Khaling Rai Festival: Bhume (Waas)

Bhume festival is one of the main festival of Khaling Rai. It is also known as Udhauli festival or ‘Waas’ in Khaling language. (‘ Land’ is English).

Khaling society use to celebrate the Waas three times a year. This ceremony/festival happen in typical khaling villages: Taksindu, Basa,Khastab, Kaku, Waku & Juving; mainly a group of villages of Sulukhumbu district. There are also lots of Khaling people that moves from this area to others district of Nepal like Udayapur, Bhujpur or Khotang but they forgot their own khaling culture and just speak Nepali.

In Kathmandu also khaling people are moving as all other cast. Kathmandu as a capital city is a now a mix of all casts from Nepal. And Even in Kathmandu, khaling people celebrate the Waas in order to follow tradition even in the capital city. It is celebrated only one time a year. There is never a fixed date, it always depends of full moon and generally falls in May.

In this festival, people worship the nature and ancestor (called “pitri”) for prosperity and for good production of plants. Khaling people strongly believe in nature’s power. The celebration in Kathmandu take two days.

In the day one: we used to go in the area of Hattiban. It is a place of worship and shamans are coming for paying. Then, people goes to Dhapasi. There is a small khaling official place so every people are gathering there and they start a specific dance called ‘sil’ in khaling. Man & Shamans use to dance with instruments and tails of yak. And people use to drink local alcohol (called “Raksi”).

In the day two: this day is the special day! It is celebrated in Tudikhel. Every Khalings come there in Tudikhel for celebrate the Bhume. In this period, all khaling are used to wearown cultural dresses. For woman: Panga, Patuki, Bhangra and rumal as well as a lot of traditional jewellery. And for man Bhangra, patuki, daura and suruwal. And not only man & woman, also every children also wearing the own cultural dresses. This moment is very interesting to see and take part to dance. Tourists are also welcome to dance and enjoy. Khaling people from all ages dance together in large circle.

At first, the dance leader start to dance steps and then all dancer follow the step of dance. (Easy to followJ Others Khaling are dancing and singing. Men also use to dance with instruments (cymbals).

If you are going to visit Tudikhel in Bhume, there are shop of traditional clothes also. Those shops are really typical and use to provide all clothes and artefact for Khaling society like cultural dresses, jewellery, decoration and books also.