Today 4th August 2020, Gai Jatra ( Gai means Cow and Jatra means festival in Nepali ) is a special unique cultural day for the people from Kathmandu Valley which is celebrated to commemorate the death of loved ones. Cows are marched in the streets and generally celebrated in the Nepalese month of Bhadra (August–September) during this day. It falls on the 1st day of the dark fortnight of Gunla according to the lunar Nepal Era calendar. This cultural started from the 17th century (1624-1674) during Pratap Malla reign. Pratap Malla is the 9th Malla King ruling around 1641 to 1674 BS. After the death of his son (Chakrabartendra) trampled by an elephant during rode, his wife (Queen) remained grief-stricken. The King is too sad to seen this situation.

Gai Jatra
Gai Jatra
Gai Jatra in Kathmandu
Gai Jatra in Kathmandu PC: S Pakhrin/Flickr

Many efforts done by King but her queen couldn’t lessen the grief of his son. To show his wife, death is a natural process of life. he called on people for a carnival if someone has died in their family. Many people came to show the queen that it is not only her son had died somebody has died in every family in this festival. In this culture, peoples include some rituals but not obligatory to all should where people gathered and having some fun time like as carnivals.

 

 

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