Sunsari, March 21: The Urau community, residing in various parts of the district including the district headquarters Inaruwa, celebrated the Sarahul festival today.
The Urau people in Koshi, Bhokraha, Harinagar, Gadhi and other places also celebrated their cultural festival.
Ramkisun Urau, a leader of the Urau community, shared that the Urau people, who are nature worshippers, gathered collectively in Inaruwa-8 and celebrated the Sarahul festival at the Sarana site according to their religious tradition.
He stated that this festival is the largest and most important nature worshipping festival of his community. This festival is observed on the third day of the bright half in the month of Chait as per the lunar calendar.
On the occasion of the festival, the community people gather around the ‘Sal (Shorea robusta)’ and ‘karam’ trees at Sarana Sthal or the sacred site to perform worship and celebrate the festival.
The sprouting of flowers is taken as the beginning of the New Year, and this festival is celebrated as the new year festival.
The leaders of the Urau community have stated that they begin to consume new crops or fruits only after offering them to the ancestral deities when they are newly harvested.
During the worship, the community religious leader expressed gratitude towards the earth, forest, water and ancestral deities while wishing for the community’s happiness, peace and prosperity. Participants performed the rituals wearing traditional attire.
