Kathmandu, August 31
Across the nation today, people are celebrating the festivals of Janai Purnima and Gai Jatra.
Due to the change in dates, the Raksha Bandhan, Janai Purnima and Gai Jatra festivals fell on the same day, according to the Nepal Panchanga Nirnayak Bikash Samiti
For Janai Purnima, men from the Brahmin, Kshatriya, and Vaishya varnas (socially hierarchical groups) receive a janai (sacred thread) from the purohits (priests). Men fast and take a holy bath in the nearby river sources before receiving the holy thread in their wrists while priests chant mantras for security, penance and worship.
In the Terai region, sisters tie a rakhi (thread) to their brothers and celebrate the festival. It is a social belief that this will increase the love relationship between sisters and brothers.
For Gai Jatra, people are parading the streets, either with a cow or people dressed like cows, in memory of relatives who have passed away within a year. It is customary to feed them milk, fruits, bread, chiura, and curd. It is religiously believed that by doing this, the person who died throughout the year will cross Vaitrani by holding the cow’s tail.
On the occasion of Gaijatra, people of different communities across the nation also organise different programs of a satirical nature.
Meanwhile, people of the Newa community are celebrating Kwati Punhi, a day to eat kwati (soup made with nine different lentils) for immunity and better health.
