Third day of Gaura festival: Bratalu women bring Gaura devi into homes

Baitadi: The third day of the Gaura festival, the main cultural celebration of the Far West, is being observed today with Bratalu women bringing Gaura Devi into their homes.

Known locally as Bhitariki Gaura or Thuli Gaura, the day holds special significance for Bratalu women. According to local culture expert Acharya Vishnudatta Bhatta, women traditionally bathe in the morning and bring Gaura into their homes in the evening. Since today also marks the seventh day of Amuktabharan, women gather to sing phag and worship Gaura Devi.

On Thuli Gaura, Bratalu women worship Gaura Devi and Maheshwar with offerings of fruits and berries, while also presenting a special sacred thread known as Dubdhago to Gaura Devi. Traditionally, idols of Gaura are crafted from plants such as saa, apamarga, and til, which are brought from the fields. “Just as men wear traditional attire, women wear the sacred thread during Gaura,” said Pandit Jayanand Bhatta.

It is also customary for women to bathe in the evening. The thread offered to Gaura Devi today is later worn by women on Durvastami (Athawali). Each year, a new thread is dedicated to Gaura Devi on this day and worn after Athawali concludes.

On the seventh day of the festival, considered the main day, Gaura and Maheshwar are worshipped, followed by women enjoying sweet delicacies at night. The highlight of the celebration, Gaurashtami or Athyawali, involves taking Gaura from the Gauraghar to the Gaurakhala for worship.

The Gaura festival is also marked by traditional games such as Dhusko, Dhamari, and Chait. It is a time when even those who have migrated return to their native villages, as Gaura is celebrated with greater importance than Dashain in the Far West.