Sakela Ubhauli marked

By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, May 6: The Kirant Rais marked Sakela Ubhauli festival was celebrated by worshiping mother nature (Bhumesthan) all over the country on Friday.

The festival is celebrated every year on the full moon day of Baisakh Shukla Purnima. Before planting crops, there is a tradition of worshipping nature wishing for good crops. 

The festival highlights the agricultural lifestyle of the Kirant people. It is also considered a way of thanks-giving to nature for providing them with good crops. 

They perform Sakela dance acting like farmers planting crops, harvesting and knitting, and bird dance.

The literal meaning of Ubhauli is to climb the upper area. In  summer, the birds and animals of the lower areas migrate to the upper lands. It is from this process that the nature-loving community got the festival’s name—Ubhauli. 

Chandi dance is performed on the occasion of this festival. This is why the day of Baisakh Shukla Purnima is also called Chandi Purnima.

The festival was celebrated in the Valley by offering worship at Saano Hattiban and performing the ‘Sakela’ dance at Nakkhipot in Lalitpur.