The Festival of Cows is one of the most popular festivals of Nepal. It is celebrated by the community/s to remember and honor defunct and to diminish the sadness from the loss of a family member/s. During the festival, cows are marched in the streets, palanquins with the statues and pictures of different divinities are carried on shoulders, children dressed in disguise of different gods and goddess walk in the streets, mask dancers follow the rhythm of drums, banners are carried with the pictures of dead, musical instruments are played, stick dances are performed, food and drinks are offered to public, parades of traditionally dressed old and young follow in line carrying incenses and more. The multifaceted Gai Jatra festival has its roots in the ancient times when people feared death and started worshiping Yama, the lord, and messenger of death.
It is said that when King Pratap Malla lost his son, the queen remained grief-stricken like any anyone for a long time. The king was very sad to see the condition of his beloved queen. Nobody was able to help queen heal from this loss. In order to make his wife understand that death is imminent and is a part of the natural process, he called on people for a carnival if someone had died in their families. Many people came out on the call of the King from the families who had lost their dear ones. Thus began the celebration of Cow Festival to heal members of the family suffering from the loss, to remember the dead and also to remind us all that life is guided by impermanence and death is imminent!
Author: Bhola Banstola
