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Nepal on Saturday celebrated "Ghode Jatra", the Horse Racing Day with special ceremony at the Army pavilion in Kathmandu attended by head of state along with other high-level officials.
Organised annually by the Nepal Army Cavalry, the Ghode Jatra celebration in Kathmandu is attended by the President, Vice President, Prime Minister, and other high-level officials. "Ghode Jatra," which in Nepali means "Fair of Horses," is a traditional festival observed in Chaitra. It is held in the last month of the Nepali Bikram Sambat and has deep historical and cultural significance. Nepal annually mark Ghode Jatra on the day of Chaitra Krishna Aunsi as per the lunar calendar. In Nepali language, 'Ghode' refers to 'of horses', and 'Jatra' refers to a type of festival. So, combining these terms, Ghode Jatra is meant to be a festival of horses or a horse festival. It is believed to have originated after the death of a demon named Tundi, who terrorized the people living in what is now Tundikhel. According to legend, after Tundi's demise, people celebrated by racing horses over his body, symbolizing their triumph over evil. Going back to cultural beliefs, Ghode Jatra started as a celebration of the victory over a demon named Gurumapa (also called Tundi) in ancient times. He used to terrorize people in the Kathmandu valley, cause misery, kidnap children and devour them. The demon was finally trampled to death by horses and buried under a tree in the Tundikhel ground at the center of Kathmandu. To stop his spirit from coming back into the ground, the king started the ritual of galloping over the field. This tradition was then performed every year on Chaitra Krishna Aunsi and known as Ghode Jatra. Apart from that, another prevalent belief states that during the regime of King Pratap Malla of Kathmandu around 787 BCE, the horse procession was only observed in the Kathmandu valley. Kathmandu, Patan, and Bhaktapur were different states ruled by different kings, and the relationship between the states and kings was also not good. And since the people of Patan used to come to Kathmandu to see the horse procession, King Srinivas Malla of Patan started the horse procession in the Bholakhya village of Patan so that the people of Patan do not go to see the horse procession in Kathmandu. In this way, the festival started celebrating with great joy in Patan (Lalitpur) also. Similarly, the farmers of the valley sow the seeds of vegetable crops like beans and cucumber in their fields as a celebration of the Ghode Jatra, welcoming the Nepali New Year. (ANI)
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