Kathmandu Valley celebrates Gaijatra today even as the risk of COVID-19 looms over the capital. However, celebrations across Kirtipur, Bhaktapur and Basantapur are muted compared to previous years due to the pandemic.Gaijatra is celebrated primarily by the Newa community as they remember and honour loved ones who have passed away in the past year by holding processions around the Valley. In recent years, Gaijatra has also been a day of celebration for the LGBTQIA+ community, the Nepali equivalent of the gay pride parade.King Pratap Malla in the 17th century introduced the festival to console a grieving queen Bhuwan Laxmi after their second son Chakravatendra Malla was trampled to death by an elephant. People were asked to participate in a procession if they had had a death of a family member that year so that the queen could see she was not the only person to have lost a loved one. This procession was a form of census.The king also allowed a week-long freedom of speech for his people as long as they could make the queen laugh, thus giving satire a prominent space in Nepali culture.The significance of the festival can be more keenly felt this year. As heritage expert Anil Chitrakar says in his ‘Walkabout with Anil’ video series with Nepali Times, “In today's world of COVID-19 when people are trying to cope with death, Gaijatra has amazing lessons we can learn from and preserve for the future as well.”<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110914110/636ba4779c7e80680e07366bjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="2048" height="1366"/><figcaption></figcaption></figure><figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110914110/636ba47a9c7e80680e07366cjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="2048" height="1366"><figcaption></figcaption></figure><figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110914110/636ba47d9c7e80680e07366djpeg.jpg" alt="" width="2048" height="1366"><figcaption></figcaption></figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110914110/636ba4809c7e80680e07366ejpeg.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="401"><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110914110/636ba4839c7e80680e07366fjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="427"><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110914110/636ba4869c7e80680e073670jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="427"><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110914110/636ba4889c7e80680e073671jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="427"><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110914110/636ba48b9c7e80680e073672jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="427"><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110914110/636ba48e9c7e80680e073673jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="427"><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110914110/636ba4929c7e80680e073674jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="2000" height="1333"><figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110914110/636ba4959c7e80680e073675jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1760" height="1174"><figcaption></figcaption></figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110914110/636ba4989c7e80680e073676jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="427"><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110914110/636ba49b9c7e80680e073677jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="427"><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110914110/636ba49d9c7e80680e073678jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="427"><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110914110/636ba4a19c7e80680e073679jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="427"><figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110914110/636ba4a49c7e80680e07367ajpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1920" height="1280"><figcaption></figcaption></figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110914110/636ba4a79c7e80680e07367bjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="427"><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110914110/636ba4aa9c7e80680e07367cjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="427"><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110914110/636ba4ad9c7e80680e07367djpeg.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="427"><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110914110/636ba4b09c7e80680e07367ejpeg.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="427">Photos: Monika Deupala and Bikram RaiRead also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/kathmandu-festivals-muted-amidst-coronavirus-lockdown/">Kathmandu festivals muted amidst coronavirus lockdown</a>, Shusma Barali

original

674x448

610x380

500x500

400x266

400x240

400x203

301x200

1250x600

1084x550

Kathmandu Valley celebrates Gaijatra

<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108111152/636a35b59c7e80680e0482c7jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="2106" height="1404"/><figcaption>Photos: MONIKA DEUPALA</figcaption></figure>The annual Sindoor Jatra in Thimi has been observed with much fanfare. Devotees carried idols of different deities in 32 palanquins across the ancient city while singing and dancing to traditional drum and dhimay music. As all the palanquins came together, the whole town was painted red with participants applying vermilion to each other in good jest. Once the deity Ganesh was moved to Taleju, the crowd quickly swarmed to Bode to witness the famous tongue-piercing.Celebrated on the second day of the Nepali month Baisakh by the Newar community in Madhyapur Thimi, the festival also marks the advent of the spring season.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108111152/636a35b89c7e80680e0482c8jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="2106" height="1404"><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108111152/636a35bc9c7e80680e0482c9jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="2106" height="1404"><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108111152/636a35bf9c7e80680e0482cajpeg.jpg" alt="" width="4096" height="2730"><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108111156/636a35c39c7e80680e0482cbjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="4096" height="2730"><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108111156/636a35c79c7e80680e0482ccjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="2487" height="1658"><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108111156/636a35ca9c7e80680e0482cdjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="2106" height="1404"><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108111156/636a35cd9c7e80680e0482cejpeg.jpg" alt="" width="2106" height="1404"><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108111156/636a35d09c7e80680e0482cfjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="2106" height="1404"><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108111156/636a35d39c7e80680e0482d0jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="2498" height="1665"><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108111156/636a35d69c7e80680e0482d1jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="2052" height="1368"><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108111156/636a35d99c7e80680e0482d2jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="2052" height="1368"><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108111156/636a35dd9c7e80680e0482d3jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="2052" height="1368">Also: <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/blogs/mycity/2015/04/16/paint-it-red/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Paint it red</a>, Gopen Rai

Paint the town red

mainNavigation

footerNavigation

opinionSubnav

newar-tradition

Kathmandu Valley celebrates Gaijatra

Paint the town red