Chir: Stories behind the tall pillar that heralds the spring festival of Holi in Kathmandu

At 7:27 am on Thursday, March 10, 2022, some hundred people will be gathering at Basantapur to erect a wooden pole, named Chir, to mark the beginning of the annual festival of Holi/Phagu Poornima .

Whereas the wooden pole heralds the spring festival every year, for a community in Ason of Kathmandu, it is an embodiment of a centuries-old tradition. The local Manandhars have been continuing the ritual every year since time immemorial, with slight modifications in between.