Before he relocated to Kathmandu at 10 years old in 2001, Saaune Sankranti used to be one of the most fascinating days of a year for Dinesh Sharma, a local of Kavre. From that point forward, each year on the main day of Saaun/Shrawan, the fourth month of the Nepali schedule, he just misses the day—for he can't praise it in the manner in which he used to do.
"The greatest fun was at night," Sharma, presently 30, portrays, "The entire family would accumulate on the yard, outside the house, touch off little bits of kindling and toss them on all sides—wishing we would not get luto (scabies) consistently."
Subsequent to moving to Kathmandu, Sharma discovered such a tradition was absent in Kathmandu. In any case, he is also mindful that the tradition of discarding lit fire wishing great wellbeing isn't as energetic as it used to be in his own town also. As the youngsters of the town are in urban areas or abroad, the tradition is ceasing to exist steadily.
Despite the fact that the Luto Phalne festival sounds peculiar for the new age of Nepalis, the festival used to hold a huge situation in the lives of rustic Nepalis, culture specialists watch, featuring purposes behind the festival.
At night of the Saaune Sankranti, individuals observe Luto Phalne festival by venerating the night god Kandarak.
Social master Jagaman Gurung says the festival is legitimately connected to the agrarian tradition of the Nepali society. "Though the ranchers get going all through Ashadh planting rice, the festival denotes the finish of the wild calendar."
"While planting rice in the field, ranchers work shoeless in sloppy water for extended periods of time. They need to get wet in the downpour during estate," Gurung clarifies the rationale behind the festival, "Such cultivating exercises could welcome different skin illnesses like scabies to their bodies. To avert such issues and the irritation it causes, this day is praised as a purifying day of the entire body."
From the strict point of view, Saaune Sankranti is a significant day, henceforth it is a decent an ideal opportunity for festivity, as per Nawaraj Ghimire, who shows Puranas at Valmeeki Vidyapeeth.
As clarified by Gurung, to remove scabies traditionally, initial, a piece of the front yard of the house is spread with either bovine or bull fertilizer. At that point, two chunks of dairy animals waste are made and on them, cucumber blossoms are kept. Also, in the spread section, a taro leaf (karkaloko paat) is kept and over it, green bean stew, peach, dropping fig (khanayo) and corn are set.
From that point onward, two packs of little and meager bamboo stems are taken to the stove in the kitchen to touch off the fire. From the kitchen, it is brought back and set close to the two bovine fertilizer balls. At that point, spices like mugwort (titepati) blended in with ghee are singed there.
As per Gurung, it is accepted that the territory from where the consuming light is discarded to where it lands goes under one realm, traditionally the realm of Sinjatpati. Sinja, right now a piece of the Jumla locale in Karnali, obviously, is where the Nepali language and Khas culture began.
Once more, four lights from the kitchen oven are brought outside and tossed on every one of the four bearings, reciting "Luto Laija… Luto Laija" (Please remove scabies). Then, everybody plays drums and ringers or even blasts plates and other kitchen utensils to make commotion.
At last, a heap of locally accessible spices, for example, asparagus is held under the top of the house.
Gurung stresses that this tradition incorporates all parts of human life including mental, strict, logical, and social ones. This tradition also gives the depleted ranchers an opportunity to rest and enjoy the customs.
Adding to this, antiquarian Dinesh Raj Panta brings up that this tradition in all manners associates the nature and the god to human life. "As this tradition is identified with the purging of the skin sicknesses like scabies and hypersensitivities, it connotes the significance of wellbeing in human life," he says.
Gurung calls attention to that, logically also, infections are murdered or scrubbed by warmth or fire. During this festival also, the infections of the land surface are wrecked by the consuming bamboo stems' pack and the infections broadcasting in real time are devastated by the lights tossed on each of the four bearings.
Also, shooting of projectiles and clamor from chimes, plates, and drums during this festival go about as a sound treatment for some, he asserts.
Along these lines, different networks aside from the Khas individuals also have comparative customs and festivals in their yearly schedule however they don't watch this Luto Phalne tradition, as per Gurung. For instance, Newars of Kathmandu observe Gathemangal.
Bizarreness in Kathmandu
Regardless of being begun in western Nepal, the tradition is in presence in eastern Nepal also. Be that as it may, it is totally an odd issue in Kathmandu. Why?
Gurung induces it is on the grounds that there were a couple Khas individuals—Brahmins and Chhetris—in Kathmandu before, and they didn't have an ability to build up this tradition. "Newars live in the focal point of the valley and ethnic gatherings, for example, Gurungs and Tamangs occupy edges of it. The Khas individuals live in the middle of, the region called Kaanth," Gurung clarifies, including maybe the Khas individuals felt sandwiched between various ethnic gatherings from the two sides and surrendered the tradition.
