Gai Jatra festival

     After Janai Purnima festival in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, Locals celebrate the Gai Jatra festival, promoting freedom of expression in the major cities; Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur. The streets of Bhaktapur celebrate this festival in a deeply cultural way. Gai means Cow and Jatra means festival in Nepali language. The Cow represents a means of transportation for dead souls to cross the holy river in order to reach heaven. It is believed that the dead souls grab on to the tail of cow to help them cross the holy river. It is believed that the culture of celebrating Gai Jatra started when King Pratap Malla lost his son and his wife, entering a period of great sorrow. It was decided that one person from each house where a death had occurred should come before the queen to show that many others were also feeling the same kind of pain. This event lessened the pain of the people and showed the queen that she was not the only person who had lost family. Another belief is that the festival started when people from different households were asked to try to make the queen laugh. A lot of people came and tried their best, making various jokes, and were eventually successful in making the Queen laugh. On this day in Bhaktapur, people who have lost a family member in the previous year lead a procession in the streets, led by a cow.Previously, a real cow would lead the procession, but these days the cow is made from bamboo, second-hand clothes and locally available raw materials. The photo and name of the lost family member is hung from the effigy of the cow. Children of the family dress in costumes to represent the different gods and goddesses in order to bless the dead souls. The procession is led by a traditional music band along with stick dancers. It is believed that these stick dancers use their sticks to clear a path, chasing the ghosts which try to stop the dead souls from reaching Heaven. Besides the religious importance, Gai Jatra day is also a day where people laugh and joke. It is a day when everyone is allowed to make joke about anyone.