Chepang community celebrating Chhonam (Nwagi) festival

By Ram Mani Dahal,Makwanpur, Sept. 8: The Chepang community, classified as marginalised, has been granted a public holiday on Sunday by the Bagmati Province government to mark their cultural festival, Chhonam (Nwagi).

The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Law of the province announced the public holiday for Chitwan, Makwanpur, and Dhading districts.

Ministry spokesperson Rabita Karki stated that there will be a public holiday across these districts on Sunday, September 7, to celebrate the New Year (Chhonam) observed by the Chepang community.

The provincial government’s cabinet, in a meeting held on March 31, decided to grant public holidays for specific religions, cultures, geographical areas, and communities, in addition to those already declared by the Nepal government, for the period from this year’s Baishakh to Chaitra.

Accordingly, a public holiday has been declared for the Chepang community’s festival, Nwagi.

This year, Raksirang Municipality in Makwanpur, which has a majority Chepang population, has declared a three-day public holiday from Saturday to Monday to mark the New Year festival.

Raksirang Municipality Chairperson Rajkumar Malla stated that the decision was made to give the community two days to joyfully celebrate Nwagi, an important festival for nature worshippers among the marginalised community.

During these three days, all government offices and educational institutions within the municipality will remain closed.

During the festival, Chepang priests, known as Pandey Jhankris, chant mantras while playing a one-sided drum throughout the night, and offer new grains to deities and ancestors.

The Chhonam festival is considered by the Chepang community to be even more significant than Dashain and Tihar. The festival, also called Nuwang, celebrates the arrival of new grains into the home.

Chepang Pandey priests celebrate Chhonam (Nwagi) by playing musical instruments all night, worshiping nature, and honoring their ancestors.

They traditionally offer new crops such as millet and rice as food for worship every year, believing that without performing this ritual, they cannot consume the new crops and may suffer from illnesses.

Every year, the Chepang community celebrates Nwagi on the 22nd of Bhadra by exchanging good wishes, worshiping nature, eating food produced from their fields, and staying awake throughout the night.