Although Nwagi festival is celebrated throughout the month of August, various cultural programs are held on the 22nd.
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Marginalized Chepang community is celebrating Chonam (Nwagi) festival collectively today. The community celebrates Chonam as a national and religious festival on August 22 every year.
Although Nwagi festival is celebrated throughout the month of August, various cultural programs are held on the 22nd. Chepang leaders will gather at Ichchakamana rural municipality-6 Kalikhola in Chitwan on Sunday evening and then the festival will be celebrated, Govindram Chepang, the central president of Nepal Chepang Association informed.
Chepang In Chitwan, Makwanpur, Dhading and Gorkha, where there are dense settlements of the community, Chonam is celebrated as a collective gathering on 22nd of August. It is a tradition to celebrate Nwagi throughout the month of August, starting from today.
'We have been celebrating Nwagi on 22nd of August as a national festival. Our caste also has different surnames,'' Chepang Association President Govindram said, 'According to their caste, it is celebrated from the full moon of Vadau throughout the month of Vadau . There are 64 surnames of Chepang caste.
In the Chepang community, there is a religious belief that one should not eat new fruits and vegetables without worshiping the ancestors. On the day of Nwagi festival, grain and fruits including Ghaiya paddy rice, Kauno, Pindalu are offered to the land and ancestors. This festival is also the day when Chepang eats new grains. Nwagi is a festival connected with the lifestyle and culture and identity of Chepang people. In Nwagi, Chepang Zhankri Pande sacrifices a chicken by banging a drum.
According to the National Census 2078, the number of Chepang in Nepal is 84 thousand 364. Chepangs are found in 31 districts. The number of Chepang in Chitwan is 35 thousand 637 and There are 23 thousand 650 in Makwanpur, 17 thousand 160 in Dhading and 4 thousand 268 in Gorkha.
On the occasion of Nwagi, the national festival of Chepangs, the Bagmati state government has given a public holiday on August 22 in three districts namely Chitwan, Makwanpur and Dhading since 2079. Gorkha's Gandaki rural municipality has also declared a public holiday today. Similarly, Makwanpur's Raksirang rural municipality has given public holiday for three days.
