Sasthi Nakha falls on the sixth day of the bright half of the month of Jetha(MAY/JUN). This festival is said to have been observed to mark the birthday of Kumar, the Hindu deity of war and one of the sons of Lord Shiva, to worship on his birthday as a mark of gratitude for fighting a battle with the demons and helping the Gods regain their kingdom.
The faithful celebrate Sasthi Nakha by visiting Kumar”s temple in the southern part of Kathmandu. It is one of the main festivals to be observed by the native inhabitants of the Panauti Valley. On this day especially the Newars of the Panauti and Kathmandu Valley prepare a typically Nepali dish made of maas, black lentil, and mugi, kidney beans, kasu, small peas ground, bodi beans and offer it to Kumar. They take these dishes and enjoy themselves. Next day Kumar seated on a peacock beginning from Hanumandhoka Durbar Square is a chariot is carried by men in accompaniment with musical instruments played by a nominate party of men along the streets of Kathmandu, Kumar, being a war-lord, his conveyance has been a peacock, a bird of slow and cautious motion, quick change and flights all the qualities needed in an advancing army. The festival also marks the end of Diwali, a festival when the Nepalese worship their family deities annually. Those families which do not or cannot observe the Deewali for vivid reasons, worship the family deities by way of apologizing and also Kumar on this day. Another special feature of this festival is the cleaning of the wells and springs from which people, before the supply of filtered drinking water through galvanized pipes and taps, used to drink water.
Newa Community celebrates Sasthi Nakha, a traditional festival of the Newas, by cleaning water sources just before the start of monsoon. Newa Cultural experts say that usually, the Newa community celebrates Sasthi Nakha by cleaning water sources like wells, ponds, and stone-spouts. And at the end of it with a grand Newari feast of six different varieties of Newari food including Wo (fried lintel bread) and Chatamari (Nepali special pizza).
This festival is celebrated on the birthday of Kartikeya, son of Lord Shiva and Parvati, to welcome the rainy season. Houses, courtyards, streets, and allies are also clean during this day. It is believed that cleaning such water sources will bring in the rain for the good cultivation of crops. It is also believed that the Sasthi Nakha is celebrated to welcome monsoon as this is the ideal time to set up rice seedbeds.
Sasthi Nakha
A Newar festival, Sasthi Nakha is celebrated at the onset of the rainy season. Newars celebrate it by worshipping Kartikeya or Kumar, son of Lord Shiva and Parvati, by preparing a small feast including traditional Newar dishes called Wo and Chatamari, and most importantly, cleaning the nearby water resources. Sasthi Nakha is also the last day for performing annual offerings to the ancestral or guardian deities amongst the Newar community.
The word “sasthi” was modified from the Sanskrit word “Shashthi” meaning sixth and “nakha” in Newar language, or Nepal Bhasha means festival. Thus the name Sasthi Nakha was given because it is celebrated on the sixth day of the bright fortnight in the month of Jyestha in the Bikram Sambat calendar. It is also known as Kumar Shashthi.
“It’s a day to worship “Pikhalakhu.” “Pikha” means outside and “lakhu” means the rivers nearby,”. Pikhalakhu is a small circle or a mandap drawn outside each household of the Newar community. The community also regards Pikhalakhu as the place of Kumar. The cleaning up of wells, ponds, and stone spouts on this particular day, marking it as a festival, has great cultural importance in the Newar community.
Environmentalists, on the other hand, have realized that this festival links itself with social and environmental awareness issues. UN-Habitat has mentioned Sasthi Nakha in its brochure as “to be supported nationally in an effort to both preserve water sources and promote rainwater harvesting.”
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