Ghode Jatra Celebrations in Kathmandu

Ghode Jatra festival, the traditional festival of horses, took place today in Nepal to trample the spirit of a resident demon into the ground. The annual festival of Horse Racing also known as Ghode Jatra, religiously named as Aswa Yatra, was celebrated today at Tundikhel in Nepal’s Kathmandu. Ghode Jatra, meaning “Horse Parade”, was organized by the Nepal Army at the Army Pavilion.

As per legend, the festival is celebrated to free the spirit of a demon namd Tundi, who used to live on a meadow, which is now at Tundikhel. It is believed that the parade of horses at this particular place will keep the demon’s spirit away. The faster the horses run, the more Tundi’s spirit is dispelled. As per other mythology, it is said that the festival Ghode Jatra is celebrated to mark the start of Nepali New Year. Nepal’s President Bidhya Devi Bhandari attended the event along with Vice President Nanda Bahadur Pun, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and other high-level government officials.