Gathamuga/Gathemangal
Gathamuga (also known as Gatha Muga: Chahre) is a traditional Newar festival celebrated in the Kathmandu Valley, typically in July or August (during the waning moon of Shrawan). It marks the symbolic banishment of evil spirits and negative forces from the community.
The central figure of the festival is a large, fearsome demon effigy (Gathamuga), made of bamboo, straw, and mud, erected at crossroads or community squares. On the final evening, the effigy is ritually dragged out and burned, symbolizing the removal of evil and illness from the neighborhood.
The festival also marks the end of one ritual cycle and the beginning of another, preparing for the upcoming Gunla month, sacred to Newar Buddhists. Traditionally, blacksmiths and craftsmen offer special worship on this day, and children go door to door collecting money to help build the effigy.
It’s a vibrant mix of ritual, music, and community involvement, rooted in both Hindu and Buddhist tantric traditions, reflecting the syncretic culture of the Newars.
