to Chepten Gurung, a local tourism entrepreneur, the tradition dates back centuries and is still followed today. “Yartung is celebrated to mark the end of the summer season after finishing their field works. People celebrate together, have fun, and ride horses. It is a tradition that has been followed for centuries and is considered identity of our culture,” Chepten said. “Football matches, archery and horse races were not done in the old days, but they were added later to make the younger generation participate in the tradition and pass it on.” 

However, important festivals like Losar, Dachyanng (archery festival), and Yartung (horse festival) have been left to the formalities for the past two years due to the risk of COVID-19 across the country. The ongoing pandemic has badly affected the celebration of festivals, economy, and tourism inside the district.

“People have been asked to avoid large gatherings and celebrate festivals only for formality in small numbers,” Gurung said. “This year, the festival has been celebrated only for formality by worshipping the gods and lighting oil lamps in the temples for the prosperity of the region by a few members from Khinga, Jharkot and Ranipuwa. The same was done the previous year during the festival,” Gurung informed Republica. 

Prior to the pandemic, every member from a family above the age of 18 and below the age of 60 were allowed to participate in a horse riding ceremony to worship the deities. Despite the region being considered as the ‘hidden kingdom of Nepal,’ the tourism sector was crippled due to the outbreak of the virus as nationwide lockdown and prohibitory orders were enforced by the government to contain further spread of the COVID-19.

“Mustang is favoured by both international and domestic tourists for their travel destinations. The region is famous not only among hikers and adventure seekers but for the religious aspects it holds as well,” Gurung said. “Many domestic and international tourists used to arrive before the pandemic to witness the ‘Yartung’ celebration. The day of Yartung is also an auspicious day for the Hindus, who arrive in Mustang to visit the Muktinath Temple.” Gurung said. However, the sites have been shut down and the economy has halted due to the omnipresent risk of COVID-19.

As many as 4,116 trekkers visited Mustang in 2018 and 3,739 in 2019. The number was reduced to just 62 in 2020, according to the statistics by the National Tourism Board (NTB). The outbreak of the pandemic has seriously affected the economy and tourism industry. 

“The pandemic has affected every industry and business sector. The ban on public movements has seriously affected the tourism industry as well. We can only hope for the situation to improve in the upcoming days and properly celebrate the next Yartung festival,” Chepten said.

The government has currently lifted the prohibitory order up to some extent across the country. However, the disregard of safety and health protocols as well the rise in daily infection cases has accelerated the risk of a third wave. So far, 13 percent of the country’s population have received their second dose of COVID-19 vaccine. Mustang has recorded 10 deaths from COVID-19 so far.

The district has implemented strict protocols to control the spread of contagious diseases since then. “The second wave of the virus took many lives from the district. The fear of contracting the virus led the people to shut down their businesses and confine themselves inside their homes,” Gurung said.

In addition, Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba had announced plans to vaccinate 33 percent of the population by mid-September. Earlier, Mustang became the second district inside the country to administer COVID-19 vaccines to every citizen above the age of 18. 

“Health is more important than wealth. Money can be earned again if we live till tomorrow, but the virus must be contained. Citing the risk of COVID-19, the government has directed to close religious sites across the country as well,” he said. “We can only hope the vaccines are enough to repel the virus from spreading again or else the future looks very bleak,” he added. 

Likewise, Chepten hopes for a grand Yartung celebration in the upcoming year as the festival could not be enjoyed traditionally due to the ongoing pandemic. “Citing the current situation, the government has accelerated vaccination campaigns to the masses, introduced new policies and awareness programs.  People have started to line up for vaccines and are becoming aware of the virus and the way it spreads. If this goes on, everything can return to normal soon,” he said.

Meanwhile, a small number of people were gathered in temples on the occasion of Janaipurnima across the country on Sunday. Earlier, the Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP) had urged people to avoid large gatherings and celebrate important festivals just as formality, citing the risk of a third wave of COVID-19. So far, 10,509 people have succumbed to COVID-19 in Nepal.

(With inputs from Kesang Thokya Thakuri)

 
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