Ghode Jatra(Nepali:घोडे जात्रा) is a horse festival native to

Kathmandu Kathmandu () is the capital and largest city of Nepal, situated in the central part of the country within the Kathmandu Valley. As per the 2021 Nepal census, it has a population of 845,767 residing in 105,649 households, with approximately 4 mi ...

. The festival occurs annually on mid March or early April. In the festival, a horse parades is organized in Tundikhel. The parade and competitions is carried out in the presence of heads of state. Nepal Army organizes the parade and competitions. Kathmandu native

Newar people Newar (; , endonym: Newa; , Pracalit script: ), or Nepami, are primarily inhabitants in Kathmandu Valley of Nepal and its surrounding areas, and the creators of its historic heritage and civilisation. Page 15. Newars are a distinct linguistic ...

mark the festival with a feast. There is a public holiday in Kathmandu on the day of Ghode Jatra.

Origin

In the inner city of Kathmandu, whenever children disappeared, it was assumed that demons or cannibals did it. In order to scare off the bad spirits, campers in Tudikhel who had horses with them, were asked to run those horses around Tudikhel to scare off the demons. People gathered and fed the demons near the tree that is still located in the middle of Tudikhel. The ritual later took a form of festival. The tradition later changed into a national festival.

References

Festivals in Nepal {{Asia-festival-stub

Origin

See also

References