Bhume Naach
भूमे नाच
Dates
| 2083 BS | Date to be announced | Date to be announced |
| 2084 BS | Date to be announced | Date to be announced |
Bhume Naach (also known as Bal puja, Namka Parva, Lokabangey, Jhyamkri rw Balka and Bulku) is one of the festivals celebrated by the Kham Magar people from Lumbini province of Nepal. The term Bhume means 'Earth' and Naach means 'dance' in the Nepali language. The Kham people practice a religion that worships the land (bhumi puja), water sprouts (shim), forests (ban puja) and weather, asking for better crop yields and cattle. The May Festival is the main dance performed by the Magars, especially in eastern Rukum and Rolpa. This dance is performed in all parts of Bhume Rural Municipality and Putha Uttarganga Rural Municipality in eastern Rukum, and is also performed in Thabang and Jelbang in Rolpa. This dance is a specialty dance performed in major villages where Parbatey Kham Magar is spoken.
Bhume Naach is a folk dance which is performed around a fire to worship the Earth. The Kham people believe that the Earth is God. Earth is considered to be the mother and protector which provides shelter, food and sustenance for everyone. To make the Earth happy, people perform the dance from mid-May through mid-June. The main celebration takes place during the first week of June.
नेपालीमा
भूमे नाच (जसलाई बल पूजा, नाम्का पर्व, लोकाबाङ्गेय, झ्याम्क्री र बाल्का र बुल्कु पनि भनिन्छ) नेपालको लुम्बिनी प्रदेशका खाम मगर समुदायले मनाउने एक सांस्कृतिक पर्व हो। नेपाली भाषामा भूमे शब्दको अर्थ 'पृथ्वी' र नाच को अर्थ 'नृत्य' भन्ने हुन्छ। खाम मगरहरूले भूमि (भूमि पूजा), पानीका मुहानहरू वन (वन पूजा) र मौसमको पूजालाई धार्मिक परम्परा मान्दछन् भने यसो गर्दा राम्रो उत्पादन हुने र पशुधनको कल्याण हुने विश्वास गरिन्छ। यश प्रकारको नृत्यलाई मगर समुदायका मानिसहरूले विशेषगरी पूर्वी रुकुम र रोल्पामा प्रदर्शन गर्छन्। यो नृत्य भूमे गाउँपालिका र पुथा उत्तरगङ्गा गाउँपालिकाका सबै भागहरूमा तथा रोल्पाको थवाङ र जेलवाङमा पनि गरिन्छ। यो नृत्य पर्वतीय खाम मगर भाषा बोलिने प्रमुख गाउँहरूमा विशेष हुन्छ।भूमे नाच एक लोकनृत्य हो जसमा आगो वरिपरि नाचेर पृथ्वीको पूजा गरिन्छ। खाम समुदायले पृथ्वीलाई ईश्वर मान्छन्। पृथ्वीलाई आमा र संरक्षक ठानिन्छ जसले सबैलाई आश्रय, खाना र जीविका प्रदान गर्छ। पृथ्वीलाई खुसी पार्नका लागि जेठ देखि साउन नाच गरिन्छ। मुख्य उत्सव असारको पहिलो हप्तामा हुन्छ।
Observed by: Kham Magar people
Celebration
During the celebration of Bhume Naach young boys and girls are selected by the leader of the village and sent to a hill or mountain to collect water, soil, and a colorful assortment of flowers deemed holy by the villagers. The boys carry colorful flags and a patho (baby goat/kid); the girls carry holy water and assorted food. After collecting water, soil and flowers, three flags are attached to a huge timber to fly on the mountaintop. After spending fifteen days on the hills or mountains, the children then worship the Earth, sacrifice the patho, and return to the village on the first day in June, which is also the first day of the celebration. Upon their return, the young boys and girls tie three bright colorful flags on a timber pole and place it upright on the ground. They enjoy singing, dancing and playing a modal (a local musical instrument), and drums. The villagers celebrate and welcome the children by playing drums and another local instrument called the senate. The celebrants then take another patho to the river to wash prior to the sacrifice. Following the sacrifice, the goat, believed to have gone to paradise, is taken to the center of the village. Its neck is adorned with pieces of cloth of a red, yellow, green, and white color. These symbolize the Earth (mother of this indigenous community), happiness, peace, and love. The girls adorn themselves with clothes of the same colors upon their shoulders and around their necks, while performing songs and dances.
A Ritual Dance
The main dance of Bhume Naach, requires that the village boys dance in the center of a circle surrounded by dancing girls who wear beautiful clothing, jewelry, and flowers. The girls distribute their flowers to show respect. The children dance the whole day completing twenty-two steps per song and are required to complete all 22 steps of the dance within the day. The Balpuja conveys a message to the God/Earth. Since the Kham consider Earth as the main source of love and protection, the Earth has to be happy in order to get everything they need, such as food, water, air, light and shelter. The outer circle of girls represents the mother and protector for their own community. Decisions that are made by the family and by the community are heavily influenced by the Kham women. This annual celebration is concluded by people singing sad songs together. Participants weep bitterly and depart from the gathering with good wishes and blessings from their elders. The process of celebrating this traditional Bhume Naach is a symbolic demonstration of the relationship of Kham people to nature rather than a god. The Bhume Naach highlights and celebrates the fact that without Earth there is no life.
