By Our Correspondent,Dadeldhura, Oct. 17: As Nepal’s major Hindu festival, Dashain commences, people working or studying away from home are returning to their villages to celebrate with their families. However, in Dadeldhura and other parts of Sudurpaschim Province, traditional ways of celebrating Dashain are gradually disappearing.
Dashain begins with Ghatasthapana, when people sow barley seeds to grow jamara, which is used for worship and blessings. In many villages of Sudurpaschim, devotees observe Navaratri at temples dedicated to their family and local deities. On Dashain day, they receive tika and jamara from temple priests and dhamis (traditional religious mediums).
In some villages, traditional musical instruments accompany religious processions carrying the idols or symbols of local deities from village shrines to temples. Devotees perform daily worship before returning home with tika and jamara on Dashain day. Animal sacrifices are also offered at some temples during Ashtami and Dashain to fulfil vows made to deities.
Local priest Lok Raj Bhatta said devotees also offer bells, tridents, jewellery, flags and other items to deities in fulfilment of their vows. People often consult religious mediums before undertaking important activities.
However, technological development and changing lifestyles have affected these traditions.
Sanjay Jairu, 46, of Khalanga in Amargadhi Municipality-5, recalled how villages once came alive with traditional music during Dashain.
“In the past, people brought buffaloes and goats home from Ghatasthapana onwards. Now, they are mostly seen on Ashtami and Dashain, and even that practice is declining,” he said.
Jairu said the traditional klat baja, also known as kalo baja, was once played from around 5 am during Dashain. Musicians visited homes and neighbourhoods, playing melodies associated with Goddess Durga. Today, the instrument is rarely heard during the festival and is mainly played at weddings and bratabandha ceremonies.
Padma Devi Bhandari of Amargadhi-4, Tallo Khalanga, also recalled the melodious sounds of traditional instruments filling neighbourhoods during Dashain. She said the custom of giving musicians food, clothes and money had also largely disappeared.
Local youth Manoj Ojha said legal changes had contributed to the decline of some traditions. The old khalo system, under which certain communities received goods and payments for their services, is now considered illegal.
“In the past, village leaders and elders would gather to discuss festival arrangements, clean roads and decide on religious rituals. Many of these practices have now disappeared,” he said.
As Dashain celebrations continue to evolve, locals are concerned that traditional music, customs and community practices may gradually be lost.
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