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Yomari Punhi is a Newari festival marking the end of the rice harvest. It takes place in November/December during the
Yomari Punhi is a Newari festival marking the end of the rice harvest. It takes place in November/December during the full moon
The full moon is the lunar phase when the Moon appears fully illuminated from Earth's perspective. This occurs when Earth is located between the Sun and the Moon (when the ecliptic coordinate system, ecliptic longitudes of the Sun and Moon opp ...
day of Thinlā (थिंला), the second month in the lunar Nepal Era
Nepal Sambat, also spelled as Nepala Sambata, (Nepal Bhasa: , Nepali: ) is the lunisolar calendar used by the Newari people of Nepal. The Calendar era began on 20 October 879 AD, with 1142 in Nepal Sambat corresponding to the year 2021–2022 ...
calendar.
Festival
Yomari Punhi, meaning the full moon ofyomari
Yomari, also called yamari, (Nepal Bhasa: ) is a delicacy of the Newar community in Nepal. It is a steamed dumpling that consists of an external covering of rice flour with sweet fillings such as chaku and khuwa. The delicacy plays a very ...
, is one of the most popular Newar festivals and is observed every year during the full moon of December. A yomari is a confection of rice flour
Rice flour (also rice powder) is a form of flour made from finely milled rice. It is distinct from rice starch, which is usually produced by steeping rice in lye. Rice flour is a common substitute for wheat flour. It is also used as a thickening a ...
(from the new harvest) dough shaped like fish and filled with brown cane sugar and sesame seeds, which is then steamed. This delicacy is the chief item on the menu during the post-harvest celebration of Yomari Punhi.
On this full moon day, people of 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)), ...
offer worship to Annapurna
Annapurna (; ne, अन्नपूर्ण) is a mountain situated in the Annapurna mountain range of Gandaki Province, north-central Nepal. It is the tenth highest mountain in the world at above sea level and is well known for the difficu ...
, the goddess of grains, for the rice harvest. Groups of kids go around neighborhood to ask yomari, a newari dish, from housewives in the evening. Sacred masked dances are performed in the villages of Hari Siddhi and Thecho
Thecho is located about south of the main Lalitpur town in Lalitpur district, Godawari Municipality. According to 2011 Nepal census, Thecho has a population of 10,086 living in 2,352 individual households. The offshoot road near the Satdobato se ...
at the southern end of the Valley to mark the festival. In a yomari people keep chaku a chocolate-like food or khuwa a ricotta-cheese-like dairy product. It is very tasty. This is also one of the main festival celebrated only in newar community.
Matinaa Paaru
On the day after Yomari Punhi, a day alikeValentines Day
Valentine's Day, also called Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated annually on February 14. It originated as a Christian feast day honoring one or two early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine and, thro ...
is observed. According to Basu Pasa's historical book ‘Kantipur’, among different shapes yomari, 'Bayo' symbolizes the male sexual organ whereas the triangle shaped with two points at the end known as 'Mayo' yomari suggests the female sexual organ and represents father and mother respectively. The Bayo yomari is filled with molasses and sesame seeds while the Mayo yomari is filled with pulses. So, Yomari is considered to be symbolic combination of sex. The culture of ‘Yomari Fonegu’ relates with love and romance. People went homes to home, toles to toles to ask Yomari, and at that time they got a chance to sneak peek and talk with their loved ones. In traditional days, society was restrictive with love. Yomari Punhi's ‘Yomari Fonegu’ culture was utilized as a cruising day in those times, and lovers would secretly meet the other day. There were no mobiles, no phones. People would write in particular expressions: ‘द्यः निभाः ह्याउँ ह्याउँ धाइ बलय् बुइँचा हिति फल्चा क्वसं पंबुझाः ल्यूने’ (as the sun starts to get red, down from Buincha hiti falcha, behind the bamboo trees)
Some people also relate Matinaa Paaru with story of Majipaa Lakhey. Majipa Lakhey's love story is another mythical love story, where a Lakhey (demon) turns into a caretaker after falling in love with a girl from Kathmandu.{{cite web , url=https://newaissues.wordpress.com/2019/02/07/there-is-a-newa-valentines-day-too-matinaa-paaru/, title=There is a Newa Valentine's Day too : Matinaa Paaru
References