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Following the German tra­dition of one of the largest ‘Volksfests’ in the world, Kathmandu on Oct 27 held its own version of Oktober Beer Festival. The Annapurna Express was the main sponsor of the event that was jointly organized by lyf.cha, Basecamp Outdoor Lifestyle, and tourlyf. Beer and music lovers—both Nepalis and expats—converged at Tangalwood on the sunny Sat­urday afternoon to taste over 50 varieties of beer as well as groove to the tunes of live bands and DJs.

The event, the second for the organizers, saw an unexpected turnout, especially of foreigners. There were so many people there to witness live music and play beer games, all-day-long, that the organizers were overwhelmed. They plan an even bigger event next year.

In Hindu mythology cow rep­resents Laxmi, the goddess of wealth. Thus, during Laxmi puja, the third day of the ‘festival of lights’ or Tihar, there is a tradition of wor­shipping cows. On the fourth day, the Hindus worship oxen, which are representation of the Goverdhan mountain that Lord Krishna lifted to protect his devotees from incessant rains. But while oxen worship has always been limited, people used to enthusiastically worship the cow on the third day. The cows were gar­landed and offered Tihar delicacies like sel and anarsa. But cow worship is a dying tradi­tion in urban areas. In rapidly urban­izing regions like Kathmandu, there is no place for cowsheds, save for a few pocket areas like Kapan and the banks of Bagmati river. People these days also seem to have no patience to go out in search of cows to worship, especially when they are dog-tired cleaning their homes during Tihar.

According to Prem Katuwal, who has been rearing cows in Kathmandu for the past 15 years, there has been a marked drop in the number of people who visit his shed to worship the cows on the third day of Tihar.

“I would say over the past 10 years there has been an approximate 75 percent drop,” he says. He also says that lack of cowsheds and exhaustion are just excuses. “In my village, peo­ple still worship cows with the same reverence that their forefathers had. But here in the city, people are either too lazy or too hesitant to come near these animals that in their reckoning smell.” He also reports that mostly it is the Brahmins and Chhetris who have given up this age-old tradition, but that the indigenous Newar com­munity has not.

However, it is not necessary to visit cowsheds or to endure cattle smell to worship cows. “On Gai Tihar, the cow rearers bring cows that have been properly washed to our neigh­borhood,” says Kanchan Acharya, a resident of Thapathali. “In fact, the same cows that we worship are taken as far as Pulchowk. Frankly, the real devotees should not have much of a problem finding cows.”

Mha pooja, literally translated as self-wor­ship in Newari, marks the beginning of the Newari calendar (Nepal Sambat). Praying for an auspicious year ahead, mem­bers of the Newari community worship differ­ent parts of their own bodies on this day. This annual ritual, marked to celebrate one’s existence, is believed to ‘cleanse and empower the soul’. Mha pooja is performed when the moon rises on the fourth night of Tihar. Moti Raj Bajra­charya, Chakreshwor (high priest) of Raj Kriti Mahabihar and a guruju (one with great knowledge on Newari poo­jas), informs that it is done at night because “this is when the Newari New Year begins”.

Mandala, a sand-painting with powdered limestone, is an important part of Mha pooja. To make the mandala, a small circle is drawn with mus­tard oil at the center of the floor. This is surrounded by concentric rings marked with red rice, black lentils, black soybean, unhusked rice, puffed rice and mari­gold flowers. Bajracharya says that as our body is made of pancha-tatwa (‘five elements’), the man­dala also has five rings to rep­resent the self. The items used to make the mandala might differ according to differing family traditions and castes. The total number of mandalas depends on the number of family members. Plus there are three extra mandalas. The extra one at the top of the line is for the ‘House-God’. Then comes one each for the family members while the two at the end are for Jamaraj and Yamaraj, the envoys of death.

Bajracharya informs that the pooja and rituals are performed by the eldest woman in the family. A variety of nuts, fruits and sweets are offered to every person, with a wish for a fruitful and resourceful year. Tahsi (citron) and walnut are a must for the pooja. They are kept in front of the mandalas. ‘Shagun’—consisting of fish, eggs, meat, curd, and aila (homemade alcohol)—should be consumed before the wicks burned at the start of the pooja go out. Even children as young as a year old need to drink a little aila for the ritual to be complete. Once you sit at the mandala, you are not allowed to get up until the rituals are complete.

“I have been doing Mha pooja since I was a child. Now I am the eldest in the family. I try to recreate whatever I remember,” says Shanti Sayami, 72, a resident of Bafal, Kathmandu. As she is now old and as she also knows relatives who have stopped doing Mha pooja, she has also simpli­fied things. “It has been three years that we have done Mha pooja without man­dalas. When I was a child, my parents used to tell me that Jamaraj comes at night to inspect if we have done Mha pooja. So after eating, we left the mandalas and the dishes overnight without cleaning them. Only the next morn­ing, we cleaned everything,” she says.

As Sayami is the oldest in the family, she says she has to do the poojas and manage everything required to make mandalas now. “When I proposed we stop doing it three years back, my daughter suggested we at least do something on this day.” So now the family only does Sukunda (oil lamp) pooja, put rice tika on the forehead, and each person takes shagun. “I really don't know if my grand­children will continue with Mha Pooja in the future”, she says.

Bajracharya says the rituals have to be done in a particular way but different castes of the Newar community do it differently, as per their convenience. Newars who go abroad or move out of their family may not even con­tinue doing Mha pooja.

During Mha Pooja, Newars also wor­ship inanimate objects like broomstick, karuwa (a utensil designed to hold water) and nanglo. Bajracharya says that as these things help us we also need to show our respect towards them.

Sabina Maharjan, 28, is excited over the arrival of her favorite festi­val: Tihar. She says that it’s her favor­ite because Mha pooja is done during this time. “It is a chance for the entire family to get together. The process of making mandalas, its col­ors, the bright lights and the food are the things I look forward to,” she says.

As the poojas are done, start­ing with the eldest member of the family, Maharjan says she, as the youngest member of the family, patiently waits for her turn. “The process of doing pooja is long. My mother does the pooja and I try to learn by looking at her. I make mistakes even when she teaches me personally. The entire family laughs. The vibe of Mha pooja is so warm,” says Maharjan.

Mha Pooja falls on November 8 this year.