Nepal celebrates Gaijatra festival: A vibrant parade honours departed souls and LGBTQI+ community

Kathmandu [Nepal], August 21 (ANI): People in Nepal on Tuesday marked festival of Gaijatra, commemorating beloved ones whom they lost within a year converging parades of cow and the sexual minorities.

The Kathmandu Durbar Square, a UNESCO World Heritage site saw the parade of people disguised as cow accepting alms and donations following beliefs that it would give salvation to the departed souls of their loved ones.

The brief pilgrimage brought thousands of people dressed as cow and lunatics going around city wearing odd costumes commemorating those who died within one year. The bereaved families offer fruits, bread, beaten rice, curd, and money to those participating in the procession including the cows.

“We have been celebrating Gaijatra as inheritance from our ancestors, we take part in the Gaijatra commemorating our beloved ones who passed away. This would give salvation to the souls of our ancestors, we parade around the city disguising as a cow,” Bishow Bijayraj Joshi told ANI.

This festival of cows commonly called “Gai Jatra” or the “Cow Festival” falls on first day of the waning moon in the month of Bhadra (Bhadra Sukla Pratipada) fifth month of the Lunar calendar. It is mostly observed by Newari and Tharu communities of Nepal.

Coinciding with the festival, the sexual minorities of the Himalayan Nation also took an annual pride parade. Hundreds of sexual minorities or the members of LGBTQI+ community paraded through the alleyways of Kathmandu in commemoration of their deceased colleagues in past one year.

Speaking to ANI, Preti Petter, program coordinator at the Blue Diamond Society, an umbrella organization of Nepali sexual minorities said, “This is the 21st Pride Parade in Gaijatra. It has been 21 years that we have been celebrating this because everybody we exist in the society, we want to show all the world that Nepali queer community exists in the society with huge respect and in this 21st Gaijatra Pride Parade we came from all over the country to celebrate our dignity, identity, respect and unique identity in the society.”

“In addition, this year as well many of the lives passed away from our community. We really want to remember them and really like to support their identity and dignity in this parade,” Petter added.

The 21st series of the Gaijatra Pride parade started from touristique Thamel area which marched through inner alleyways of Kathmandu and reached the Kathmandu Durbar Square. Hundreds of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Intersex (LGBTQI+) persons took part in the procession with excitement and cheers.

Having one of progressive constitution to grant right and recognition to sexual minorities, Nepal from last census of 2021 has started collecting the data of LGBTQI+ as well. As per the latest census of 2021 there are a total of 2, 928 people who identified themselves as “others” in terms of gender or sexual orientation. The census of 2021 also set the mark as the first census of the nation to start recording the population of sexual minorities.

As per the organisers, the parades as such are held on Cow festival to respect and commemorate the LGBTI loved ones, and occupies public space in a way that speaks to Nepali traditions as well as to raise their voice for their rights.

The prevalent folklore also states that taking out a parade on Gaijatra will take the soul of the deceased to the heaven. Following the folklore, people have been parading round the city disguising themselves as cow or other dressings.

According to the beliefs, the festival derives its name from the religious belief that the deceased, during their journey to heaven, crosses a legendary river by grabbing the tail of a cow.

The tails of cows demonstrated on Tuesday have been also credited for helping the deceased one to get across Baitarni, a legendary river to get into heaven. The persons who are demonstrated with attire of cow also have an artificial tail which has the same propose.

The Garuda Purana, one of the scriptures mentions that on the 11th day of death rites, people have to perform “Brishotsarga”- release an ox/bull, with a belief that it would give peace to the deceased soul.

As it would be costlier, some historians claim Gai Jatra is celebrated as an alternative to it on the day of Bhadra Krishna Pratipada and has since been celebrated. While some of manuscript mentions that the festival started as ‘saa yaa(t)’ or ‘gai yatra’ meaning ‘journey of the cow’ during the time of Jayasthiti Malla, around 600 years ago.

But, it was during reign of Pratap Malla in Kathmandu, Jagat Prakash Malla in Bhaktapur and Siddhi Narsingh Malla in Lalitpur that the Gai Jatra turned into a pilgrimage and a festival, with musical instruments.

It also has been claimed that festival which is now marked actually to be Gai Yatra which during medieval period became Gai Jatra due to aberration. Earlier, the funeral rites were completed after people roamed the city with a cow, then musical instruments were also added.

The ancient tradition which still is practiced in present time is credited to have started from 500 Nepal Sambat (popular amongst the Newari Community of Nepal).

Historians have claimed that people use to glorify the deeds of the deceased ones through songs and hymns in order to inform and encourage others. This festival is also marked with the mockery on the wrong doings of the politicos and other concerned groups through the means of drama, music and other means of performance.