Father’s Day In Nepal

Siddhi B. Ranjitkar

Normally, Nepalis dedicated almost all festivals to various gods and goddesses, and intertwined with entertainment feasting on festive dishes especially prepared for such an occasion. However, they have dedicated Gokarne Aunsi to father: living or deceased. So, this day is also called Father’s Day in Nepal. It falls on the new moon day in Bhadra (August-September) that is the fifth month in the Vikram calendar.

All people particularly sons and daughters celebrate this day jubilantly. They bring various sorts of sweets, fruits, yogurt, and hard-boiled and fried eggs and so on to their fathers. On this occasion, all family members get together normally in the evening to honor their father.

Then, every son and daughter, in turn, offers a plateful of sweets, fruits, and eggs to the father who accepts the offerings and then blesses them in return.

It is considered quite unfortunate for any progeny if they could not visit the father and offer something to him on this day. So, this day is also known as the day to see the father’s face. None of the sons and daughters misses this day to visit their father.

The Nepalese people in general and Nevah community in particular celebrate this day gaily. The day is most cheerful for the newly wedded women as they come for the first time from the husband’s house with a porter-load of appetizing food for the father.

Usually, they dressed up and wear jewelry and accompany the porter to their fathers. Anybody can watch such splendid scenes in the evening of the father’s day before dusk. However, others may take any opportune moment to visit the father.

For them whose fathers have already departed from this world, the day is for revering the souls of their departed fathers, as Hindus believe that after the death, the souls remain wandering until they are transferred to one form of living beings another on this earth.

So, daughters and sons of the deceased fathers bathe early in the morning to purify their bodies. After the purification rituals, they visit holy places such as temples to different gods and goddesses to pray for the departed souls of their fathers.

Buddhists visit Svoyambhu: a magnificent temple on the top of the hillock. Hindus visit Pashupati: one of the holiest Hindu shrines in Kathmandu.

People who cannot go to holy places and pray for their deceased fathers, offer a plateful of sweets, fruits and other food items to their family priest in the name of the dead father for the peace of his soul.

Some sons and daughters, whose fathers are no more on this earth, visit Gokarne about seven kilometers to the east of Kathmandu. Sons perform ancestral worship called ‘sradha’ on this day. First, they take a dip in the holy water at the confluence of the Chandrabhaga River and the Bagmati River. After that, cleaned shaved men wearing yellow silk dhoti only, sit face to face with priests in a row to perform ‘sradha’ that helps souls that are wandering in the cosmic world to be free from the worldly bond. Then they pay homage to Lord Gokarneswore: one of the many manifestations of Lord Shiva.

A religious festival is held at Gokarne on this day. Some people put up tents on the eve of the Father’s Day and stay overnight running a brisk business serving tea and food to visitors and continue their business on the Father’s Day the whole day, while others sell flowers and other items of offerings to God.

Similarly, priests also do a good business performing ‘sradha’ for their clients.  So, everyone visiting Gokarne benefits from each other on this day. Thousands of men and women visit Gokarne to revere their deceased fathers believing that their souls come to Gokarne and accept the offerings made there on this day.

A legend has it that a baby boy was born to a commercial sex worker who could not identify the child’s father. When the child grew up to a boy, friends often teased him as the son of an unknown father. So, the boy named as Dantor wanted to know, who his father was from his mother. Unfortunately, the mother could not reply to his satisfaction.

So, Dantor determined to find out the father, went to a ‘Rishi’: a holy man and has served him many years until the holy man is pleased with him. After serving the ‘Rishi’ for a number of years, one day the holy man became pleased very much with him and wanted to grant a boon Dantor has in his mind to receive. Taking the opportunity of the holy man’s good gesture toward him, Dantor asked the holy man to find out his father.

The Rishi advised him to go to Gokarne and perform ‘puja’ to Lord Gokarneswore: one of the many incarnations of Lord Shiva until he was pleased. So, Dantor went to Gokarne, and did what the holy man told him to do.

After many years of prayer to Lord Gokarneswore, one day, on the new moon day in Bhadra, Lord Gokarneswore was pleaded with the devotion and dedication of Dantor. He appeared before Dantor, and ready to grant any boon Dantor wanted.

Prostrating at the feet of Lord Gokarneswore, Dantor humbly requested the god to identify his father from among the mass of the people assembled there. Lord Gokarneswore found out that unfortunately, the Dantor’s father has been dead for years. So, Lord Gokarneswore identified one of the souls visiting Gokarne as Dantor’s father.

After knowing his father was dead, Dantor performed all sorts of the death rites to his dead father, and relieved the soul of his father from the trouble of the world.

From that day on, people believe that the souls of dead fathers would be liberated from this world when they perform ‘sradha’ at Gokarne on this auspicious day. They also believe that souls of dead fathers visit ‘Gokarne’ anticipating their sons and daughters coming to this area and making offerings to them once a year.

This day is also known as ‘Kushe aunsi’ as Kush is a holy grass; holy men cut it only on this day once a year, and store it for auspicious rituals. Kush is also used to make a dummy corpse for cremation following the Hindu faith when someone’s dead body is not available for cremation, and perform death rites to such a dummy and then cremate it in the name of the deceased. In doing so, the soul of a dead person is freed from all sorts of the worldly troubles anybody not having the regular Hindu rites performed to a dead boy needs to face.

August 10, 2009.