13/08/2022
Bhaktapur is said to have the most enjoyable and exciting G*i Jatra, as it has its own peculiarities in the ways the festival is celebrated as compared to Lalitpur and Kathmandu. A chariot (known as Taha-Macha) made of bamboo wrapped in cloth, with a photo of the dead person hung at the center, is navigated through a predefined street by the family along with localities. So a long parade of chariots is seen.
The Taha-Macha symbolizes dead people and is decorated with their possessions and photograph. The chariot has a framework of bamboo which is wrapped with cotton cloth, usually Hakupatasi (a black traditional sari type female cloth) for women and simple sari type cloth for men. The Taha-Machas are brought out from different toles of Bhaktapur, but peculiarly, the Taha-Machas of Lakolachhen are guided by one large one that has the bamboo framework but is covered in straws. This is known as Bhailya Dya: (Bhairab) and is succeeded by Ajima (Bhadrakali) made at Khala (Ajima Dyo:Chhen)
Many local musicians, and a cultural dance called Ghintang Ghisi follow in the wake of a chariot.. Men are also seen wearing women's dress: Hakupatasi. People dress up funnily. There is face painting, and masks are common. Children even dress up as gods and join the parade.
The Ghintang Ghisi dance is celebrated for almost a week, starting from the day of G*ijatra to Krishna Janmashtami. The dance is done in a long queue with two persons in a row hitting each other's sticks. Many cultural shows are performed, and the festival is even participated in by many nearby villages. All peoples are faint to this day.
