In the peaceful village of Nisel Dhor and in the Dhorpatan region of Baglung, the traditional festival of Nankha Puja, or Gaun Parwa, was conducted with great enthusiasm. The festival takes place every other year, and the residents of Nisel Dhor continue to believe in their ancestry and their cultural heritage.
Rituals and Celebrations
On Bhadra 1, the local villagers arrived at Barah Thaan, the extremely popular site of a shrine above Nisel Dhor, to start the days' festivities, which includes very young men in white cotton clothing, who had been smeared with soot to paint their skin and faces to resemble demons. This group is meant to resemble the spirit world. Also along with them were shamans with drums. They proceeded down to the village carrying green juniper branches, with the intention of driving away the evil spirits and bringing happiness back to the community.
A spectacle within the ritual is the fact that one of the young men divisions jump down off of a high suspension bridge, into the flowing water of the Uttar Ganga river, during the Jawan ceremony. The people of Nisel Dhor believe this dramatization sends away spirits and keeps the village protected and prosperous for the next few years.Historical Origins
Gaun Puja dates back over a thousand years. Local accounts tell of a migration from Nisel Dhor during which elderly villagers who could not walk were left in a cave. When family members returned months later, they discovered the elders had passed away, and misfortune began to afflict the village. To appease the spirits and stop the calamities, villagers initiated Gaun Puja. Today, every ceremony is thought to protect the community for two years.
Community Engagement and Development
Nankha Puja's future relies on the will of local youth. Local youth serve an extraordinary role as members of the Nankha Puja Management Committee, and also as the people who will live out the ceremonies and eventually hand these experiences to the next generations of youth. Nankha Puja has been more than well-organized; the local government is pro Nankha Puja as well! Suryabahadur Gharti Magar, Chair of Nisikhola Rural Municipality, has been enthusiastic about planning and nurturing budgetary resources for the ritual each year, including a modern perspective on nurturing traditions of cultural continuity and renewal through intergenerational cultural exchange.
A Living Tradition
Nankha Puja is alive with meaning. Sometimes, we forget how communities value their ancestors and how they breathe life into rituals to keep them active! Nisel Dhor villagers use the pastime of Nankha Puja to uphold the spirit of many rituals on the verge of fading into oblivion. The villagers value social capital in the community, like all of us, and the Nankha Puja allows them to create unique experiences in honor of their ancestors while actually participating in and bringing the tradition to existence! As long as Nankha Puja is celebrated in the village, the ancestors will be honored as they were and valued in the future.
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