A real cow is made to lead the Gai Jatra street Procession.
Kathmandu the capital of Nepal is celebrating the festival Gai Jatra as medium of consolation and freedom of expression at major cities Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur. The street of Bhaktapur celebrates this festival in deep cultural way. Gai means Cow and Jatra means in Nepali language.
Cow represents a mean of transportation for the dead souls to cross a holy river before to reach heaven. It is believed that the dead soul catches the tail of cow as a help to cross the holy river.
It is believed that the culture of celebrating Gai Jatra started when King Pratap Malla lost his son and his wife was in a great sorrow. It was decided that on person from each house in which death has occurred in the year should come before the queen to show that so many others were also undergoing from the same kind of pain. This event lessened pains and released the queen to believe that she is not only in this world who has lost his/her family. Since then the tradition of celebrating Gai Jatra started.
She represent cow which leads the procession of Gai Jatra.
Another belief is that this festival started when people from different household were requested to make laugh the deeply sadden Queen, the wife of Pratap Malla. A lot of people came and tried their best making various jokes and satires to highly ranked people in the society, and they were successful in making the Queen laugh.
On this day in Bhaktapur, people who have lost a family member in the previous year bring out a procession in the street, led by a cow. Before some years the real cow was made to lead the procession, but these days they make a cow structure with bamboo, clothes and locally available raw material carry it in front of the procession. These days the photo of the lost member is hanged in the cow structure with name.
The Gai Jatra Procession passing through the Bhaktapur Durbar Square.
The stick dancer performing to clear the path of heaven for the dead soul.
Different children of the family which is having procession are dressed in godly customs to represent different god and goddess to bless the dead souls.
The procession is led by the traditional music band along with the stick dancer. It is believed that theses stick dancers with their stick clear the path chasing ghosts and destroying the nails which are hindrances for the dead souls to reach the Haven.
Besides the religious important, Gai Jatra day is also celebrated a space where people make merry jokes and satires. It is a day when every one is allowed to make satirical comments on any one. Before the declaration of republic in Nepal, Gai Jatra was only medium to satire the Kings of Nepal.
Local people watching the festival. All the generation participate in the festival .
Children as the representation of Cow and God and Goddess in the procession with their families.
The Cone shaped structure which represent cow is being carried out around the Bhaktapur Durbar Square.
She represents Parbati, the wife of God Shiva in the festival.
He represents god Shiva.
A cart with the photo of the lost family member and statue of cow is being carried out by the relatives around the city.
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