Sakela
 | This article needs more citations. (May 2021) |
| Sakela | |
|---|---|
 Khambu Rai boy and girl performing Sakela Sili dance in Chawrasta Darjeeling | |
| Also called | |
| Observed by | Kirat Khambu Rais around the world |
| Observances | Sakela sili, cultural group dance, religious services, family meetings, relative meetings |
| Begins | Sakela Udhauli (full moon day of Mangsir) and Sakela Ubhauli (full moon day of Baishak) |
| Ends | After 15 days |
| 2026 date | |
| This article is part of a series on the |
| Culture of Nepal |
|---|
 |
Sakela, also known as Sakewa or Sakenwa (Nepali: साकेला), is one of the main festivals of the Khambu (Rai people), an ethnic group indigenous to eastern Nepal and the Sikkim, Kalimpong, and Darjeeling regions of India. Sakela is celebrated twice a year and is distinguished by two names: Ubhauli and Udhauli. Sakela Ubhauli is celebrated on Baisakh Purnima (the day of the full moon in the month of Baisakh) and Sakela Udhauli is celebrated on the day of the full moon in the month of Mangsir.
Significance
Kirats are shamanists and animistic. The Sakela celebration is a prayer to Mother Nature[clarification needed] for healthy crops and protection from natural calamities. Starting on Baisakh Purnima, Sakela Ubhauli is celebrated for fifteen days in Baisakh (April–May), marking the beginning of the farming year. Similarly, the celebration of Sakela Udhauli during Mangsir (November–December), which is the harvest season, thanks Mother Nature for a good harvest. In this festival the Rai people honour Bhumi Dev, an Earth goddess.[citation needed]
Sakela dance
The main characteristic of this festival is a ritual dance call Sakela dance performed by large groups of Kirats, wearing their traditional attire. People from all ages dance together in a large circle. There are male and female leaders in each circle known as Silimangpa and Silimangma respectively. They choreograph the dance moves known as sili while others follow them. The term "sili" reflects the different aspects of human life and their relationship with nature.
Variations
Among Kirats, Sunuwar and Rai celebrate this festival, whereas the Yakkhas and the Limbus have their own Youchyang and Chasok Tangnam. Despite important local variations, indigenists view these dances as specific as well as common to all Kirat.
Nomenclature
Sakela is called by different names in the different Khambu languages. The Chamling sub-tribe calls it Sakela, Bantawas call it Sakewa or Sakenwa, while the Thulungs call it Toshi.
Among the various Rai languages Sakela is also called:[citation needed]
- Sakewa or Sakenwa in Bantawa, Dungmali and the Mewahang languages
- Tosh Kulung and Nachhiring
- Toshi in Thulung
- Segro in Bahing
- Iksamang or Balipuja in Lohorung and Yamphu
- Fagulak in Puma
Gallery
Offerings made to Paruhang and Sumnima, the ancestral deity
Kirati Rai women in Sakela Ubhauli festival
Women in traditional Rai wear (2019)
A Rai man playing traditional drum (Dhol)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
See also
References
- ↑ Gaenszle, Martin (1997). "Changing concepts of ethnic identity among the Mewahang Rai". Nationalism and Ethnicity in a Hindu Kingdom. The Politics of Culture in Contemporary Nepal: 351–373.
- 1 2 Schlemmer, Grégoire (2004). "New past for the sake of a better future : re-inventing the history of the Kirant in East Nepal". European Bulletin of Himalayan Research. 25: 119–144.
- 1 2 "Dancing to Ubhauli tunes". The Kathmandu Post. May 17, 2011. Retrieved 8 May 2012.
- ↑ Rai, Dik Bahadur (2012). The impacts of Modernization on the traditional Sakawa Sili festival in the Rai Kirat community of Nepal: a case study of the Rai community (Thesis). University of Tromsø.
- ↑ Pradeep Rai (21 July 2021). "Kirat Khambu Rai Sakela - Sakewa". Himalayan Cultures. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
External links
