Kathmandu, 12 May: The major festival of the Kirat community, Sakela (Ubhauli), has officially begun today. The month-long celebration starts with rituals such as the worship of the three hearths and the earth, accompanied by prayers for a bountiful harvest, protection from disease, and safety from natural disasters.
During Sakela Ubhauli, villages and settlements where the Kirat community resides come alive with gatherings of youth, children, and elders. Traditional Sakela songs and dances echo through the air, accompanied by the rhythmic beats of dhols and jhyamta (traditional drums and cymbals). In mid-Kirat regions like Khotang, the festival is celebrated for a month with Sakela dances (sili), well-wishing exchanges, and cultural rituals.
The festival aligns with the agricultural calendar, celebrated from the full moon of the Nepali month of Baisakh (around April–May), marking the season for planting crops. People, dressed in traditional Kirati attire—women in gunyu, makhmali cholo, and pahilo patuki, and men in daura suruwal and dhaka topi—gather in open fields. They form large circles and perform the Sakela dance, singing folk songs in praise of nature and the deities Sumnima and Paruhang.
The celebration begins with rituals at significant cultural and religious sites such as Tuwachung-Jayajung in Halesi Tuwachung Municipality, Majhuwagadhi, Rupakot, Merung, and Jantedhunga in Khotang district. Each Kirat household also performs earth worship and prays at the Sakela Than (sacred site) before participating in communal dancing.
Notably, Sakela is not limited to the Kirat community alone. People from non-Kirat communities also take part in both formal and informal events, dancing the Sakela sili with enthusiasm.
The Sakela dance mimics nature, birds, animals, and agricultural activities—like clearing fields, planting, weeding, and harvesting—through symbolic body movements. It reflects the collective spirit of indigenous and ethnic groups, showcasing unity across generations from children to the elderly.
In Khotang, which has ten local administrative units, the festival officially starts from Majhuwagadhi and concludes a month later with a grand sili performance and well-wishing event at the Matikore playground in Diktel. The closing ceremony brings together political leaders, public representatives, government officials, and community organizations, all joining in the traditional dance.
ललितपुर, २९ वैशाखः ललितपुर महानगरपालिका–१४ स्थित नखिपोटमा सोमबार किराँत समुदाय उभौली पर्वमा साकेला नाच नाच्दै । किराँत समुदाय भित्रका विभिन्न जातिहरुले मनाउने प्रसि Ubhauli festival- Sakela dance
According to Yugshan Kirat, president of Kirat Rai Yayokkha, Khotang, the festival plays a vital role in fostering ethnic, religious, and cultural harmony. “Sakela is about honoring nature and ancestors while exchanging good wishes. Celebrated twice a year—Ubhauli during planting season in Baisakh and Udhauli during the harvest in Mangsir—it also helps reconnect families, especially daughters and sisters who return home to meet their parents and relatives,” he said.
Sakela Ubhauli is widely celebrated with great enthusiasm across eastern Nepal, including Khotang, Bhojpur, Dhankuta, Udayapur, Okhaldhunga, Solukhumbu, Sankhuwasabha, Sunsari, Ilam, Panchthar, Jhapa, Morang, and other Kirat-inhabited regions. The festival is of deep cultural importance to the Kirat Rai, Limbu, Yakkha, and Sunuwar communities.
In recognition of its cultural significance, the Government of Nepal has declared a public holiday today on the occasion of Sakela Ubhauli. This year, the festival coincides with Buddha Jayanti, making the celebration even more special.
