Lākhey (

Nepal Bhasa Newar (), or Newari and known officially in Nepal as Nepal Bhasa, is a Sino-Tibetan language spoken by the Newar people, the indigenous inhabitants of Nepal Mandala, which consists of the Kathmandu Valley and surrounding regions in Nepal ...

: लाखे or , lā-khé) (alternative spellings Lākhe, Lākhay, ) is the dance of a demon in the carnival of God.

Durbar Square Durbar Square, which means Royal Squares in English, is the generic name used to describe plazas and areas opposite the old royal palaces in Nepal. The name comes from Persian دربار ( Darbar). It consists of temples, idols, open courts, wate ...

, a historic plaza in

Kathmandu , pushpin_map = Nepal Bagmati Province#Nepal#Asia , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 = Bagmati Provi ...

Nepal Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mai ...

, facing ancient palaces and adorned by

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

temples, is always full of eager crowds on the last day of

Indra Jatra Indra Jātrā, also known as Yenyā ( Nepal Bhasa: येँयाः), is the biggest religious street festival in Kathmandu, Nepal. The celebrations consist of two events, Indra Jātrā and Kumāri Jātrā. Indra Jātrā is marked by masked dan ...

, the festival celebrating

Indra Indra (; Sanskrit: इन्द्र) is the king of the devas (god-like deities) and Svarga (heaven) in Hindu mythology. He is associated with the sky, lightning, weather, thunder, storms, rains, river flows, and war. volumes/ref> ...

, the Hindu king of heaven. On this divine stage, Lakhe the demon dances among gods and deities relentlessly and carelessly. He is depicted with a ferocious face, protruding fangs, and a mane of red or black hair. Lakhes figure prominently in the traditional

Newar Newar (; new, नेवार, endonym: Newa; new, नेवा, Pracalit script:) or Nepami, are the historical inhabitants of the Kathmandu Valley and its surrounding areas in Nepal and the creators of its historic heritage and civilisatio ...

culture of

Nepal Mandala Nepal Mandala ( ne, नेपाल मण्डल) is an ancient confederation on the Indian subcontinent, marked by cultural, religious and political boundaries which lies in present-day central Nepal. It consists of the Kathmandu Valley an ...

. The Lakhe tradition is found in the

Kathmandu Valley The Kathmandu Valley ( ne, काठमाडौं उपत्यका; also known as the Nepal Valley or Nepa Valley ( ne, नेपाः उपत्यका, Nepal Bhasa: 𑐣𑐾𑐥𑐵𑑅 𑐐𑐵𑑅, नेपाः गाः)), ...

and other Newar settlements throughout

. Lakhes are said to be demons who used to live in the forests and later became protectors to the townspeople. A female Lakhe is known as Lasin (). The other common legendary being in Nepalese folklore is the Khyāh, who is depicted as a fat, hairy ape-like creature.

Dancing Lakhes

Lakhey Dance is one of the most popular dances of Nepal. Performers wearing a Lakhe costume and mask perform dances on the streets and city squares during festivals. The mask is made of

papier-mâché upright=1.3, Mardi Gras papier-mâché masks, Haiti upright=1.3, Papier-mâché Catrinas, traditional figures for day of the dead celebrations in Mexico Papier-mâché (, ; , literally "chewed paper") is a composite material consisting of p ...

, and

yak The domestic yak (''Bos grunniens''), also known as the Tartary ox, grunting ox or hairy cattle, is a species of long-haired domesticated cattle found throughout the Himalayan region of the Indian subcontinent, the Tibetan Plateau, Kachin ...

tails are used for the hair. The Lakhe dance is characterised by wild movements and thumping music. The most famous Lakhe is Majipa Lakhey of

Kathmandu , pushpin_map = Nepal Bagmati Province#Nepal#Asia , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 = Bagmati Provi ...

who appears during the Yenya (Indra Jatra) festival in September. He is worshipped as a deity. City dwellers offer food and ritual items to him as he moves through the city accompanied by his musical band giving dance performances. The Lakhe stops at major crossroads and market squares to give a performance. During the dance, a small boy, known as Jhyalincha (झ्यालिंचा), taunts the Lakhe, making him chase him in anger. Jhyalincha always manages to slip into the crowd and escape. Page 19. Gunla Lakhe comes out during Gunla, the 10th month in the Nepal Sambat calendar which corresponds to August.

Other Lakhes

There are other Lakhes with particular characteristics. These mythical beings are said to reside in various parts of the city. * Michyāh Lākhe (मिच्या: लाखे) (meaning "fire burning demon" in

) is a spirit who is said to cause a fire by

spontaneous combustion Spontaneous combustion or spontaneous ignition is a type of combustion which occurs by self-heating (increase in temperature due to exothermic internal reactions), followed by thermal runaway (self heating which rapidly accelerates to high t ...

wherever it resides. People possessed by Michyāh Lakhe are also believed to cause a fire. * Minpu Lākhe (मिंपू लाखे) also causes a fire.

References

External links

Lakhe Dancer photos on alamy.com
* * {{Newar Nepalese culture Newar Demons Masked dances Ritual dances Sacred dance Legendary creatures in popular culture Nepalese legendary creatures Dance in Nepal Masquerade ceremonies in Asia Nepalese folk dances Culture of Bagmati