The Kirat community on Saturday celebrated the Sakela Ubhauli festival with zest and zeal.

Various clans belonging to the community—Rai, Limbu, Yakkha and Sunuwar, among others—celebrated the festival with fanfare in various parts of the country, particularly in Bhojpur, Khotang, Dhankuta, Dharan, Biratnagar, Kathmandu and Lalitpur.

During the month-long festival, which begins on Baishakh Shukla Purnima, the same day as Buddha Jayanti, on the Nepali month of Baishakh, a special dance called ‘Sakela’ is performed at various places.

Ubhauli highlights the age-old agricultural ecosystem existing in Kirat community. It is also considered a prayer to mother nature for healthy crops and protection from natural calamities. The ritual is called ‘Bhumi Puja’.

Traditionally, during the summer, the Kirat people used to move uphill to avoid the heat and malaria in the southern belts. They performed Ubhauli rituals before they moved and during that, they worshipped their ancestors and nature for better health and crops.

Here are some pictures taken by Post photojournalist Safal Prakash Shrestha.