Maghi Festival in Nepal: Celebrate the Tharu New Year with Locals

Maghi is the biggest festival of the Tharu community in Nepal’s southern plains, celebrated on the first day of Magh. It marks the Tharu New Year and fiscal year, and it is a time for holy baths, blessings from elders, feasts of dhikri, roti, and local dishes, and song and dance. Families review the past year, plan the next, and even choose a new community leader. Travelers who join a local community can help prepare festival food, watch the rituals, receive blessings, and end the day around a campfire.

Celebrating festival in the community

Nepal being the land of diversity has allowed us to celebrate a range of festivals every other month throughout the year. Besides the temporary reprieve from the daily grind, festivals hold deeper significance. Each and every festival has its distinct significance and is important in each community. Here in Nepal all festivals are celebrated with great enthusiasm and harmony in a high-spirited atmosphere. 
Festivals are an expressive way to celebrate glorious culture, tradition and heritage. Many reasons are associated with the celebration of festivals from mythological reasons to celebration of honorary figures of the society. Whatever the reason, the festival serves the purpose of rejuvenation and strengthening the sense of community. It helps in bringing the community together and strengthening the degree of ethnicity.

Additionally, festivals are the ultimate opportunity to experience the community and culture.    It allows us to immerse ourselves in the lifestyle and culture of the community. Immersing into celebration and local culture can be an unforgettable experience for the travelers.

Maghi

Cultural and ethnic diversity of Nepal has jollied the whole nation with different festivals throughout the year. The diversity in itself is a festival here and not a month goes without celebration. From Udhauli to Jitiya Parva to Maghi, every festival is unique in its own way and celebrated with great enthusiasm in different communities.

Among many ethnicities of Nepal, Tharus are one of the largest Nepali tribal groups after Magars. They are majorly spread across the southern plains of Nepal. Like many other ethnic groups of Nepal, Tharus celebrate their indigenous festivals. The major festival for the community is Maghi which falls on the first day of Magh.

Maghi Parva has special significance in the Tharu community. The day is marked as the beginning of the new year and also considered a new fiscal year. The biggest festival of the Tharu, Maghi reflects their beliefs, lifestyle, art and their identity. 
Traditionally, for the Tharus, Maghi is the time of eating, having fun and doing no work at all.  Usually the festival is celebrated for more than a day lasting for 5 days.
Although the festival is celebrated for 3-4 days, the main day of the festival is busy with holy baths, visits to relatives, varieties of local cuisine and songs and dance.

Within our network there are few communities who celebrate Maghi as their major festivals. Communities such as Bardia, Bhada and Barauli are majorly dominated by Tharus and celebrate Maghi as their main festival. As Community Homestay Network believes in catering authentic experiences to the travelers, celebration of the festival in the community itself is an absolute opportunity to experience the culture living with the community.

Bhada Community Homestay

Like any other Tharu communities, Maghi holds special value in the Bhada Community Homestay. On the day of the festival all the family members participate in the holy bath early in the morning followed by Puja. Family members receive blessings from the elders of the family and female members of the family are involved in the preparation of foods like Dhikri and Roti. Other than Dhikri and roti, meat items are also enjoyed as delicacies. 

Maghi is celebrated as the new year of the Tharu community and also as the new fiscal year. On this day the head of the family gathers all the family members and shares with them the yearly progress of the family and plan for the year ahead. Property division is also done in many families.The helper of the family is also treated with good food and nice clothes. The helpers also can choose whether to continue or leave that family on the same day. 
Besides, there is also the tradition of choosing a new leader for the community to lead the year. The leader can be the same if everyone approves, but it can be done at any time of Magh month.

Tharu community believe the day of the festival as an auspicious day to start new things, be it new business or new community leader. Besides, the day is special with family gatherings and varieties of local food.

Maghi in Bhada Community Homestay

Celebrating Maghi in Bhada Community Homestay, staying with the local communities is definitely a delightful experience. The opportunity will give a closer insight to the unique culture and tradition of one of the many ethnicities of Nepal. 
And above all, the intent of the festival which is strengthening the essence of community is further nourished when people from different backgrounds gather to celebrate Maghi together.

Activities that can be done

Preparation of festival food
Observe and participate in the holy bath
Observe the dance and song
Visit families to receive the blessings for Maghi
End the day with campfire