Kanchanpur. The important Durvastami of Gaura festival i.e. 'Athewali' is being celebrated with pomp and circumstance in the far western region including Kanchanpur today. According to Gaura Pujan, this day is considered important by the women here. This day is also called Durvastami as Gubo is worshiped by Dubo. The ‘dubdha thread’ made from sacred thread is methodically invoked by women today. A woman who has taken dubdhago is considered sacred.
Women wearing dubhago have the first right to cook rice. This practice has been going on in the Far West since time immemorial. Women wearing dubdhago have full right to worship Gaura. In the morning, the women bathe in the river pool, bring a statue of Goddess Gaura made of grass and a wooden statue of Maheshwar to the courtyard outside Gaura's house and decorate it.Rana Bahadur Airi, an expert on far-western culture, said that the song Maheshwar and Gaura was sung by women in eight chapters.
When women sing Athewali songs, they hold each other's little fingers and form a circle and perform traditional dances and songs. On this occasion, on the first day of Gaura, Biruda made by soaking five nuts is used to worship Gaura Devi. Birudas are also taken home cooked and eaten on the day of Athewali. Earlier, it was customary to soak Biruda in the houses of eminent persons of the village.
At present, the residents are soaking in Gaura temple, Sagol and houses for convenience. Parvati, the daughter of the Himalayas, celebrates Gaura on the basis of the legend that Goddess Gaura fasted to find a husband for Lord Shiva. Just as Parvati got Shiva as her husband, unmarried women like Shiva get The story is based on religious texts including Mahabharata and Ramayana in Dhumari and Dhusko and vertical games. Both men and women celebrate with pomp and circumstance until the goura, which begins with the soaking of the biruda, is dissolved.
The soaked biruda is washed on the sixtieth day by singing sagun in a nearby pandhera or dug well. The seedlings are then re-soaked. On the seventh day, an unmarried young woman makes a statue of Gauri from a field of paddy, saul, etc., and puts it in a basket and brings it into the house. Along with the statue of Gauri, a wooden cloth wrapped in a yellow cloth is considered as the symbol of Shiva, Maheshwar.
At this time, the idol of Gauri is offered by worshiping Dubdhago. By this time women are starving and some are eating fruit. Earlier, women worshiped Biruda, wishing her husband and children longevity. After Athewali, a basket with a statue of Gauri is placed on the head and danced. When Gaura is not dancing, other women sing Sagun and worship Akshata and flowers. In the local language, the statue of Gauri is called Lali Ghumara.
On the day of Athewali, men and women rejoice in Gaura separately. Men play dhumari, dhusko and deuda near the place where Gaura does not eat. In order to make Dhami and Jhankri happy, on the day of Athewali, men especially enjoy games that include deities. In the evening, when the woman does not chew the gourd, two men in a clean cloth throw the fruit and the leaves in the sky. This is called fruiting. It is believed that if the fruit is kissed in the sky, the desired desire will be fulfilled.
Biruda is brought home and worshiped by the elders and the younger ones. The men play vertical games in Gaura Khalo till night. When they have free time to cultivate kharif, everyone eats lunch and reaches Gaura Khalo. It is customary to come home from home and abroad to celebrate Gaura. In Gaura, new clothes and sweets are eaten. Everyone rejoices in Gaura to get rid of the tiredness after kharif farming. In Gaura, the rich are not called the poor, everyone celebrates according to the bunch. The last river of Gaura is discharged into the reservoir or river bank along with Bajagaja.
