Hori festival of Rana Tharu concludes

By Our Correspondent,Dhangadhi, Mar. 15: Hori, the biggest festival of the Rana Tharu community, concluded on Tuesday morning by breaking 'Khakhadehara'. 

The biggest festival of the community is celebrated for one month and eight days starting from Magh Purnima,  'Jinda Hori'  for  the first one month, and 'Mari Hori' for eight days.

Rona Rana, an old man from Dhangadhi Sub-metropolitan city-8, Dhangadhi village, said that Hori was formally  bade farewell for one year by breaking the 'Khakhadehara' around 4 am on Tuesday. 

According to him, the farmers of the village along with 'Bhalmansa' went to break the 'Khakhadehara' with great enthusiasm at the last day of the festival. 

It is customary for them to take tiles, clay balls, rice, and flower from home and immersed all the items on the road a little beyond the village.

 There is a custom of pouring water on the broken 'Khakhadehara' on the road. 

Farmers, who broke the 'Khakhadehar' visit door to door asking for 'Fagu Dakshina' (monetary offering). 

After that they have fun and eat at Bhalmansa's house in the evening, he added.

Khakhdehara is the most important day of the festival, and it is broken on the last day, when the government of Sudurpashchim Province had given a public holiday. 

People of the Rana Tharu community enjoy dancing the Hori dance during the Hori festival. They invite relatives and friends to their homes and have a feast together.  

 The Rana Tharu community who rarely celebrate Dashain and Diwali have been celebrating Hori and Teej festival for decades.