Nepal Samvat’s New Year’s Day (Kartika Sukla Pratipada) coincides with a Newars family celebration, both Buddhist and Hindu, called mha puja (literally, body-worship or self-worship). While the puja is obviously influenced by the puranas and tantras, it is a distinctive Newar festival, quite distinct in shape and content from Govardhan Puja’s Hindu festival. Usually noted in Nepal by non-Newars.
All Newar family members sit in a line on this day, each member facing a completely decorated mandala (geometric circle). Regardless of age or sex, the eldest woman of the family worships all family members in turn. The mandala is a series of concentrated circles, each drawn in turn by water, oil, rice, paddy, and yellow and red powders. A compact group of five circles in drawn at the center of each circle, each covered with paddy and rice, adorned with flowers and ritual thread called jajamka. A burning oil-fed wick known as khelu-ita is provided to the family’s prisoners.
Originally, the length (dhul) of a human face (khe) was measured. Finally, the auspicious sagun is provided, composed of whole boiled-and-fried eggs, followed by other makaras— matsya (fish), masa (meat), madya (wine), fried ginger (mudra) and fruit cake (maithuna). The oldest female in the family wants each family member a lengthy life-a wish symbolized by the offer of a gift of walnuts, jackfruit, common citron, and above all gwae swan, the long-lasting nut-shaped velvety flower.
