Creative Yomari: Digitalising Newa folklore to pass knowledge to new generations

Aryan Singh, a native of Kathmandu, remembers going to Ason, at an invitation of his friend, where for the first time he witnessed people with red, yellow and blue caps dancing and playing with colours, and carrying khats (a form of palanquin). Singh asked his friend what the people were doing; his friend informed Singh he was witnessing Dya Lwakegu Jatra (translating as a festival where the goddesses clash), a major attraction of Paachahre . However, what Singh did not get was why people celebrated the festival.

This was five years ago. Singh, who had forgotten about the festival since then, last year stumbled on a Facebook page Yomari Cartoon Series . His leisure during the Covid-19 lockdown became interesting as he finally got some answers to his previous queries about the festival. The Facebook page had posted three stories on Paachahre: the story of luku maha dya (the hidden Lord Shiva ), Paachahre (series about the festivities ) and the series of Ajima Sisters .