Sakhiya Pailya dance brings festive buzz to Dang's Tharu villages

As Dashain draws near, the festive buzz of the Sakhiya Pailya dance has intensified in Tharu villages of Dang.

There is a tradition of performing this dance collectively in villages starting about two weeks before Dashain and continuing until Bada Dashain ends. In Okhara of Ghorahi Sub-Metropolitan City-17, the dance began from Ashoj 12, according to local resident Ram Prasad Chaudhary.

He said the dance has already started in some other Tharu settlements while preparations are under way in others. Sakhiya, performed only within the Tharu community, is considered the longest-running indigenous dance.

It is customary for the dance to begin after the Krishna Ashtami Atwari festival and continue until Tihar. According to local resident Lakshima Chaudhary, the timing of when the dance starts and ends has recently begun to vary from place to place.

Women divide into two groups to dance while men play the madal. The dance runs every evening from around 6-7 pm until 10-11 pm.