Ghode Jatra

Ghode Jatra
Horses used in Ghode Jatra
Official nameGhode Jatra
Observed byNepal
CelebrationsHorse parade takes place in Tundikhel
DateNew moon of Chaitra Sukla Pakshya
FrequencyAnnual
Explanatory note
on Hindu festival dates

The Hindu calendar is lunisolar but most festival dates are specified using the lunar portion of the calendar. A lunar day is uniquely identified by three calendar elements: māsa (lunar month), pakṣa (lunar fortnight) and tithi (lunar day).

Furthermore, when specifying the masa, one of two traditions are applicable, viz. amānta / pūrṇimānta. If a festival falls in the waning phase of the moon, these two traditions identify the same lunar day as falling in two different (but successive) masa.

A lunar year is shorter than a solar year by about eleven days. As a result, most Hindu festivals occur on different days in successive years on the Gregorian calendar.

Ghode Jatra (Nepali: घोडे जात्रा) is a horse festival native to Kathmandu, Nepal. The festival occurs annually in mid-March or early April.

In the festival, a horse parade is organized in Tundikhel and competitions are held in the presence of the head of the state. Nepal Army organizes the parade and competitions.

Kathmandu native Newar people mark the festival with a feast. A public holiday is observed in Kathmandu on the day of Ghode Jatra.

Origin

In the inner city of Kathmandu, whenever children disappeared, it was assumed that demons or cannibals did it. In order to scare off the bad spirits, campers in Tudikhel who had horses with them, were asked to run those horses around Tudikhel to scare off the demons. People gathered and fed the demons near the tree that is still located in the middle of Tudikhel. The ritual later took a form of festival. The tradition later changed into a national festival.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Shah, Manawi. "5 Jatras to observe in Nepal". My City. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
  2. ↑ Atma Ram Giri MGS 2016.pdf (PDF), archived (PDF) from the original on 2 May 2021, retrieved 2 May 2021
  3. 1 2 "Ghode Jatra". ECS NEPAL. Archived from the original on 30 March 2021. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  4. ↑ Board, Nepal Tourism. "Ghode Jatra". Naturally Nepal. Archived from the original on 15 January 2021. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  5. ↑ Hardy, F. (2005). The World's Religions: The Religions of Asia. Routledge reference. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-1-134-93188-0.
  6. ↑ "Ghode Jatra being observed in Kathmandu Valley". Khabarhub. Archived from the original on 2 May 2021. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  7. ↑ "Ghode Jatra 2022, 2023 and 2024 in Nepal". PublicHolidays.asia. Archived from the original on 2 May 2021. Retrieved 2 May 2021.