Yenya: Celebrations in Kathmandu

The spirit of this festival has also been at the heart of openness to change.

“We will miss the charm of Indra Jatra this year. Hard to imagine when we will be comfortable among a crowd like this again to drink sweet thown from Swet Bhairav,” wrote my friend Paavan on her Instagram, along with a photo of herself at the Hatu Dyaa . Hatu Dyaa is the Newa name for Swet Bhairav. Hatu Hyakiu is the term that describes the thown , or sweet wine, trickling down the mouth of the deity during Indra Jatra. Jatra-goers throng the massive face of Swet Bhairav, clamouring for the wine; their jaws open, their tongue drawn out to catch the wine with as much as their mouths can expand. The drink sometimes trickles down their chins and all the way down the neck.