Sunday, June 24, 2007

Sithi Nakha: The end of feast in Newari culture.

The day also observed as the birthday of son of Mahadev and Parvati; worshipped as warrior god. This day is regarded as end of Newar festivals for that particular year. This day is celebrated on Sasthi (sixth day after the full moon at the end of summer). It is believed that on this day, we bid farewell to summer and welcome the rainy season. The Kathmandu being the agricultural territory, the feast and festival has some seasonal impact on the valley.
After worshipping and praying the ancestral god, each Newar clan concludes their feast for that year and commences their work in paddy field. As we walk down to the history, on this very day the cleaning of well, pond and stone spout is performed, there’s religious belief that if those water resources are not clean in that very day there will be scarcity of water for whole year and scientific ground to prove this fact that this festival is celebrated at the beginning of the rainy season, and water collected needs to be drained properly and irrigated to the paddy field. That is why on the occasion of Sithi Nakha, houses, baha: (courtyard), side streets and gallies (allies) are cleaned and and made sure that canal is guarded for its continuous flow for irrigation in paddy field. This system of guarding of water canal is popularly known as Dhalapa: in which clogging and blockage of canal is checked; this system is still observed in Newar society of various part of Kathmandu valley.

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