Kathmandu's water day (Photo Feature)

By Keshab Gurung, Kathmandu, June 12: The Sithi Nakha festival is celebrated by the Valley's Newari community by cleaning up water sources today. 

There is a tradition of celebrating the festival by cleaning around the water sources and making delicious delicacies. The whole community gathers and cleans water sources, such as water spouts, wells, tube wells, and ponds on the day of the festival. 

The valley residents have set aside a day when the ground water table is at its lowest due to the prolonged dry season to clean their sources of water. 

According to cultural experts, there is a popular belief that there will be no scarcity of water throughout the year if the source of water is cleaned on the day of Sithi Nakha. 

The Sithi Nakha symbolizes the onset of the monsoon season as well.  

Among the different festivals that are celebrated by the Newari community, this festival is different because of the way it is celebrated. It is called the festival of cleaning water sources and this day is specially meant for the cleanliness of all the water resources and worship of the god, Kumar. In pictures, people of Bhinchhe Tol, Lalitpur,  have gathered to clean the water spout on the day of Sithi Nakha.