Today, on the auspicious occasion of Margashirsha Shukla Purnima, people across the country are celebrating Dhanyapurnima by performing traditional rituals, worshipping newly harvested rice, and offering donations.
The Newar community is joyfully celebrating Yomari Punhi, also known as Yomari Purnima, marking the happiness of bringing home the new rice harvest.
Yomari Punhi is regarded as one of the major festivals of the Newar community and is also known as the festival of delicious delicacies. Yomari, the signature food of this festival, is made from freshly harvested rice flour, filled with chaku (molasses) and sesame seeds.
From early morning, women in Newar households become busy preparing Yomari. The festival is observed by cleaning and decorating the home, bathing, and preparing Yomari as part of the tradition. The Newar community also worships the rice granary (Bhakari) or storage room during the celebration.
There is a custom where the maternal home sends Yomari filled with sesame seeds and chaku as sagun (auspicious gift) to daughters who are pregnant, praying for the good health of the unborn child.
After harvesting rice in the month of Mangsir, people worship various deities on this full moon day—such as Dhaan Devata (Rice Deity), Ganesh, Kuldeuta (Family Deity), Gaidu Devata, Goth Devata, Maharudra, and Mahalakshmi. It is also customary to grind the newly harvested rice into flour and prepare offerings like sel roti, babari, puri, and malpua.
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