LET US GO TO KATHMANDU FESTIVAL OF COWS

1. Gai Jatra, Festival Of Cows Held in Nepal
english.ohmynews.com

KATMANDU, NEPAL, August 10, 2006: Gai Jatra, known in English as the festival of cows, is celebrated across Nepal but particularly in the Kathmandu valley. This year the festivities began on August 10. In this festival teenage boys dress up as cows and parade the streets of the town. This custom springs from the belief that cows help the members of the family who died within that year to travel to heaven smoothly. According to tradition, every family who has lost one relative during the past year must participate in a procession through the streets of Kathmandu. A painted crown with two funny horns is made sacred by mantras from the priest and put on the head of a relative of the deceased. Then he, along with thousands of others, march the streets of city center. The deceased's family also offers various things to these "cows" including malpuwa and swari (Nepali sweets), biscuits, juices, and milk. Clowns and comedians perform street shows wearing funny masks or with heavily painted faces. There is a long tradition of including jokes, satires, mockery and lampoon in the Gai Jatra festival. In the 17th century when King Pratap Malla lost his son, his wife remained grief stricken. During Gai Jatra the Queen saw the cow procession and the satirical attacks on the high and mighty, and she was so amused that she could not stop smiling. After that Pratap Malla made sure that the festival always included comedians. The festivities last for a week with dance and drama performances held in different parts of Katmandu. For video footage from the Gai Jatra festival in Nepal, click URL above.