Sindur Jatra was celebrated with great enthusiasm in the Madhyapur Thimi area on Wednesday. Among the various festivals celebrated in Madhyapur Thimi during Bisket Jatra, the Sindur Jatra, featuring 32 chariots, is the most famous.
The festival is celebrated by placing the main deities in chariots and carrying them to the beat of Dhime while lighting traditional torches. According to tradition, as the procession reaches every intersection, crossroad, house, and neighbourhood, residents welcome it by showering vermilion powder and flowers from windows, balconies, and rooftops.
The festival is called Sindur Jatra because local participants have fun smearing vermilion on one another and playing with the powder while rotating the deities’ chariots to the music of Kaya, Bhusya, and Dhime instruments.
Residents of Thimi celebrate this festival with great fervor by parading the goddess Balkumari through various areas while playing with vermilion. During the journey, people cordially smear and splash vermilion on each other while dancing to the rhythm of Newari musical instruments.
