Kirtipur, August 9:

Residents of Kirtipur, an old Newari town known for its strong cultural leanings, are introducing a novel way of observing Gai Jatra this year onwards.

The burden of meeting the expenses of Gai Jatra celebration used to fall on those from well-off families and also those who had lost their family member that particular year. Thanks to these changes, residents will be able to depart from a tradition that dates back to centuries.

The custom, which the Newar community has been observing since the Malla regime, to commemorate the loss of their family members by going around the town humouring the onlookers with masked faces, idols of cows and taking out cows, falls in the month of Shrawan.

The changes being introduced this year will involve residents of Bai Gaa tole neighbourhood in Kirtipur who will bear the responsibility of organising the festival, said 70-year-old Tika Ram Maharjan, president of the Sanskritik Jatra Parva Byabasthapan Samiti in Kirtipur. According to him, Bai Gaa tole, one of the 12 neighbourhoods in Kirtipur will hand over next year’s responsibility of managing traditional musicians, mask dancers and pooling of the money to meet the entire expenses of the festival to another neighbourhood.

Maharjan said, “To give continuity to the traditional festival, we have decided to introduce a new system to share the cost of the festival. The responsibility of organising the festival will be passed on to one neighbourhood in the town each year.”

Locals in the organising neighbourhood have already both supported the organisers in cash and kind. The Kirtipur Municipality has also agreed to support the festival, he added.

Siddhi Man Maharjan, of Kuti Jhwa tole, said, “Organising the festival is a big affair. It involves a lot of human resources insofar as playing traditional music, conducting mask dances and arranging for priests to lead the parade into the town is concerned.”