The Aathparhiya community, primarily residing in Dhanusha Municipality, celebrates the Bisu festival for eight consecutive days. On the first day of the festival, a ritual called Bhumi Puja is performed to worship the land considered the foundation of agriculture. Throughout the festival, events such as bow and arrow competitions, community feasts, ancestral worship, and various cultural programs are organized. On 29th Chaitra in Dhanusha, the festival brings vibrant festivities to the Aathparhiya, a marginalized community mainly settled only in the municipality of Dhanusha across the country.
Known for marking the New Year, the Bisu or Baishakhe festival is celebrated with wishes for prosperity, peace, and harmony among community members. The Aathparhiya observe this eight-day celebration as the most significant festival of the year with great enthusiasm. Due to shifts in lunar dates this year, the festival falls in the Chaitra month.
According to Ashtbahadur Aathparhiya, central president of the Kirati Aathparhiya society, the festival begins on the second Monday after Ram Navami and lasts until the third Monday, spanning eight days. On the first day, Monday, Bhumi Puja is performed to honor the earth, the basis of farming. Tuesday is dedicated to cleaning and repainting the community’s sacred place called Margathan. The third day features traditional animal sacrifices of chickens and pigs at Margathan. On the fourth day, a communal feast with buffalo and pork dishes is held, followed by ancestral worship on the fifth day.
On the sixth day, elderly villagers and youth from Vallopallo village gather for a communal picnic to joyfully celebrate the festival together, although this tradition has seen a decline recently. The seventh day hosts a “Taraa Apma” or bow and arrow competition, held especially near the Margathan area close to the Thursday market in Dhanusha. Young men and women demonstrate their archery skills, adding excitement to the celebrations. In previous years, winners received a money garland as a prize, but currently, other awards have replaced this tradition, explained President Aathparhiya. Despite some changes over time, the cultural significance of the event remains strong.
The eighth and final day concludes with a special ceremony at Margathan, praying for a good harvest and abundant crops throughout the year, shared Surya Aathparhiya, the society’s central vice president.
Additionally, until the full moon of Baishakh, traditional games called Roteping and Lingeping are played, and ancestral worship rituals are performed to complete the festivities, though these practices have become less common recently. During the festival, youths originally from the village but living abroad or elsewhere often return to their homeland, helping to keep the community vibrant. Women, in particular, perform household and room worships for their domestic happiness and prosperity during Bisu.
Following Bisu, the Aathparhiya community also celebrates Bhadaure (Nwagi) and Mansire (Wadangmet) festivals with distinct enthusiasm. Among these, Wadangmet is regarded as the biggest festival. It is celebrated joyously as a rite of passage for the birth of the first child, where the child is taken on a three-day pilgrimage by foot to the Kokaha River near Barahkshetra in Sunsari for hair-shaving and ritual offerings. During this time, men wear their traditional Ishtakot and Daura Suruwal attire, while women don Myakhli, Sin, and Hari garments.
The Aathparhiya community, mainly residing in Dhanusha Municipality, has a population of approximately 6,000 people.
