Sakela () is one of the main festival of

Kirat Rai The Kirati people, also spelled as Kirant or Kiranti, are a Sino-Tibetan ethnic group. They are peoples of the Himalayas, mostly the Eastern Himalaya extending eastward from Nepal to North East India (predominantly in the Indian state of Sikkim ...

people, an ethnic group indigenous to Eastern

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 ...

and

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 ...

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 ...

, and

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, ...

regions of

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. Sakela is celebrated twice a year and is distinguished by two names ''

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 ...

'' and ''

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 ...

''. Sakela ''Ubhauli'' is celebrated during

Baisakh Purnima Vesak (Pali: ''Vesākha''; sa, Vaiśākha), also known as Buddha Jayanti, Buddha Purnima and Buddha Day, is a holiday traditionally observed by Buddhists in South Asia and Southeast Asia as well as Tibet and Mongolia. The festival commemora ...

(full moon day in the month of

Baisakh Vaisakha; hi, बैसाख, Baisākh; pa, ਵਿਸਾਖ/وساکھ , te, వైశాఖ, kn, ವೈಶಾಖ, Vaiśākha; ml, വൈശാഖം, Vaiśākham; mr, वैशाख, Vaiśākh; ta, வைகாசி, Vaikāci; ne, � ...

) and Sakela ''Udhauli'' is celebrated during the full moon day in the month of

Mangsir Mangsir ( ne, मङ्गसिर or मङ्सिर or मार्ग ) is the eighth month in the Bikram Samwat, the official Nepali calendar. This month coincides with the mid-November to mid-December of the Gregorian calendar. Importa ...

Significance

Kirats believe in

shamanism Shamanism is a religious practice that involves a practitioner (shaman) interacting with what they believe to be a Spirit world (Spiritualism), spirit world through Altered state of consciousness, altered states of consciousness, such as tranc ...

and are worshippers of nature. The Sakela celebration is a prayer to mother nature for healthy crops and protection from natural calamities. The festival is Started on

, Sakela ''Ubhauli'' is celebrated for 15 days in Baisakh (April/May) marking the beginning of the farming year. Similarly, the celebration of Sakela ''Udhauli'' during Mangsir (November/December), which is the harvest season, is the giving of thanks to mother nature for providing a good harvest.

Sakela dance

The main characteristic of this festival is a ritual dance call Sakela dance performed by large groups of Kirats, wearing their traditional attire. People from all ages dance together in a large circle. There are male and female leaders in each circle known as ''Silimangpa'' and ''Silimangma'' respectively. They choreograph the dance moves known as ''sili'' while others follow them. The sili reflects the different aspects of human life and their relationship with nature.

Variations

Among Kirats,

Sunuwar The Sunuwar or Koinch (; ''Sunuwār Jāti'') is a Kirati tribe native to Nepal, parts of India (West Bengal and Sikkim) and southern Bhutan. They speak the Sunuwar language. According to the 2001 census of Nepal, 17% of the tribe follow the Kir ...

and

Rai RAI – Radiotelevisione italiana (; commercially styled as Rai since 2000; known until 1954 as Radio Audizioni Italiane) is the national public broadcasting company of Italy, owned by the Ministry of Economy and Finance. RAI operates many ter ...

celebrate this festival, whereas the

Yakkha Yakkha may refer to: * Yakkha people, an ethnic group of South Asia * Yakkha language, a Sino-Tibetan language * Yaksha The yakshas ( sa, यक्ष ; pi, yakkha, i=yes) are a broad class of nature-spirits, usually benevolent, but sometime ...

s and the Limbus have their own Youchyang and Chasok Tangnam. Despite important local variations, indigenists view these dances as specific as well as common to all Kirat. There are different nomenclatures of Sakela in different Khambu languages. The Chamling sub-tribe calls it Sakela. Bantawas call it Sakewa or Sakenwa while the Thulungs call it Toshi.

Gallery

File:Sakela Ubhauli Festival 2019 (48076233107).jpg, Offerings made to Paruhang and Sumnima, the ancestral deity File:Kirat Rai ethnic womens in Sakela Ubhauli festival.jpg, Kirati Rai women in Sakela Ubhauli festival File:Sakela Ubhauli Festival 2019 (48076097346).jpg, Women in traditional Rai wear (2019) File:Sakela Ubhauli Festival 2019 (48076168937).jpg, A Rai man playing traditional drum (Dhol) File:Rai Girl Playing Jhyamta in Sakela Ubhauli festival 2017 Kureong Darjeeling.jpg, Rai Girl Playing Jhyamta in Sakela Ubhauli festival (2017

Kurseong Kurseong is a town and a municipality in Darjeeling district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the headquarters of the Kurseong subdivision. Located at an altitude of , Kurseong is from Darjeeling and has a pleasant climate throughout ...

)

References

External links