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Bisket Jatra at Historical Place Bhaktapur.

The most famous festival of Bhaktapur, Bisket Jatra, is celebrated for nine consecutive days, starting usually four days before the New Year and lasting for another four days. The festival, managed by the Guthi Sansthan of Bhaktapur, is celebrated through a series of elaborate ceremonies. The preparations for the festival begin a month before. Guthi Sansthan coordinates with the Department of Forest to bring Sandan wood from Makwanpur to build the chariot.  Though the chariot procession of Goddess Bhadrakali and God Bhairav are more popular during Bisket Jatra, erecting and subsequent lowering of the ‘Yeo-sin-deo’ pole is actually the most important tradition in the festival. In fact, the myth regarding the beginning of the festival is signified by the pole and flags of a pair of serpents attached to it. The locals of Bhaktapur swarm around the chariot of God Bhairab at the Taumadhi Square. On the first day of the nine day long Bisket Jatra, a tug of war ensues between the eastern and western side of the town as both sides tries to pull the chariot to their direction. Though there are different legends to signify the beginning of this festival among the native residents, according to the most popular legend, a Bhaktapur princess could never have a happy married life as her husband would be killed by two serpents that transformed from tiny germs that came out of the princess’s nostril on the first night of her marriage. However, a brave prince dared to marry the princess but stayed alert the whole night. And when the serpents appeared in front of him, he took his sword and chopped off their heads. The next morning, the serpents were publicly displayed on poles. The myth is actually a retelling of the sexual encounters of the princess. The serpent symbolizes the princess’s sexual needs and the prince’s victory over the serpent symbolizes that he was able to fulfill those needs. The erecting and lowering of the Yeo-sin-deo pole as the symbol of natural process of a male reproductive organ before and after the sexual intercourse. It’s purely a celebration of sexuality. On New Year’s Day, after the pole is lowered, the chariot of Goddess Bhadrakali is slammed with that of God Bhairav at the Gahiti Square. This is also a symbol of sexual yearning. The two male and female deities are regarded as husband and wife, often citing the prince and princess from the legend. But the legend is not regarded with as much significance while celebrating the festival. The Guthi Sansthan and the locals seem to focus more on the traditional and cultural aspect. While Guthi Sansthan brings out its own itinerary of the festival, with details of the necessary pujas during any celebration, listing everything according to date and time, the locals are more excited about the processions and street festivals. 

During the nine-day celebration, everyday carries a significant importance and a unique ceremony. On the first day of the festival, the chariot of Bhairav parked at Taumadhi Square is tied with two different ropes for the famous tug of war between the eastern and western sides of the town.  It’s hard to say which side of the town will be successful in bringing the chariot to their side. But whichever side wins, the chariot at the end has to be brought to Gahiti which lies in the western side who lives at Golmadhi, which lies on the eastern side. The next two days are a break in terms of street festivals. But the Puja ceremonies and offerings to the deities by their respective caretaker priests will continue. Those days are also taken as an opportunity to maintain the chariots that may have been damaged during the tug of war on the first day. Then on the fourth day or the day of New Year, both chariots are taken to Bhelukhel where the Yeo-sin-deo pole will be erected in the presence of the chariot gods. The next day, the pole will be lowered and the chariots are taken to Gahiti Square. For the procession of chariots to Gahiti, the Bhaktapur Durbar Square will be lit up all night and the ceremonies at Gahiti Square are even conducted past midnight. One of the most interesting days to witness the rich heritage and culture of Bhaktapur Square is on the second last day. On that day, all the deities are displayed out of their temples in every block and a musical procession from each block encircles the Durbar Square before coming back to their place. This festival is also called ‘deo-sagan-biyagu’, meaning wishing good luck to all deities. Since all the gods are displayed out from their respective sanctums, devotees make offerings to them all over Bhaktapur town before they return to their respective sanctorum. The fifth day is when the street festivals reach their peak. On the last day of the festival, the tug of war again continues. During the street festivals in Bisket Jatra, the streets and squares around the Durbar Square will be swarmed with thousands of people, but one can equally enjoy the greatest celebration of Nepali New Year if you take certain precautions.

Ubhauli of Rai Community in Nepal.

Various clans belonging to the community—Rai, Limbu, Yakkha and Sunuwar—celebrate the festival with fanfare across the country, particularly in Bhojpur, Khotang, Dhankuta, Dharan, Biratnagar, Kathmandu and Lalitpur. The festival is popular also in Sikkim of India, Hong Kong, the UK, Australia and the United States. In the period of festival they performance of a special dance called. The dance is staged at various places in Nepal for two weeks. The festival highlights the agricultural lifestyle of the Kirat people. It is also considered a prayer to mother nature for healthy crops and protection from natural calamities. The ritual is called ‘Bhumi Puja’.  The government decided to give public holidays on Baishakh Purnima and Mangsir Purnima days in view of the Udhauli and Ubhauli festivals, respectively.