KATHMANDU:- The Bhumya (Land) festival of the Magar community has begun in Kathmandu from Monday.
This festival, which is celebrated by worshipping the land, is celebrated by the Magar community in the western region of the Ridi River from mid-Jeshta to Asar 5, while it is celebrated in Kathmandu until the 3rd.
The Nepal Magar Association started celebrating the festival by organizing various cultural programs in Kathmandu on Wednesday. The Magar community celebrates this festival by worshipping the land they live in to prevent natural disasters, good crop yields, and diseases.
In the local Magar Khamarpang (language), this festival is also called Nogobange. The Magar community of Rolpa, Rukum, Pyuthan, Salyan, Dang in the Rapti zone and Baglung and Myagdi districts in the Dhaulagiri zone celebrate Bhume festival with special importance. With the recent increase in migration, the number of people celebrating this festival is also increasing in Dang, Kathmandu and other areas.
Although this festival is celebrated on Asar 1, the Magar community prepares for it a month in advance. After the inauguration of the village land in the middle of Jestha, young and old people go to the high mountains to pick Buki flowers while playing musical instruments. Since it is not possible to reach the destination in one day, it is customary to stay in the middle of the road and return the next day with the flowers.
Flowers brought from the mountains are celebrated by giving them to each other. While returning with the flowers, women sing songs in the language of the nyauli bird. After those who went to collect the flowers return, the Bhumya festival is formally inaugurated by worshipping the land god in the village.
During Bhume Puja, it is customary to remove sheep, goats, chickens, and pigs from the village by throwing them out. This is called Bhume Nikre.
When removing Bhume, it is customary for women to put ashes, ashes, Tika Jamara, wheat, barley, kamai, rice, millet, mustard, etc. in a naklon (supo) and throw them outside the house. It is believed that if this is done, the troubles and troubles in the house will be removed with the Bhume festival.
After offering offerings to the deity at the Bhumya Thana and performing puja, the Bhumya dance is performed for five consecutive days. Bhumya dance is performed in 22 steps, but now this dance is sometimes performed in 14 and sometimes in 9 steps.
