KATHMANDU: The cultural and traditional festival of Gaijatra or the 'cow festival' that continues for a week in the Capital has started from Hanumandhoka this morning. People are thronging in and around different parts of the Kathmandu Valley to mark the festival. The Gaijatra started early morning in Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur and some other parts of the country. During this time-honored tradition, people of all ages in guise of cows and lunatics go around the city, wearing strange costumes with peculiar appearance to commemorate the deceased. The bereaved families offer fruits, bread, beaten rice, curd and money to those participating in the procession including the cows. As the saying goes, the festival derives its name from the religious belief that the deceased, during their journey to heaven, crosses a legendary river by grabbing the tail of a cow. The festival was begun by the then Malla king Pratap Malla. The festival was started to show the pain of demise of one nearest and dearest when wife of King Pratap Malla lamented over the death of her son. King wanted to show such pain of others to his wife then he made the arrangements of showing such grief fair to share the pain. On the occasion, different fun and satire related programmes are organized in various places. Photo: RSS Gaijatra festival observed Kathmandu, August 30 A day after Janai Purnima, Gaijatra (festival of cows) was observed across the country, including the Kathmandu Valley, to commemorate persons who died during the past one year. This year’s Gaijatra festival held more significance due to the death of at least 8,969 people in the devastating April 25 earthquake and its powerful aftershocks. The 10 districts that witnessed the highest death toll from the earthquake were Sindhupalchowk (3,557), Kathmandu (1,233), Nuwakot (1,109), Dhading (680), Rasuwa (660), Gorkha (449), Bhaktapur (333), Kavre (318), Lalitpur (180) and Dolakha (178). Teenage boys dressed as cows paraded through the streets in the Valley. In Hinduism, it is believed that cows help the deceased relative’s journey to heaven. Some of the revelers dressed up as ascetics to commemorate their deceased relatives. Several other groups of people enacted satirical plays on the current sociopolitical scene to the entertain the public. Basantapur of Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur attracted tens of thousands of revelers. The festivity of Gaijatra lasts for a week with dance and drama performances held in various localities of the town. The government had declared public holiday in the Valley to mark the festival.