Celebrating Ubhauli festival, this is the belief

KATHMANDU: MAY 26 – Every year on the full moon day of Baisakh Shukla, the Ubhauli festival is celebrated by the Kirant Rai community.

Kirti Kumar Dumi Rai, who is doing research on the subject, said that there is a tradition of worshiping nature in the land before planting crops. The name Ubhauli is also due to the fact that the people of this community rise from the valley to the hilly region due to the rising heat. The Kirant community believes that wild animals including birds will rise from the full moon of Baisakh Shukla.

It is said that fish in the river also move from the river to the lake to escape the heat. On the day of Margashirsha Shukla Purnima, people who have come to the valley to avoid winter by bringing in crops, start to rise from today. He said that Umbo also means good agriculture, abundance and prosperity. Chandi dance is also danced on the occasion of this festival.

For this reason, the day of Baisakh Shukla Purnima is also called Chandi Purnima. Sakela dance is also danced between different sects of Kirant community. Due to the prohibitory order on Corona Virus infection that started a month ago this year, only certain people have been prepared to perform the ritual.

Kirant Rai Yayokha is preparing to complete the ritual of worship by gathering some people at Sakela in Hattiban of Lalitpur in the capital. The people of Aiselukharka Rural Municipality of Khotang are preparing to celebrate the festival after Jestha 22. The people of Aiselukharka have a tradition of celebrating this festival every year after 22nd of Jestha. Even in the Kirant community, some people celebrates the Ubhauli festival on the 1st of Magh.

Udhauli, on the other hand, celebrates on Shrawan 1. Many people in this community celebrate Ubhauli Baisakh Shukla Purnima and Udhauli festival on Margashirsha Shukla Purnima.