By Santosh Dahit, Dang, Oct. 18: The Tharu community has its own distinctive traditions for celebrating Dashain. The festivities in Tharu villages gather momentum with the worship of Dhikri on Ashtami, followed by Pitri Puja and the traditional Gaunlya Tika ceremony.
On Ashtami, members of the Tharu community worship Dhikri, a traditional food made from rice flour, while observing age-old rituals accompanied by the rhythmic beats of the madal and traditional songs and dances.
Dhikri, prepared in round, elongated and other shapes, is offered to household deities in the evening as part of the ritual. Tharu community leaders say the worship expresses respect for food grains while preserving traditions and cultural practices passed down through generations.
According to Churna Bahadur Chaudhary, central treasurer of the Tharu Welfare Assembly, the community has traditionally performed Dhikri Puja to honour food grains and pray for prosperity.
On the day before the worship, ritual items, including Painstope and Dhakya, are traditionally washed in streams and other water sources. Women and men prepare for the ceremony according to their respective traditional roles. Women spend the day making Dhikri, while men observe a fast and prepare for the evening worship.
After dusk, Dhikri is first offered to the deities enshrined in the household's Dihra Konti, accompanied by the beats of the madal and traditional songs. Offerings are then made to other deities.
Chaudhary said all family members gather in one place to perform the rituals, celebrate together and eat Dhikri as prasad (a blessed offering).
Following Dhikri Puja, the Tharu community observes Pitri Puja and other Dashain-related cultural rituals. The following day, people worship in memory of their ancestors, with the traditional sacrifice of a chicken or pumpkin, depending on local customs, he said.
After completing household rituals, village elders and traditional leaders, including Garadhurya and Matawa, gather at the Bhuihyar Than to sing Barkimar songs, said Chandra Prasad Chaudhary, a Matawa from Jalaura, Ghorahi-10.
According to him, villagers bring mad (alcohol), jamara (barley shoots) and babari (a type of sacred grass or plant used in the ritual) in a goldra and gather at the Bhuihyar Than to sing Barkimar songs. They exchange Dashain greetings by placing babari and jamara behind one another's ears.
The Barkimar songs reflect the Tharu community's distinctive cultural heritage and traditional way of life.
After completing the worship and cultural rituals at the Bhuihyar Than, villagers visit the Matawa's house to receive Gaunlya Tika, a white tika, Chaudhary said.
"Gaunlya Tika is a distinctive cultural feature of Dashain celebrations in the Tharu community. The ceremony adds to the festive atmosphere in Tharu settlements," he said.
For three days from Gaunlya Tika, the community traditionally performs the Sakhya and Paiyan dances during the day at the Matawa's house. Unlike on other days, when Sakhya is performed at night, the dance takes place during the daytime after Gaunlya Tika.
Performed collectively to the beats of the madal, Sakhya and Paiyan fill the village with a festive atmosphere.
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