Kirati festivals in Sikkim - Darjeeling!

This is for sure my views in sharing all my kiranti frinds about my childhood and how we celebrated many Kiranti festivals.


Its been ages since I have been hearing about Kiranti sanghathan in Sikkim and the different festivals we celebrated in Sikkim. My schooling was in Darjeeling in a quite and a beautiful town named Mirik. Mirirk reminds me of the old song “Golo cha hai Mirik Baazaea which was remixed by Ganga Bardwan. Well I remember my old days when we used to pay a visit to a small Devi Stan which was in the Mirik’s Block No. 10 tea garden. The Devisthan was a small one but was in a long dark den which made it more pure and adventurous. We then used to gather together in a nearby local river where we use to perform a puja with a title Graha Jaap.

Now to tell something about the Graha Jap like what we celebrated goes like this. People from the Rai village used to collect many chickens which were kept as the pet for a years which comprised of a hen and a cock. Then there would be a big and handsome RAM (A male sheep) for the offering. The village then use to make a big pond in the river by embarking the flowing water. A long very long string (a white thread SUTI that’s what it was named as) was laid on the road which all of us was suppose to hold and then when the offerings of all the chicken and sheep started with a prayers we were asked to break the thread. Ah I miss those moments so much, the hot rice with varieties of chicken and the sheep meats and most of all its in a jungle near the river which sounds so smooth and consoling. Do we have any of such festivals in Nepal I would love to participate.

The other puja we offered was termed as SANSARAY PUJA which again was performed with all the villagers. The puja was celebrated like this, the villagers used to go to a DANDA (Small hill) which was surrounded by tea plants all over. We used to gather there and pray together with Jhakris (We call them BIJUWA) a witch doctor is what they are famous as. Now instead of killing or offering the chickens this festival is famous for flying the pair or pigeons, not just one or two but many………. You can imagine how the sky would see with white pigeons all over and the green tea bushes as the background and the food we ate in the tea garden is beyond comparison. Am I talking too much about eating? Hahahaha

The same festival in Sikkim was celebrated the other way when Jhakris or the bijuwas used to gatehr from all over Sikkim and Darjeeling and performed a big puja for peace. You can imagine how woudl it see when thousands of Jhakris were seen dancing with the drums all over a 11 sided football ground and many 100's outside the ground!!!!!!!!! Use your illusion

The interesting thing that I did in my childhood was dancing the Sakela dance (Chabrung is what we called it) during the Marriage Ceremony which had a lyrics like this
AALU KO CHANA TAPKE MA CHAWAI
KANCHA KO BIHE MANGSIR MA JHAI
KHORSANI PIRO NUN CHARKO
K BASNE BIBI PANCHTHAR KO
It goes on and on ( let me know if you want the full lyrics)


Last but not the least the most important infact that’s what we kids considered important is the Mangsuk also famous as kul pitra puja. It is a prayer for our ancestors which is performed every year. I need not explain this as eveyone of us know about it. But I am sure the way we celebrated it is different from what you must have done. I can assure you this as when I was in Darjeeling it was celebrated some other way and when I came back home in Sikkim the way people celbrates is very very different.
My information about the festival we celebrate is quite eating or intake and enjoying oriented! I will write more with its ethnic values in my next blog. My next blog will be on the Kiranti Mandir that is situated in Kathmandu (Infact in Hattiban Lalitpur with pictures) please behold your breath to explore the hidden secretes of our culture.

Please fell very friendly to ask for further information you need from me.

With best wishes
Sewaro, Sewane is what we say in Sikkim
Sishir Rai
Kathmandu ...

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