Glory of Sakela Udhauli seen in Kirat communities

The Sakela Udhauli festival atmosphere is sweeping the Kirat settlements in the eastern parts of the country. The largest festival of the Kirat community is celebrated by dancing and singing for 15 days from the full moon day in the month of Mangsir (Nov/Dec) as per the lunar calendar.

The folk music of Sakela can be heard echoing in the Kirat settlements throughout this period with the playing of the Dholjhyamta drums and cymbals. The revelers can be seen dancing along with traditional steps and following the customary rituals to the throbbing drum beats and cymbals. This year the festival started with fanfare and associated rituals on Thursday.

The Sakela Udhauli festival is celebrated with much enthusiasm and gaiety in the eastern hilly districts of Khotang, Bhojpur, and Udayapur as well as cities like Dharan, Itahari, Gaighat, Katari, Morang, and in federal capital Kathmandu with large Kirat population, said Param Rai, President of Kirant Rai Yayokhkha Katari town committee.

The main celebration consists of a performance by participants standing in a circle in front of the Sakela shrine. It is said the divine and the human, and the myth and the reality are reflected in the performance which is a blend of art and work in a celebration of life.

During Udhauli, the Kirats worship their ancestors and deities to learn about civilization. “Sakela is a cultural performance. It represents the history, culture, civilization, identity, and philosophical life of the Kirat indigenous people. It is performed in various sillis (steps). These sillis are an imitation of the ancestors’ tasks,” said Shuvaraj Rai, an expert on Kirat culture. "The Kirats are animists and worship nature and this festival celebrates the nature-human bond", he added.

The dancers re-enact actions like cutting the trees, plowing the fields, sowing the seeds, and harvesting the crops. Sakela means admiration of the stream which helps to irrigate the land. As their ancestors were agrarian people, they perform Sakela twice a year to express gratitude. The first event is Ubhauli which occurs in April.

"During Ubhauli we worship the motherland and the universe for the protection of the crops from disasters. The second event Udhauli happens in December when we worship our ancestors to teach us civilization," said Prof Kumar Singh Rai.

The participants imitate the movements of birds, animals, nature, and the work done by their Kirat ancestors.