Gai Jatra: Celebration of Life, Death and may be societal reforms?

The festival of Gai Jatra is one of the most spectacular festivals celebrated in Kathmandu and other parts of Nepal. According to a legend, its history dates back centuries ago when King Pratap Malla (17^th Century) lost his son. The queen, his wife, was rendered speechless because of this colossal loss. The king, unable to bear the sorrow of losing his son and the impact it had on his wife, made an announcement to all families of the kingdom who had lost a member that year to take out a procession. He planned this to demonstrate to his queen that it was not just them who were mourning the loss of a loved one. The king also announced a reward for anyone in the kingdom who would make the queen laugh. The participants satirized public figures to which the queen could not help but break into uncontrollable laughter. Since then, the festival of Gai Jatra is celebrated to perform the rituals of death alongside satire.

The festival is named after the cow (Gai- Nepali for cow). It is believed that cows help wandering spirits of those who had passed, over the course of the previous year to cross the river Vaitarani into the realm of death. During Gai Jatra, a cow procession is taken around the city in the name of the person who died in the past year. It is believed that the deceased person will remain a preta (ghost) if this ritual along with other essential rituals of death is ignored.

Satire is the core element of Gai Jatra, where people are free of societal norms to dress and express themselves in a humorous manner. Since 2002, the Gai Jatra was transformed by the Blue Diamond Society by providing a platform for the LGBTQ community to openly express themselves. The Blue Diamond Society is Nepal’s leading LGBTIQ organization who have started this movement.

Through this festival, the LGBTIQ community in Nepal got an opportunity to highlight their social and cultural issues while being able to come out publicly without hesitation. BDS has been largely instrumental in creating awareness and advocating for the rights and well-being of the sexual and gender minority in Nepal. Attendees wave the rainbow flag while dressed up creatively to express themselves. Because of this movement, many people are now aware of the issues faced by the LGBTIQ community.

This movement is supported by the Government of Nepal and has in the past also seen the attendance of the Minister of Women, Children, and Social Welfare. This movement also draws support from the Royal Norwegian Embassy and Save The Children Nepal under the Multi-country South Asia Global Fund HIV Programme (MSA).