The Himalayan district of Humla celebrated Shrawan Purnima (Janai Purnima) with great enthusiasm. The festival, observed from the day of Chaturdashi leading up to Saune Purnima, was marked by rituals and traditional dances at the shrines of Rampa, Badpal, Kalashilta, Madana, and Masto deities. The celebrations culminated on Monday with rituals and Dhami dances at various village shrines across the district.
Local tradition dictates that after offering prayers to their family deities, residents begin the festivities by performing the Dhami dance. The final day of the festival saw Dhami dances at the Badpal shrine in the lower market of Simikot, as well as at other deity shrines in the district, according to resident Gora Rawat.
Shrawan Purnima is celebrated with grandeur in many parts of the district. The Dhami shamans begin their rituals and fasting from Ekadashi, and start dancing from Chaturdashi. A unique tradition observed by these shamans involves eating only one meal a day during the fasting period.
On Monday, the day of Purnima, the celebrations began early in the morning at the Badpal shrine in Simikot Rural Municipality-5, and the Kalashilta shrine in Ward No. 6, where Dhami dances were performed with great fervor. A fascinating ritual involved the shamans sprinkling milk as soon as they encountered one another under a Dhupi tree. The dances performed by the shamans of Kalashilta, Masto, Badpal, Ghantpal, Samaiji, Gura, and Bhawani in succession are a highlight of the festival.
Goat sacrifices are also made during the festival, which is seen as a time for reunion as people return home from faraway places to meet their families.
In Simikot Rural Municipality-2, at the Rampal shrine in Thehe, the Purnima was celebrated with much fanfare. Shamans from various deity shrines gathered at the Rampal shrine near Thehe village to perform the Dhami dance and offer prayers to the deities.
The Purnima was also observed in Sarkegad Rural Municipality-1, Jair, as well as in Adanchuli and Tajakot Rural Municipalities in the southern part of the district. In Tajakot-5, at the Jhadhmandu shrine, the festival was marked with significant rituals and Dhami dances by the shamans and devotees of Madana and Barabhai Masto deities.
