Newar Community Yomri Punhi

December 8, 2022 | 16:30:02

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Newar communities across the country are celebrating Yomari Punhi (full moon) on Thursday by cooking Yomari at home. In the Nepali language, it means favorite and Mari means bread. In this sense, Yomari means favorite bread. Every year on the day of Mansir Shukla Purnima, Newar communities across the country celebrate Yomri again by eating a type of roti Yomari. Yomari is made by placing a knife inside a type of roti made from rice flour. Nowadays, the practice of cooking Yomari by keeping other food items instead of knives has increased.

As it is a day to eat Yomari, women of the Newar community wake up early in their homes and cook Yomari at this festival. When eating with Yomari, it is not customary to eat like a regular meal. It is believed that you should not eat food as usual on this day. Accordingly, on this day they eat a feast of chiura, vegetables, meat, and other dishes with Yomari.

Newar’s all over the country cook Yomari and eat it at this festival. Yomari is the original cultural identity of all Newars. The Newar community, which is the majority in Kathmandu Valley, has spread to other parts of the country. There is a special joy in Newar community families on festival days. During this time, the women of the house get up early and take a bath and clean themselves. Also, children enjoy eating sweets on this day.

This festival cannot be done in one day. After four days of the festival, Yomri is distributed to all married daughters as an offering to Lakshmi. Four days after the festival, the custom of calling the daughters and having a feast with Yomari is still the same in the Newar community. On festival days, it is customary for them to eat Yomari, share, and worship.

According to culture expert Om Dhaubhadel, the longest night of the year also falls at this time. Dhaubhadel says that the longer the beak of Yomari is, the longer the night will be. Similarly, he says that the relationship between Yomari and the weather is also connected. In the Newar culture, after building a new house, there is also a custom of rolling Yomari from the roof. Also, on the anniversary of the temples, temples, temples, and Shivalayas known as the heritage of this place, Yomari is performed from the roof.

What is Yomari?

Yomari is a special type of bread made from rice flour. Rice flour is mixed with warm water and Yomari is prepared in a special shape. It is cooked by steaming it. A knife is kept inside the Yomari. Some make it in a triangle shape with a mixture of knife and sesame seeds, moong leaves, etc. Rice flour is prepared from the first paddy of the year and Yomari is made. It is customary to make Yomari by making flour from the rice that is cut and imported in November.