Gaijatra

Gai Jatra सा पारू गाइ जात्रा
Decorations of Gaijatra
Also called	Sa Paru
Observed by	Hindus
Type	Religious, Nepal
Observances	Ralley of Cow
Date	First day (Pratipada) of the month of Bhadra month of the Lunar calendar
2016 date	3 August

Gai Jatra, the festival of cows, (gai means holy cow and jatra means festival in Nepali: गाई जात्रा, and Nepal Bhasa: सा पारु) is celebrated in Nepal, mainly in Kathmandu valley by the Newar and Tharu community. The festival commemorates the death of people during the year. During the festival, cows are marched in the streets and generally celebrated in the Nepalese month of Bhadra (August–September). It falls on the 1st day of the dark fortnight of Gunla according to the lunar Nepal Era calendar. Peoples also distributes food to others. The festival of cows is one of the most popular festivals of Nepal.It is celebrated to remove the sadness of death of their family members.

Kathmandu is considered to be the main source of this festival as the king who started this festival was of this city. After the show presented to the queen was a success, it became an annual program to present the queen with this festival. As time passed on and as the kings and the queens passed on the festival has been passed on from generation to generation. In main Kathmandu, people celebrate it with much happiness and many programs than those on Patan. If a father had died the previous year then the elder son dresses up like a cow and goes around the city, and if the mother had died then it is the duty of the younger son to go around the city dressed up like a cow. The procession is now not that of joke, satire or mockery but has become a serious but enjoyable event that will help their beloved ones to rest in peace. The procession goes around the city to different parts of the suburbs and the inner urban areas to present the devotion to their loved ones. The people involved in this procession get small packets with fruits, sweets, oats and other food items to help them in their tour around the city, by many people watching the festival and by their loved ones.

Patan has a similar kind of following for this festival like that with Kathmandu, but has less involvement of people than that on Kathmandu. People in Lalitpur have another festival similar to Gaijatra called Matayaa which is followed with much more devotion and much more involvement by the people. The involvements of people in this Matayaa can be in thousands. Thus for people in lalitpur(patan) the procession of Gaijatra is less entertained.