Tharu community celebrates Atwari festival today

Kanchanpur:

Today, the Atwari festival of tharu community is being celebrated in a special way. The ‘Atwari’ festival is being celebrated today (Sunday and Tomorrow) among the Chaudhary-Dagaura community
living in western Nepal. It is customary for brothers and sisters to fast on this festival. The Sudurpaschim state government has also declared a public holiday across the state on Sunday
for the Atwari festival of the Tharu community. The Tharu community of Kailali, Kanchanpur and western Tarai are celebrating the festival with fanfare today.

Every year, on the first Sunday of the Shukla Paksha, the men of tharu community fast for the good health, longevity and prosperity of the sisters. The Tharu community has a tradition of
brothers and sisters fasting throughout the day on Sunday by eating rice along with fish and toria vegetables in the middle of the night on Saturday.
Fasting men cook different types of bread of wheat rice and egg rice after the housework. The people of this community, who are very busy in farming work in the rainy season, have a
tradition of enjoying cultural programs in the toltole, using the leisure time after the Atwari festival. It is said that ‘Agrasana’ is given to the food prepared for the girls and sisters after the puja work is completed in the evening after taking a fast.
It is believed that this festival has concluded after giving the agrasana. According to the leaders of the Chaudhary community, the tradition of celebrating this festival has started by worshiping Bhima, one of the Pandavas who was forced to
go to exile during the Mahabharata period, to celebrate him in the happiness and remembrance of the bravery shown during his exile.

Apart from this, curd, ghee, banana, cucumber, mango etc. are used as sagoon. After the day’s fast, it is customary to open the Atwari Vrat by performing Anni Puja when the sun sets on Sunday evening.

Kailash Chaudhary, tharu leader of Dinapur ofbhimdatta municipality-14 in Kanchanpur, said that even if the fast is opened, the bratalu will not be able to eat vegetables and salt pepper.

According to him, during the Atwari festival, various dishes of food (rice, bitter gourd, copper, legumes, pakodas, kheria, etc.) are prepared and grown on Monday morning. Another Tharu leader, Pushkal Chaudhary of Dinapur of Belairi Municipality-2, said that it is customary to separate the first part for the sisters and take it to the sisters’ house on Monday.

“Legend has it that Bhim, the second brother of the Pandavas, used to worship tharu king Dangisharan for his help in the war,” he said. ”

Legend has it that Bhim, who was cooking bread after being attacked by the enemy when the king of Dang was attacked by the enemy, left his job and helped Dangisharan hungry and with his help, King Dangisharan conquered the enemy.

As is customary, a large size of bread is cooked in atwari while cooking different types of bread. This bread is called Bhim Roti. Bhim had cooked the bread and went to the fight, so the bread was cooked only from one side. Bhim roti cooked in Atwari is also cooked only on one side.