As an animist and a culture enthusiast, I have always been interested to learn how cultures are intertwined with nature in various parts of the world. Nepal is a culturally diverse country, and Kathmandu acts as a melting pot where people from all around the country have settled in. Life in Kathmandu is like an open museum, where one gets to witness distinct arts and culture, without having to travel far and wide.

A few months back, I was lucky enough to observe one of the largest festivals celebrated by the Magar people who are indigenous to west Nepal. Many of them, mostly victims of the civil war for over a decade, have now settled in Kathmandu. However, they still hold a strong sense of their culture and identity in the migrated place today.

Bhume Parwa or Bhume naach, also widely known as “bal puja” among Magars, is principally celebrated in Kham region with the advent of monsoon in the Kham region, the native homeland of the Magars. “Bhume” means earth, “parwa” means festival, and “naach” means dance in Nepali; thus, it is a festival to pay homage to Mother Nature through dancing. This festival is celebrated in June or July and is usually celebrated for 3 days, whereas in some places, the celebration can go up to 15 days

I got talking to one of the elderly participants, Yammaya, who hails from Taksera, to understand her take of the festival. She recalled her olden days in the village and spoke of it warmly: “Bhume festival is celebrated to thank mother earth for good crops and for protecting us and our livestock from natural calamities. It also marks our New Year. We clean our houses and surroundings and pray to Mother Nature. The basic practise is the animal sacrifice. People get sheep from their village and adorn it with colour and flowers. It is then taken to Bisauna (chautari, sacred place where people worship), where they sacrifice it in the name of ‘bhumi’ (land).”

During the puja, villagers offer little bits of every new grain, fruits, and flowers produced in their field to Mother Earth, thank her for all the good harvest, and ask for help in the upcoming days. The festival opens in advance with the playing of musical instruments and worshipping nature. It is believed that when the musical instruments begin to play, then the birds and insects come out to listen to the music, which helps to keep the crops safe.

Yammaya goes on to add, “Whole villages celebrate the festival by gathering in the big recreational area to dance, sing, and have fun. This is why we have all gathered here today. Although we miss our village, gathering in this heart of Kathmandu is equally a proud moment for us to celebrate the festival. My heart melts to see how people from all walks of life have gathered to cherish this festival. I hope this continues long. I wish the youths today understand the importance of Mother Nature.”

Bhume puja is celebrated to please mother earth by sacrificing animals in exchange for the human lives that are lost every year due to natural calamities, especially during the rainy season. “From the ancient time when Gods and deities were not yet created, and when natural calamities occurred, our ancestors did not understand why tragedy took the lives of many human beings. In return, they responded by worshipping mother earth through the sacrificing of animals to please her and not to be angry with them. This is the story of how the Bhumi puja started,” explained Santosh Budha Magar, a youth leader. In short, the festival of Bhume is observed to appease the natural deities of land, water, and rain so that there is no flood, excessive rain, and landslides during the rainy season.

The main highlight of the festival is the Bhume naach. The special dance known as jhimkari or balkushyne in local Magar language is only danced during this festival. Participants dance a typical dance comprising two rows of men and women who dance in a round circle in their traditional dresses to slow music. Men dance balpujachala along with paicharu or paisaru that has 22 different forms of dancing. These articulate forms of dancing explain all the natural components and animal movements to show how all these in harmony have lived in nature. 

The main dance of Bhume naach requires that the males dance in the center of a circle surrounded by dancing females who are clad in ethnic regalia and beautiful ornaments and flowers. The girls distribute their flowers to all the males as a way of showing respect. The outer circle of girls represents the mother and protector for their own community. It is no surprise then that the Magar society is very matriarchal, and decisions made by the family and by the community are heavily influenced by the Kham women. Everyone dances the whole day completing twenty-two steps per song; all are required to complete all 22 steps of the dance within the day. 

The bal puja conveys a strong message about God or Earth or Mother Nature. The Magars consider Earth as the main source of love and protection, and they strongly believe that the Earth has to be happy to get everything they need, such as food, water, air, light, and shelter. 

This annual celebration is concluded by people singing sad songs together. Participants weep bitterly and depart from the gathering with good wishes and blessings from their elders promising to meet the other year for celebration. 

The process of celebrating this traditional Bhume naach is a symbolic demonstration of the relationship of Kham people to nature rather than a god. The Bhume naach highlights and celebrates the fact that without Earth there is no life. This festival demonstrates indigenous characteristics of the Magars while it also increases the significance of communal feelings and signifies the co-existence between humans and the natural environment. 

Though it was in the heart of Kathmandu, watching this festival and listening to their stories made me feel I was in Magar homeland. I’ve promised myself to go and celebrate this festival in the native land someday soon.