Sakela

Sakela
Khambu Rai boy and girl performing Sakela Sili dance in Chawrasta Darjeeling
Also called
Observed byKirat Khambu Rais around the world
ObservancesSakela sili, cultural group dance, religious services, family meetings, relative meetings
BeginsSakela Udhauli (full moon day of Mangsir ) and Sakela Ubhauli (full moon day of Baishak)
EndsAfter 15 days
2024 date
Rai Community of Sikkim representing Tableau of Sakewa Sili on 63rd Indian Republic Day 2012 Rajpath New Delhi

Sakela (also Sakewa or Sakenwa) (Nepali: साकेला) is one of the main festival of Khambu (Rai people), an ethnic group indigenous to Eastern Nepal and Sikkim, Kalimpong, and Darjeeling regions of India. Sakela is celebrated twice a year and is distinguished by two names Ubhauli and Udhauli. Sakela Ubhauli is celebrated during Baisakh Purnima (full moon day in the month of Baisakh) and Sakela Udhauli is celebrated during the full moon day in the month of Mangsir.[1][2][3]

Significance

Kirats believe in shamanism and are worshippers of nature. The Sakela celebration is a prayer to mother nature for healthy crops and protection from natural calamities.[3] The festival is Started on Baisakh Purnima, Sakela Ubhauli is celebrated for fifteen days in Baisakh (April–May) marking the beginning of the farming year. Similarly, the celebration of Sakela Udhauli during Mangsir (November–December), which is the harvest season, is the giving of thanks to mother nature for providing a good harvest. In this festival the Rai people honour Bhumi dev, an Earth goddess.[citation needed]

Sakela dance

The main characteristic of this festival is a ritual dance call Sakela dance performed by large groups of Kirats, wearing their traditional attire. People from all ages dance together in a large circle. There are male and female leaders in each circle known as Silimangpa and Silimangma respectively. They choreograph the dance moves known as sili while others follow them. The term "sili" reflects the different aspects of human life and their relationship with nature.[4]

Variations

Among Kirats, Sunuwar and Rai celebrate this festival, whereas the Yakkhas and the Limbus have their own Youchyang and Chasok Tangnam. Despite important local variations, indigenists view these dances as specific as well as common to all Kirat.[2]

Different ways of saying it

There are different nomenclatures of Sakela in different Khambu languages. The Chamling sub-tribe calls it Sakela. Bantawas call it Sakewa or Sakenwa while the Thulungs call it Toshi.[5]

Bahing or Bayung Rai performing Segro Silli dance.

Among the various Rai languages Sakela is also called:[citation needed]

  • Offerings made to Paruhang and Sumnima, the ancestral deity
    Offerings made to Paruhang and Sumnima, the ancestral deity
  • Kirati Rai women in Sakela Ubhauli festival
    Kirati Rai women in Sakela Ubhauli festival
  • Women in traditional Rai wear (2019)
    Women in traditional Rai wear (2019)
  • A Rai man playing traditional drum (Dhol)
    A Rai man playing traditional drum (Dhol)
  • Rai Girl Playing Jhyamta in Sakela Ubhauli festival (2017 Kurseong)
    Rai Girl Playing Jhyamta in Sakela Ubhauli festival (2017 Kurseong)

See also

References

  1. ^ Gaenszle, Martin (1997). "Changing concepts of ethnic identity among the Mewahang Rai". Nationalism and Ethnicity in a Hindu Kingdom. The Politics of Culture in Contemporary Nepal: 351–373.
  2. ^ a b Schlemmer, Grégoire (2004). "New past for the sake of a better future : re-inventing the history of the Kirant in East Nepal". European Bulletin of Himalayan Research. 25: 119–144.
  3. ^ a b "Dancing to Ubhauli tunes". The Kathmandu Post. May 17, 2011. Retrieved 8 May 2012.
  4. ^ Rai, Dik Bahadur (2012). The impacts of Modernization on the traditional Sakawa Sili festival in the Rai Kirat community of Nepal: a case study of the Rai community (Thesis). University of Tromsø.
  5. ^ Pradeep Rai (21 July 2021). "Kirat Khambu Rai Sakela - Sakewa". Himalayan Cultures. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
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