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Nakchhong (नाक्छोङ) are the 
Nakchhong is the main priest of the 
Nakchhongs in Rai community are bridge connecting living with ancestors and spirits. He adorns himself with porcupine quills and peacock feathers. It is believed that knowledge is passed to a ‘nakchong’ in his dreams. When he wakes up, he has all the skills and powers of a shaman.
*Nakchhong frequently work with the following materials:
* अदुवा (Kirat culture)
Shamanic
Shamanism is a religious practice that involves a practitioner (shaman) interacting with what they believe to be a spirit world through altered states of consciousness, such as trance. The goal of this is usually to direct spirits or spiri ...
tribal priest of Rai people
The Rai are an ethnolinguistic group belonging to the Kirati people, Kirat family and primarily Tibeto-Burman languages, Tibeto-Burman linguistic ethnicity. They mainly reside in the eastern parts of Nepal, the Indian states of Sikkim, West Benga ...
an ethnic group that is predominantly located in the Himalayas
The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the planet's highest peaks, including the very highest, Mount Everest. Over 100 ...
of 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 ...
, Sikkim
Sikkim (; ) is a state in Northeastern India. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China in the north and northeast, Bhutan in the east, Province No. 1 of Nepal in the west and West Bengal in the south. Sikkim is also close to the Siligur ...
, Darjeeling
Darjeeling (, , ) is a town and municipality in the northernmost region of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located in the Eastern Himalayas, it has an average elevation of . To the west of Darjeeling lies the easternmost province of Nepal, ...
and Kalimpong
Kalimpong (Hindi: कलिम्पोंग) is a town and the headquarters of an eponymous district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is located at an average elevation of . The town is the headquarters of the Kalimpong district. The re ...
.
Nakchhong is the main priest of the Sakela
Sakela () is one of the main festival of Kirat Rai people, an ethnic group indigenous to Eastern Nepal and Sikkim, Kalimpong, and Darjeeling regions of India. Sakela is celebrated twice a year and is distinguished by two names ''Ubhauli'' and ''U ...
shrine; during Udhauli
Udhauli (उधौली) is a festival of the Kirat communities of Kirati people specially celebrated by Sunuwar, Limbu, Yakkha, Khambu Rai etc. of Nepal India and around the world by Kirati People and it is celebrated every year marking the ...
and Ubhauli
Ubhauli (उभौली) is festival of the Kirat communities of Sunuwar, Rai, Limbu and Yakkha of Nepal , India and around the world by Kirati people celebrated every year marking the migration phase upwards towards the hilly regions when ...
. They are self-learned, self-realized and do not have a teacher. During the unavailability of Nakchhongs, others can be chosen to perform the ritual worship at the Sakela altar. It seems that before worshiping Sakela (Bhumidev), four types of Mang(deities) are being worshiped by Nakchhong in a regular manner. Only after worshiping the said mang(deities) according to the law, it is believed that the Sakela Nakchhong will get the power to worship Suptulung (three stone alter), Sikari devta(hunter deity) Nagangeni(snake deities), Simebhume, and Retkamang (eight ancestral spirits) are also worshiped asking for power. After all the work is done, Sakela Nakchhong will give the sound of drums from his house and inform about the beginning of Sakela. before going to Sakela worship Nakchhong firstly worship ”Suptulung” (three stone altar of the house) and ask for strength.
Nakchhongs in Rai community are bridge connecting living with ancestors and spirits. He adorns himself with porcupine quills and peacock feathers. It is believed that knowledge is passed to a ‘nakchong’ in his dreams. When he wakes up, he has all the skills and powers of a shaman.
*Nakchhong frequently work with the following materials:
* अदुवा (Kirat culture)ginger
Ginger (''Zingiber officinale'') is a flowering plant whose rhizome, ginger root or ginger, is widely used as a spice
A spice is a seed, fruit, root, bark, or other plant substance primarily used for flavoring or coloring food. Spices ...
*Pokhemma
Pokhemma is a type of food used by Kirat as an offering for their ancestors. It is simply boiled beans, served strictly without salt.
See also
* List of Nepalese dishes
Nepali/Nepalese cuisine refers to the food eaten in Nepal. The country's c ...
* Tupla (cut pieces of the front part of a banana leaf)
*Chindo: Gourd filled with Jand (millet beer)
References
{{reflist Religion in Nepal