This festival, which has been celebrated for 350 years, is celebrated once every 12 years in Kathmandu and once every five years in Lalitpur.
What you should know
The Newar community of Bhaktapur celebrates Maghe Sankranti as a festival of Ghyu and Chaku Salhu, while Buddhists celebrate it as a festival of proper donations.
Every year on the day of Maghe Sankranti, the five Dipankar Buddhas of Bhaktapur are seated in the Thathubahi at Dudhpati and this festival is celebrated by making a formal donation. On this day, all kinds of grains, legumes, fruits and sweets that grow on the land are offered as a donation.
It is believed that this festival has been celebrated for 350 years. This festival is celebrated once every 12 years in Kathmandu and once every five years in Lalitpur. During the Samyak Dan festival, the five Dipankar Buddhas are offered rice mixed with grains and sesame seeds from the Prashannashil Mahavihara, Sakotha Chatabrahma Mahavihara, Golmadi Mangal Dharmadeep Vihara, Itachhen Jayakirti Mahavihara, and Bharwacho Bouddhav Samkrita Vihara in Kathmandu.
It is customary to bring out the statues of the five Dipankar Buddhas from the related monasteries only twice a year and perform a procession. One of them is the Samyak Dan Parva.
On this festival, it is customary to donate food, grain, and dakshina to household Buddhist monks who have been initiated in Buddhist monasteries, including Shakya and Bajracharyas. Last year, there were 1,500 people, while this year, 2,000 people were given food, grain, and dakshina. In Buddhism, it is believed that giving and receiving donations is a means of earning merit.
