Kathmandu: Udhauli, the second most significant festival of the Kirat community, is being celebrated with great enthusiasm across the country. President Ramchandra Paudel highlighted the interdependent relationship between human life and nature, expressing belief that the festival would enhance mutual harmony among all ethnic groups in Nepal, contributing to family, community, and social unity.

In a message, President Paudel stated that festivals like Udhauli play a crucial role in maintaining social harmony, national unity, and a common Nepali identity. The festival, observed on the full moon day of the Nepali month of Mangshir, involves worshipping nature and ancestors before the harvest season. It also signifies the time when humans, animals, and birds descend from highlands to lowlands due to cold.

Udhauli is a time of organized gatherings among the Kirat people, where they exchange good wishes and perform traditional Sakela dances in ethnic costumes. According to the Mundhum, the religious book of the Kirat community, time is divided into Udhauli and Ubhauli based on farming activities, with Ubhauli celebrated during planting season in the full moon day of the Nepali month of Baisakh. Harvested crops are offered to ancestors as part of the Udhauli celebrations.

Apart from the Kirati community, the festival is also celebrated by the Limbu, Sunuwar, and Yakhya ethnic groups.