The Yele Sambat & the festival cycle.

Ubhauli

Rai, Limbu, Yakkha, Sunuwar

The great spring festival marking the uphill migration of birds and the beginning of the planting season. One of the two most important Kirat festivals, celebrated with Sakela Sili dances, Mundhum recitation, and community gatherings.

Marks the beginning of the agricultural cycle and celebrates the renewal of life. Prayers are offered for a bountiful planting season and the well-being of the community.

Balihang Tongnam

Limbu

Festival commemorating the legendary Limbu king Balihang, celebrated with rituals honoring leadership, justice, and the continuity of Kirat governance traditions.

Honors the memory of ancestral leaders and reaffirms the values of just governance, community solidarity, and cultural continuity.

Sakela Sili

Rai

The great Rai dance festival held twice a year during Ubhauli and Udhauli. One of the most visually spectacular Kirat traditions, with hundreds of dancers moving in synchronized circles.

Embodies the Rai connection with nature through dance. Each Sili movement represents a natural phenomenon — bird flight, river flow, seed planting, harvest reaping.

Ubhauli Festival Celebration 2026

Annual spring celebration marking the uphill migration season. Features Sakela Sili dances, Mundhum recitation by Nakchhong priests, community feasting, and cultural performances. Open to all who wish to learn about and celebrate Kirat traditions.

Kirat Mundhum Recitation Gathering

An evening of sacred Mundhum recitation by senior Phedangma and Nakchhong priests from eastern Nepal. Hear the ancient creation narratives, healing chants, and ancestral songs in their original languages. Followed by community discussion on Mundhum preservation.

Limbu Script Workshop

Hands-on workshop teaching Kirat Sirijonga Lipi (Limbu script). Learn to read and write the ancient alphabet revived by Te-ongsi Sirijonga. Suitable for beginners. Materials provided. Taught by experienced Limbu language instructors.

Kirat Youth Cultural Exchange

A three-day gathering for young Kirat people (ages 16-30) to connect with their heritage. Features elder storytelling sessions, traditional dance workshops, Mundhum study circles, language classes, and community service projects.

Udhauli

Rai, Limbu, Yakkha, Sunuwar

The great autumn festival celebrating the downhill migration of birds and the harvest thanksgiving. Paired with Ubhauli as the two pillars of the Kirat ritual calendar.

A harvest thanksgiving celebrating the bounty of the earth. Community members give thanks for the year's harvest and pray for protection during the coming winter.

Yokwa

Limbu

Limbu ritual festival marking the calling of ancestral spirits. A deeply spiritual multi-day ceremony where the Phedangma invokes the names of ancestors going back many generations.

Strengthens the bond between the living and the ancestral realm. Ensures that ancestor spirits remain benevolent and continue to protect the family line.

Wadhangmi

Rai

Rai festival celebrating the harvest of new rice. The first rice of the season is ritually offered to deities and ancestors before the community partakes.

Gives thanks for the rice harvest — the staple of Rai life. Acknowledges that food is a gift from the earth, mediated by ancestral blessings.

Nuwagi

Rai

The new grain eating festival celebrated by Rai communities when the first rice or millet of the season is harvested. Before the community can eat the new grain, it must be ritually blessed.

Acknowledges that food is a sacred gift from the earth, mediated by ancestral blessings. Reinforces gratitude and the reciprocal relationship between humans and nature.

Udhauli Festival 2026

The great autumn harvest thanksgiving festival. Celebrated with Sakela dances, ritual offerings by Phedangma priests, traditional Tongba sharing, and community gatherings honoring the downhill migration of birds and the bounty of the harvest.

Chasok Tangnam

Limbu

Limbu festival of nature worship dedicated to Tagera Ningwaphuma and Yuma Sammang. A profound expression of the Kirat relationship with the natural world.

Celebrates the sacred bond between humanity and nature. Limbu communities reaffirm their commitment to protecting forests, rivers, and sacred groves as manifestations of Yuma.

Toshi

Limbu

Limbu New Year celebration, also known as Limbu Losar. Marks the beginning of the Limbu calendar year with rituals of renewal, purification, and community celebration.

Symbolizes renewal and fresh beginnings. Families clean their homes, settle debts, resolve conflicts, and look forward to the new year with hope and unity.

Sirijonga Sawan Tongnam

Limbu

Commemoration of Te-ongsi Sirijonga, the Limbu cultural hero who revived the Limbu script. Observed as a day of cultural pride and commitment to language preservation.

Honors Sirijonga's martyrdom and his gift of literacy to the Limbu people. Schools and cultural organizations hold Limbu script writing events.

Chasok Tangnam Celebration

Limbu nature worship festival honoring Tagera Ningwaphuma and Yuma Sammang. Rituals performed at hilltop sacred sites, followed by community feasting and cultural performances celebrating the bond between people and nature.