Thoten Festival - Gurung Cultural Festival in Nepal

Thoten (ट्होटें) is one of the most colorful, rhythmic, and cultural festivals of indigenous Gurung Caste peoples. In the Gurung language, tho (ट्हो) means village, community, or state, and ten (टें) means enemy, so thoten (ट्होटें) means to expel the enemy from the state. In ancient times, the festival was celebrated with the aim of preventing any diseases and calamities in the community, the enmity of enemies, and during the time of animal husbandry and farming, it would protect the farming from diseases, hail, monkeys, and bears, etc.

In the gurung communities, after chanting mantras in burning incense in the incense burner from local lamas, the young people along with the respected parents go to every house playing drums (ढ्याङ्ग्रो) --with Rhus javanica (Rhus chinensis) wood -->, bells, Chheli and burning incense in the incense burner to pray that don't come and enter diseases, calamities, disasters and negative energies in their tho (ट्हो)(state) for the security of their Tho (टھो) or the state twice in a year, on the last three Tuesdays in the month of Shrawan and Chaitra of the Nepalese Calender.

It is believed that the enemy is destroyed when incense ashes are poured into the दोबाटो (Main Juction of the two way).

According to Gurung culture, Thoten (ट्होटें) festival is celebrated on the last three Tuesday of Shrawan and Chaitra. The Gurung community has its original and cultural festival Thoten festival as Udhauli on the last Tuesday of Shrawan and Ubhouli on the last Tuesday of Chaitra. The Ethnic original costumes of the Gurung community and different animals, ghosts, ghosts like Mukundo, Kalomoso, Colorful tableaus wearing different colors, bazagaza, cultural performances Ghantu, Sorthi, Jhoda, chutka, Krishna character performances are celebrated with great enthusiasm.

Thoten festival is celebrated by all the Gurung people scattered all over the country including Gandak region like Kaski, Parbat, Tanahun, Syangja etc.

Thoten- ट्होटें It is a tradition to dance and dance with special weapons such as bows, spears and other instruments such as droms and chheli by sticking ash, black ash and tree branches on the body.

This is supposed to be the traditional history believed by the people residing in Gurung state on that day to save it from diseases and disasters, negative forces, enemies or enemies passing the borders of the state as a festival to terrorize the enemies and remove them from their settlement and make the settlement peaceful by driving away ghosts, Pichas.