Baitadi. Gaura, the main festival of the Far West, is starting from today. This festival is held for four days.
Gaura, which is celebrated especially in the hill communities of the far west, is given more importance than Dashain. Pandit Jayanand Bhatta said that the Gaura festival, which is celebrated in the Bhadra Krishna or Shukla Paksha, falls in the Bhadra Shukla Paksha this year.
In ancient times, it is believed that Gauridevi, i.e. Parvati, worshipped Lord Shiva Maheshwar without fasting and daily worshipped him. Since then, the tradition of celebrating this festival has been going on in memory of the marriage of Gaura and Maheshwar, said cultural expert Acharya Vishnudatta Bhatta.
During this festival, especially married women observe fasts and worship Shiva and Parvati. This festival is celebrated with great pomp not only in the Far West but also in Kumaon in the neighboring country of Uttarakhand, India.
On the first day of this festival, five types of grains are soaked in copper pots at home. The Gaura festival is celebrated by organizing various programs from Bhadra Shukla or Krishna Panchami to Ashtami. On the first day, women keep a fast and soak five types of grains in copper or brass pots at their homes. They mix wheat, kerau, gahat, maas and gurus and soak them in copper pots. These five grains are called ‘biruda’.
On the second day, the biruda is washed collectively at auspicious times at water springs and ponds. On the seventh day, it is customary to install Gaura Devi in a basket in a nearby monastery. It is customary for women to bring Gaura inside and worship her and offer dubadhago. On the fourth day, on the day of Gaurashtami, women observe a fast and worship at Gaurakhalo (the place where Gaura is celebrated) from morning, singing phag.
Priests say that there is a tradition of worshipping the goddess by anointing her in the evening and putting a thread around her neck. On the same day, women take a biruda as a prasad and worship it on the heads of their family members and place it on their foreheads.
It is believed that women observe a fast and worship for their unwavering good fortune, prosperity, happiness and peace in their children and families. During the Gaura festival, fasting and devout women go to the Gaura temple to worship Shiva and Gauri. Biruda is used as auspiciousness and prasad.
After the main day of Gaura, the tradition of playing vertical games, Dhusko, Dhamari and Deuda based on the stories of the gods and goddesses has been going on according to the local environment. Meanwhile, the Gaura festival has also increased the hustle and bustle in the villages. Those who are abroad for employment have started returning home to celebrate the festival. (RSS)