Gai Jatra Festival in Nepal
- 30-Aug-2015
- 0
The “Gai Jatra” festival in Nepal is derived from two words “Gai” which means Cow and “Jatra which means festival. Therefore Gai Jatra is a cow festival in Nepal that usually falls during August and September. Gai Jatra is celebrated on August 30, 2015, this year.
Nevertheless Gai Jatra festival in Nepal is not just about cows. There is an interesting story behind celebrating this festival which was initiated by Pratap Malla in the medieval period centuries ago. He lost his youngest son and his queen was in great misery. King just couldn’t make his wife happy and announced whoever can make the queen laugh will be rewarded. Also, King asked to bring the cow procession with funny dresses from all the citizens whose family members had died within a year so that the queen could realize death is also a part of life. Since then, it is believed that Gai Jatra is celebrated, and still during this day the same rituals are being carried out traditionally at Kathmandu city.
Therefore Gai Jatra festival in Nepal helps people to realize the reality of death and heals sorrow. Various funny programs and acts are being organized during this day and it is a great way to get insights into a local festival for outsiders while visiting Nepal.
