Udhauli festival, Dhanya Purnima, Yomari Puni, and Jyapu Diwas today

December 8, Kathmandu: Udhauli, the second most important festival of the Kirant community, is being celebrated across the country with joy and fervour on Thursday.

Udhauli festival is celebrated every year on the full moon day of the month of Mangsir in the Lunar calendar.

During the festival of Udhauli there is a tradition of worshipping nature and ancestors before harvesting the crops, says Jeevan Hatachho Rai, president of Kiranti Rai Yayokhkha.

During the festival, the Kiranti folks gather together to celebrate the festival in an organized manner and exchange good wishes.

According to the religious book Mundhum of the Kirants, time is divided into two parts, Udhauli and Ubhauli.

The Kirant community believes that these two periods are divided on the basis of farming. The Ubhauli festival is celebrated on a full moon day during the month of Baisakh.

Ubhauli is a festival celebrated during plantation while Udhauli festival is celebrated at the time of harvesting of the crops.

Dhanya Purnima is also being celebrated on Thursday. The Newar community also celebrate Yomari Puni on Thursday. They cook a special delicacy made of rice flour called Yomari on Yomari Puni. The Jyapu subgroup of the Newari community celebrates Jyapu Diwas on Thursday itself.