DistantNews
Support us
🇳🇵 Nepal /Culture & Society

Why do we eat dahi chiura on Asar 15?

From Kathmandu Post · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

In-depth Named sources Context piece
  • Asar 15, celebrated as National Paddy Day in Nepal, traditionally involves eating dahi chiura, marking the start of the monsoon rice planting season.
  • Vendors in Kathmandu report declining relevance and sales of dahi chiura, citing changing health trends and a shift of labor away from agriculture.
  • The practice's origins are unclear, and its cultural significance appears to be diminishing, particularly in urban areas where traditional farming practices are less common.

Asar 15, known as National Paddy Day, traditionally marks the beginning of Nepal's monsoon and rice planting season, a time when eating dahi chiura (yogurt with beaten rice) is a customary celebration. However, the cultural significance of this day and the associated culinary tradition appear to be waning, especially in the capital city of Kathmandu.

Before Covid-19, people used to come more reliably in the days leading up to and on Asar 15 for dahi, the numbers have gone down since.

— Store managerDescribing the decline in sales of dahi for Asar 15.

Vendors in Kathmandu's markets report a noticeable decline in sales and relevance for dahi chiura. A manager at a store approaching 50 years of operation noted fewer customers for dahi since the COVID-19 pandemic, attributing it partly to health restrictions and an aversion to dairy products. Another dairy store owner observed that while there were some additional sales, they were not substantial, lamenting that the tradition is "for the farmers; there are no farmers now, so no one’s eating anymore."

People have health restrictions now; many are sick.

— Store managerExplaining reasons for reduced dahi consumption.

The sentiment is echoed by a chiura mill operator who has seen sales drop significantly from hundreds of kilos per day to a fraction of that. He attributes the decline to the market being flooded with cheaper alternatives and the general shift of people away from agricultural work towards urban centers. While he personally enjoys chiura, the economic reality for his business is starkly different from past years, with potential losses mounting.

Dahi chiura is for the farmers; there are no farmers now, so no one’s eating anymore.

— Shiva Kumar ThapaCommenting on the diminishing relevance of the tradition due to fewer farmers.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Kathmandu Post. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

More Stories

From Our Blog