Pabyuk-Naitam comes together for Sakewa

ANUPA RAI
GANGTOK, 23 May: Sakewa, an important festival of the Rai community, was celebrated here at the village of Pabyuk-Naitam under Syari constitueny of East Sikkim today. The celebration started off with the traditional rituals of Ubhauli Puja performed in the house of the community faith-healer, Dik Man Rai, after which it moved out to the fields.
Ubhauli Puja is the offering of special prayers to the natural supreme power of Kirateshwar and the Mother Goddess and seeks the blessings of nature to bless the people with a good harvest in the year ahead. This is a traditional observance which marks the start of the sowing season. The festival falls on the 15th day of 5th month of the Vikram Sambhat calendar.
Pabyuk-Naitam had been celebrating Sakewa in this community-event format for the past four years with generous support and contributions from the villagers. This time around as well, the villagers gathered at the field with the same enthusiasm since early morning, giving out the message of unity and remembering their ancestors as they assembled at the three sacred stones [maintained in the hearth and fields by the Rais] to offer prayers.

The village heads and community elders also addressed the gathering, explaining the essence of the festival to the younger members of the community and underlining its significance to the Rai way of life.
The villagers also expressed their gratitude towards the land-owners who have donated the field where the festival is held every year now. Devna Rai, the land donor, informed that this tract was her inheritance and that she has donated it in the memory of her father, Late Kabir Man Rai.
The celebration, even as it moved through all the traditional rituals and offerings, also included traditional festivity in the form of Sili dance performances and a feast of ‘wachipa’ and ‘chaang’ for all. The celebration was also special in that it was not limited to the Rais, and included a healthy attendance and participation of members from other communities as well.