Gai Jatra, also known as the festival of cows, is one of the most important festivals in Nepal. It often falls in Nepali month of Shrawan/Bhadra (July or August) and is held for eight days. Gai Jatra is mainly celebrated by the Newar communities in different parts of Nepal to commemorate the dead in the last year. However, different from any other memorial ceremony in the world, Nepali Gai Jatra is celebrated as a happy carnival. During this festival you will have the chance to experience Nepali traditional singing, stick dancing and unique comedy. 

According to history, back in the 17th century, King Pratap Malla lost his young son. The queen was immersed in great misery and cried all day long. In order to cheer up the queen, the king started this festival. The folks dressed in colorful costumes and decorated cows symbolized the dead in the last year. The king just wanted to make sure that the queen is not only the one to lose their loved ones and wanted to be aware that the death is a natural phenomenon. The cow procession, drum music, masked dances became the tradition of this festival which had made the queen smile and accept the loss of her son. 

According to the ancient legend of Hinduism, Yama, the god of death, would send black cows to guard the entrance to heaven. Just outside the gate, hundreds of thousands of souls are waiting to accept Yama’s judgment and their reincarnation totally depends on the merits they have earned. In mythology, the road to heaven is extremely difficult and the deceased still needs to go across the burning river. Most Nepalese believe that if their lost ones could catch the tails of cows, the journey would be much easier. The gate to heaven is open for only a day in a year. Therefore, each family who had lost their loved ones must participate in this grand cow procession in Kathmandu valley. 

On this special day, local Newars give a bath to the cow. Then the cows are decorated with red ‘Tika’ and beautiful garlands. After those rituals, the cow procession begins to parade around the Kathmandu valley. If the cows are not available, young boys show up as the cows and pray for the dead ones. During this boisterous march, they will deliberately walk through the temples, the statues of the gods and other sacred places. People offer food, gifts and some cash to the cows and those young boys thinking they will have good luck in the following days. Older people indulge in their own worlds and chant religious hymns vigorously. The festival is celebrated with musical instruments like traditional drums and western trumpets. With the drums beating and cymbals clashing, Gai Jatra reaches its climax.