Nepal
Gai Jatra Festival
The festival of “Gai Jatra”, the procession of cows, is normally celebrated in the Nepalese month of Bhadra (August-September). It is one of the most popular festivals of Nepal. It has its roots in the ancient time when people feared and worshipped the god of death “Yamaraj”. However, it became a tradition in the medieval period of Nepal during the reign of Malla Kings. That explains why the present form of Gai Jatra is a mix of antiquity and medievalism.
In Hinduism, a cow is regarded as the most venerated among all the domestic animals. It is believed that the cow will help the deceased relative’s journey to heaven. According to the traditions, families that have lost one relative during the past year must participate in a cow procession through the streets of Kathmandu. If a cow is unavailable then a young boy dressed as a cow is considered a fair substitute.
The legend has it that King Pratap Malla lost his son. The king was saddened to see his wife, the queen remained in great mourning. In spite of his several efforts, he could not lessen the grief of his wife. So he made an announcement that someone who ever made the queen laugh would be rewarded adequately. Then, the cow procession was brought before the grief stricken queen. The participants began ridiculing and befooling the important people of the society. Finally when the social injustice and other evils were highlighted and attacked mercilessly, the queen could not stop smiling. The queen laughed, and Pratap Malla, the king ensued a tradition of including jokes, satires, mockery and lampoon in the Gai Jatra days.
After the procession is over, in the afternoon, people will dress up and wear masks. The occasion is filled with songs, jokes, mockery and humour of every kind and becomes the order of the day until late evening. Hence, Gai Jatra brings people to accept the reality of death and to prepare oneself for the life after death.