Kholey Dai Festival

The Kholey Dai Festival, launched in 2021, is an annual rice harvest and folk music festival in the village of Parengtar in Kampilong. It aims to revive and reestablish community activities around rice grain harvesting, known as ‘dai’ in Nepali.

Put together by the organisations Muhaan and the Parengtar Nawlo Umanga Welfare Society in association with Backwoods Adventure Camp and Cafe Kalimpong, the festival is an opportunity for visitors to participate and immerse themselves in the village’s culture and customs through folk storytelling sessions, art and craft stalls, hikes and folk dance and music concerts. One such practice that visitors will be able to witness is the Dhan Nach. A ritual dance performed in recently harvested paddy to separate it from the husk, Dhan Nach is accompanied by the singing of traditional folk songs.

Some of the other folk dance forms performed at the Kholey Dai festival include the Maruni dance – an ancient dance form in which traditional folk tales are enacted by men dressed as women; the Chyabrung dance – where men play traditional drums called “chyabrung” and dance in synchronised patterns symbolic of the movement of birds and animals; and the Lakhey Dance, also known as the demon dance, which sees performers wear demon masks as they dance.

The last edition of the Kholey Dai Festival was held between 15 and 18 December 2022.

Check out more dance festivals here.