Badhe
Festival
Abhishek Subedi, August 9,
2020
www.nepal-travel-guide.com
Hundreds of years of preservation and perseverance,
nourished and timely practice is the basic attributes that give birth to a
cultural phenomenon. Sometimes the culture becomes the identity and other times
identity reflects the culture. Manang, a mystical Himalayan district of Nepal,
preserves itself within the largest protected area of Nepal, Annapurna
Conservation Area, rated by B.B.C as one of the 12 best walks of the world!
Manang Valley – indigenous people prefer to say Nyeshang Valley – is a
combination of scenic grandeur and biodiversity with multicultural and
multiethnic dimensions. This valley is largely occupied by Buddhists, and in
some parts, Bon Po believers who worship nature as God. Manang has its own
original and unique sets of customs, cultures, and festivals.
About The Festival
Badhe festival was a forgotten festival in Manang until 2004
when the people of Manang made serious efforts for its revival. Badhe festival
is basically a performance art in which actors in costumes tell a story about
two warring brothers. On the other side, it is a performance about the story of
a Ghale king sending his army off to battle. There are two groups, and the
narration begins with two brothers visiting a temple. The elder one gets
offended when the smaller one enters the temple first. Then the fight begins.
They wage a poetic war and one team berates another with traditional ballad
songs called dohori (a kind of folk song). All this is done in a very witty way and role-play is
never forgotten. To boost the morale of their teams, both sides also display
their war skills through role-playing.
It is all done for the prosperity of
their village and to keep away evil spirits and bad omen. Many years back when
Bon religion was dominant, virgin girls were sacrificed during this festival. Later
goats replaced human beings and they used to be killed not by slitting their
throat but brutally by smashing their heads. The people would think of the
goats as their enemies. The time when Bon must have been quite morbid. It
was only later when Buddhism prevailed the sacrifices stopped. Badhe festival
is celebrated once every three years on the first day of the 10th month of
Tibetan calendar.
Where is it Celebrated
Major Hindu festivals like Dashain
and Tihar are celebrated in the lower reaches of Manang district. But since
upper Manang is largely Buddhist, and in some parts Bon Po, the Nyeshang valley
has its own unique set of customs and festivals. Older Manangis vividly
remember how villagers used to gather once every three years in the fall to
celebrate Badhe, a Nyeshyang oral tradition and intricate performing art.
Belief of Festival
Basically, a play, where mother earth
is the stage, with courtyards and terraced fields forming the backdrop, Badhe
is full of sound, color and intense drama, which tells a story of two warring
brothers. The main objective of Badhe is to free the village of evil spirits,
demons, enemies, diseases and natural calamities, to ensure peace, security and
prosperity in the village.
When It is Celebrated
Badhe is celebrated once in three
years and is held on a rotational basis in Manang, Nar, and in Sampa village of
Mustang. The ceremony generally falls on the 1st day (approximately
8th November) of the tenth month of the Tibetan calendar. A decade ago,
the Badhe tradition started to decline, as Manangis migrated to Kathmandu and
took with them economic and cultural resources. In 2004, the costumes and
finery were brought out from gompas and households, and the people of Nyeshang
came from far and wide to revive an ancient tradition.
History of Festival
No historical manuscripts
highlighting the origin of Badhe exist. According to local belief, however, the
festival started in the village of Ngawal, then shifted to Braga and finally to
Manang where it established its roots for many years. Earlier 12 virgins used
to be sacrificed to the gods at the beginning of the Badhe festival. Owing to
Buddhist beliefs, the practice was stopped and goats were offered instead.
Later, only the tips of the ears of goats were offered. Now that the Nyeshang the community follows the peaceful middle path of the Buddha, Badhe festival in
future will not encourage animal sacrifice.
History
In the late 1950s, King Mahendra
came to the valley and, seeing the hard life of the settlers, as well as their strength
and determination, declared that the people of Manang needed not to pay the
government tax if they wanted to import and export goods from Nepal. The people
of Manang have become prosperous traders, hoteliers, and businessmen. Many have
moved down from the harsh and beautiful valley in north-central Nepal to
Kathmandu, but, at the same time, made their culture and traditional way of
life vulnerable. At present, most of the younger generations of Manang are
living either in big cities of Nepal or in foreign countries for the sake of
education, business, and better life.
In 2004, the younger generations saw
Badhe for the first time since the past 25 years. Two decades ago, the Bade
tradition started to decline, as local people migrated to Kathmandu and took
with them economic and cultural resources. The Destination Manang Campaign of
2004 reinstated it. But it was only from October 25 – 27 of 2007. Moreover, it
was fully revived with the ancient rituals which were forgotten for many years.
The villagers hope that by reviving the Badhe festival. Moreover, they can
reconnect the youth with the roots of their culture, and share it through
tourism.
How is this festival celebrated
For seven days and seven nights, the
performers, local villagers are outdoors. Apart from the roles of king and
priest character roles inherited by generations of the same family. Various
other roles can be enacted by any villager. Badhe has interesting ties with the
cultural practices found in the middle hills and the high Himalayan regions. It
is similar to the ‘dohori’ songs, a popular folk tradition in the mid-hill
communities of Nepal. Villagers dressed as warriors, on the other hand, display
war techniques. Similarly, to that of the ancient Tibetan kings and their
armies. They are dressed in gold and don exotic birds feathers on their
forehead. It is a rhythmic festival full of sound, color, and intense drama
leading to a peaceful climax. There are two different groups.
Celebration
The narration begins with two
brothers visiting a temple. The elder brother is offended when he finds that
his younger sibling has visited the temple before him. The fight or rather the
play of Badhe begins. In a poetic war, the two brothers who are camped on
opposite sides berate each other through songs. Through song and satire, they
fight out their battle. To boost their morale, both sides also display
their war skill through role-playing. Carried away in their various roles,
sometimes the villagers do start a brawl that is soon controlled. By the
younger soldiers who stand between the supporters of the two brothers. But
actual violence does not occur. When things start getting out of hand,
villagers step in to bring things back to normal. Spectators from surrounding
villagers flock to Manang for the festival.
They are all welcome. Nyeshang
households disperse roasted millet and wheat powder rolls from their rooftops.
The spectators then sleep under the skies while the actors retire in their
camps. The last day of the festival is the grand carnival day. All womenfolk
who would be busy preparing meals and taking care of the guest also join in the
merriment.
