Dhanya Purnima, Yomari Punhi being celebrated today

KATHMANDU, December 19: On the day of Margashirsha Shukla Purnima, the festival of Dhanya Purnima is being celebrated by worshiping and donating dhan or paddy.

After harvesting paddy in the month of Mangsir in the lunar calendar, there is a tradition of worshiping gods like Dhan, Ganesh, Kuldevta, Gaidu Devta, Goth Devta, Maharudra, Mahalakshmi and other deities and eating delicacies made of the newly harvested paddy-rice. 

On this occasion, fairs are held in Dhaneshwar of Kavrepalanchok, Ananda Lingeshwara of Bhaktapur, Champadevi of Kathmandu and other places in the country.

 Yomari Purnima (Yomari Punhi)

Also, the Newar community is celebrating the festival of Yomari Purni today. Yomari Purnima is also called Yomari Punhi. Celebrated as a major festival of the Newar community, it is also considered a food festival. 

Yomari is made from fresh rice flour, jaggery and sesame seeds. It is customary to cook yomari by covering the bathing house. 

The Newar community also celebrates Yomari Purni by worshiping at the storage where the paddy is stored. It is also customary for the mother to send a gift of yomari filled with sesame seeds and jaggery to her pregnant daughter as a gift, wishing for the good health of the child during her pregnancy.