The Tharu community is celebrating Atwari Festival today.
The Tharu community celebrates this festival on the first Sunday of Shukla Paksha after Krishna Ashtami in Bhadra.
According to Kulbir Chaudhary, an associate professor at Mahendra Multipurpose Campus, Dang, Atwari is the biggest festival of the Tharu community after Maghi and Dashain. The Tharu community of Dang, Banke, Bardiya, Kailali, Kanchanpur, and other districts celebrate this festival of special importance. Local governments grant public leave to the Tharu community on the occasion of the Atwari festival.
In this festival, especially the brothers fast all day and worship Bhima in the evening, wishing for the longevity of their sisters. After fasting, it is customary to eat the leftovers of the sisters by eating the dishes made from wheat flour and fruits. The part set aside for sisters is called ‘aggression’. The aggression is carried by the brothers to the house of the sisters. It is also customary for the sisters to feed their brothers and give them their favorite food on the way back.
Nepali Congress Dang leader Yogendra Chaudhary said that the Atwari festival would be celebrated wishing good luck to the brothers and sisters. “Atwari is considered as a celebration of love, affection, harmony, and brotherhood between sisters, brothers, and neighbors,” said Chaudhary.
