Bhailo
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''Bhailo'' and ''Deusi'', collectively known as Deusi/Bhailo, are Nepalese traditional folk songs sung during the Tihar festival in
Nepal Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...
as well as in
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hills,
Sikkim Sikkim ( ; ) is a States and union territories of India, state in northeastern India. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China in the north and northeast, Bhutan in the east, Koshi Province of Nepal in the west, and West Bengal in the ...
,
Assam Assam (, , ) is a state in Northeast India, northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra Valley, Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . It is the second largest state in Northeast India, nor ...
, and some other parts of
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
among the Gorkhali diaspora. Children as well as adults perform Deusi/Bhailo by singing songs and dancing as they go to various homes in their community, collecting money, sweets and food and giving blessings for prosperity. ''Bhailo'' is generally performed by girls and women on the night of Lakshmi Puja whereas ''Deusi'' is performed by boys and men on the following night. Although in recent years, mixed groups perform it collectively on either of the two nights or both. The girls performing ''Bhailo'' are called ''Bhailini'' and the boys performing ''Deusi'' are called ''Deuse''. At the end of these songs, the house owner serves food and gives money to the Deusi/Bhailo singers and dancers. In return, the Deusi/Bhailo team gives blessings of good fortune and prosperity.


Origin stories

There exists two major stories about the origin of the practice of performing Deusi/Bhailo. The stories varies according to the places and ethnic groups. The two stories are given as:


Vamana and Bali

According to Hindu mythology, King
Mahabali Mahabali (IAST: Mahābalī), also known as Bali, Indrasenan, or Māveli, is a daitya king featured in Hinduism. He is the grandson of Prahlada, and a descendant of the sage Kashyapa. There are many versions of his legend in ancient texts suc ...
, the great grandson of
Hiranyakashipu Hiranyakashipu (, ), also known as Hiranyakashyap, was a daitya king of the asuras in the Puranas. In Hinduism, Hiranyakashipu's younger brother, Hiranyaksha, was slain by the Varaha (boar) avatar of Vishnu. Angered by this, Hiranyakashipu ...
, the grandson of
Prahlada Prahlada () is an asura king in Hindu scriptures. He is known for his staunch devotion to the preserver deity, Vishnu. He appears in the narrative of Narasimha, the lion avatara of Vishnu, who rescues Prahlada by disimboweling and killing hi ...
and the son of
Virochana Virochana () is an asura king in Hinduism. He is the grandson of Hiranyakashipu, the son of Prahlada (according to the Atharvaveda The Atharvaveda or Atharva Veda (, , from ''wikt:अथर्वन्, अथर्वन्'', "priest" ...
was a very generous and intelligent Daitya king of
Patala In Indian religions, Patala ( Sanskrit: पाताल, IAST: pātāla, lit. ''that which is below the feet''), denotes the subterranean realms of the universe – which are located under the earthly dimension. Patala is often translated as u ...
. He once defeated Devas and their king
Indra Indra (; ) is the Hindu god of weather, considered the king of the Deva (Hinduism), Devas and Svarga in Hinduism. He is associated with the sky, lightning, weather, thunder, storms, rains, river flows, and war.  volumes Indra is the m ...
and claimed the throne of
Devaloka In Indian religions, a devaloka or deva loka is a plane of existence where deity, gods aka Deva (Hinduism), devas exist. The deva lokas are usually described as places of eternal light and goodness, similar to the concept of Heaven. Teachers ...
(heaven). The Devas then went to Lord
Vishnu Vishnu (; , , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism, and the god of preservation ( ...
seeking help. After his victory, King Bali decided to perform
Ashvamedha The Ashvamedha () was a horse sacrifice ritual followed by the Śrauta tradition of Vedic religion. It was used by ancient Indian kings to prove their imperial sovereignty: a horse accompanied by the king's warriors would be released to wander ...
ritual. While the ritual was being performed, Lord Vishnu appeared before Bali in his dwarf priest avatar,
Vamana Vamana (, ) also known as Trivikrama (), Urukrama (), Upendra (), Dadhivamana (, ), and Balibandhana (), is an Dashavatara, avatar of the Hinduism, Hindu deity Vishnu. He is the fifth avatar of Vishnu and the first Dashavatara in the Treta ...
. It was customary to donate to a priest or sage during rituals. So, the king asked Vamana to make his wish. Vamana asked for three feet of land. King Bali agreed to donate three feet of land to the Vamana priest. Vamana placed his first step but he began to expand in size. He became so big that his single foot covered the whole Earth. The second step covered the Devaloka (heaven). There was no place for Vamana to place his third step. So, the king offered his own head to Vamana to place the third step. As Vamana placed his foot on Bali's head, Bali collapsed back to Patala Loka (subterranean realms). King Bali then asked a wish with Vamana, to be able to ascend to ''Mṛtyuloka'' (the world of the dead). Lord
Vishnu Vishnu (; , , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism, and the god of preservation ( ...
allowed King Bali to be able to ascend to ''Mṛtyuloka'' for five days on '' Yama Panchak''. The people then started performing Deusi in honour of
Mahabali Mahabali (IAST: Mahābalī), also known as Bali, Indrasenan, or Māveli, is a daitya king featured in Hinduism. He is the grandson of Prahlada, and a descendant of the sage Kashyapa. There are many versions of his legend in ancient texts suc ...
's generosity. The word ''Deusire'' is said to originated from the words ''Deu'' and ''sire'', translating to give and head, in Nepali language. In Bhailo too, a verse in the song refers to King Bali.


Baliraja of Jumla

According to another story, there once lived a pregnant woman and she arrived in a place named Kallai in the present day
Jumla district Jumla District (), is one of the ten districts of Nepal, districts of the Karnali Province, Karnali province of Nepal. This district has Jumla (town), Jumla as its headquarters, an area of ; it had populations of 89,427 and 108,921, respectivel ...
of Nepal. According to Jagaman Gurung, a cultural expert, the woman might have been involved in an incest or other taboo activity and hence fled her home and arrived in Kallai. Later, the woman gave birth to a son named Bali. The Khas reign in Jumla had fallen and there was no ruler. One day, a sage named Chandannath arrived at that place and found Bali to be worthy as a ruler. He declared Bali as the king of Jumla. Bali's dynasty later became the Kallala dynasty. During his rule, slavery was practiced. Poor people would sacrifice their children at the temple. But later the practice changed and people would offer their children to the temple to live as Devdas (lit. male slave of god) and Devdasi (lit. female slave of god). Once every year, the king would permit the Devdas and Devdasi to visit the village and receive offering from them. So, the Devdasi went to sing 'Bhailo' (from the Nepali word ''Bhalo'', meaning wellness) and the Devdas would sing 'Devdas Re'. The practice later become the Deusi/Bhailo tradition. Another variation of the legend attributes the origin of the tradition to the battle between Baliraja of Jumla and
Timur Timur, also known as Tamerlane (1320s17/18 February 1405), was a Turco-Mongol conqueror who founded the Timurid Empire in and around modern-day Afghanistan, Iran, and Central Asia, becoming the first ruler of the Timurid dynasty. An undefeat ...
during the 14th century. After defeat of Baliraja in the war, the song and dance is said to have performed to collect taxes from the people by the king.


Performance

The Deusi/Bhailo programme provides cultural entertainment by a group of men and/or women who move around their local area singing the Deusi/Bhailo song and other songs. The group is usually composed of a lead chanter/singer and a chorus group and sometimes additional participants such as musicians and dancers. The lead chanter/singer wishes blessings upon the owners of the house where the team visits. Traditionally, the programme is all live and uses minimal electronic instruments. The entire programme can last from about 10 minutes to half an hour in one house. Then the group moves to another location to perform. The programme is held on the third and fourth days of ''Tihar'', where ''Bhailo'' is performed on the third day (Laxmi Puja) and ''Deusi'' is performed on the fourth day (Gowardhan Puja).


Lyrics

During Deusi/Bhailo, children as well as adults visit the houses in their neighbourhood and villages, The songs sung during Deusi/Bhailo are mostly blessings for the house owner. The singers sing about the hardship they endured to reach the house and give blessing to the house owner. The lyrics may also contain humorous reference to house owner. In the Deusi performance, a leader of the group sings the main line whereas other members repeat "Deusi Re" after each line. In the Bhailo performance, the whole group sings in a unison. A typical Bhailo verse is given as:


References

{{reflist Nepalese folk music Culture of Nepal Culture of Sikkim Khas culture Magar culture