As most of you already know Nepal
follows a different calendar than the Gregorian calendar so Nepali New
Year falls on mid April instead of 1st of January. Bikram
Sambat or Nepali Calendar or Nepali patro is approximately 56 years and
8½ months ahead of the Gregorian calendar. Unlike Gregorian months, the
lengths of Nepali months are not predetermined, and change from year to
year, varying from 29 days to 32 days. This year starting today is 1st of Baishak, 2069.
There are lots of celebrations for
Nepali New year in Nepal but the most important one is a nine day long
Bisket Jatra is held in Bhaktapur, which is 15 km east of Kathmandu. It
is considered one of the liveliest cultural festivals in the world.
There is a legend that every man who
married a Bhaktapur Princess died the first night. So, one brave prince
after marrying the princess, stayed awake on the first night. He saw two
serpents come out of the two nostrils of the princess when she was
asleep. The prince quickly took out his sword and chopped off the
serpents’ head . The next morning, the serpents were displayed on a pole
in Bhaktapur and this continues till today in the form of Bisket Jatra
Festival.
So on the first day of Bisket Jatra, a symbolic 25 ft Yoshin-Pole is erected in Taumadhi Tole of Bhaktapur.
Two days after the erection of the pole,
the idols of Lord Bhairab and his female counterpart Bhadrakali are
enshrined in two large chariots and pulled through crowds of cheering
onlookers. When the chariot reaches a sloping open square, there is a
tug-of-war between the inhabitants of the upper and lower parts of the
town. The winners of the tug-of-war are considered blessed with good
fortune for the coming year.
On the last day of the festival the
Bhairav Chariot is parked in Gahi Tole. At midnight the smaller
Bhadrakali Chariot is repeatedly rammed against the Bhairav Chariot in a
not very subtle display of their explosive copulation.
Variations on the Bisket Jatra theme can
also be seen in the villages of Thimi and Bode. In the former there’s a
parade of images of the gods, with villagers throwing red powder over
them. In the latter, there’s a tongue-piercing ceremony, with one
villager spending the day with an iron spike piercing his tongue.
Apart from this, there are lots of dance
parties organised in Kathmandu this year to welcome the new year.
Till then, Happy Nepali New Year 2069 everyone. Have Fun…
