Nepal’s Gaijatra 2018 or the ‘cow festival 2018’ began on August 27, 2018 on a grand scale and is being celebrated across three cities of the Kathmandu Valley and other key regions of the country.

Following Nepal’s vedic calendar, the festival began on the first day of the waning moon in the month of ‘Bhadra’ (Nepali month).

As the festival arrived, all sections of society roam around the city in the guise of cows and lunatics, in traditional attire to commemorate those who passed away in the past one year.

As part of the procession on this auspicious day, public offer fruits, bread, beaten rice, curd and money to the participating members and cows in the name of their deceased family members.

The cow is highly regarded in this festival owing to a strong belief that the deceased cross a legendary river after their death safely only by holding a cow’s tail.

The festival has been under practice since ages and is believed to have started during the reign of King Pratap Malla. King Malla, in a move to console his wife who was crying at her son’s demise, ordered his populace to organize humor and satirical programmes in various comic postures.

Since then, the festival has been continuing as a means to public in presenting their views on the contemporary social issues in the form of comic postures and attires.

The festival is majorly observed by the Newari community of Nepal and will last for a week period.

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Dressed in vibrant costumes and holding flags & balloons, around 1500 members of the community joined the parade to pay tributes to the members of LGBTI community who died in 2017.

“Every year we celebrate a pride festival to show that we want to be recognized in this society with our different identity that we are a part of this society,” says Pinky Gurung, President of the Blue Diamond Society, a Nepali gay rights organization.

Meanwhile, a 21-year-old transgender woman Kriti Gurung urged the Nepali Government to focus more on the gay community. She says, “The government has recognized us, but should do more. People of third gender like us should be able to come out and society should accept us.”

According to rights activists, Nepali transgender community members continue to face discrimination and lack social support despite the presence of some of South Asia’s progressive laws on transgender rights in the country.

The annual gay pride parade event coincides with the Gaijatra festival, which adds on to the mass gathering on streets.

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The people of Kathmandu Valley on Tuesday observed the traditional Gaijatra or Cow festival in memory of their demised family members.

As a part of the festival, family members of those who passed away in the last one year dressed up in strange attire with some wearing cow masks and went on a rally to commemorate the deceased.

Public observing the festival usually offer fruits, bread, beaten rice, curd and money to those participating in the procession and to the cows.

The festival derived its name from the legend that the dead, on their way to heaven, pass through a legendary river by holding cow’s tail.

The then King of the Malla dynasty, Pratap Malla, was the first one to observe Gaijatra.

The festival usually falls on the first day of the waning moon on Bhadra Shukla Pratipada and is majorly celebrated by the Newar and Tharu communities.

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