Jaankar

(JAWN-kar)

Jaankar is the feast day of the Dunmari deity Chidya. It is celebrated on July 21st and 22nd every year, marking the end of the month of the summer solstice.

In most years, the monsoon rains arrive in the weeks before Jaankar, and the festival is a celebration of life, of the next generation of animals, and also of wildness and spontaneity. The celebrations spread over two days: the first day marked by ceremony and thanks for the next generation and the life of horses, lambs, and the other animals on which the Dunmari depend, and followed by a wild party from sundown to sundown.

In the rare years where the monsoon rains are late, Jaankar is a subdued celebration and an opportunity to pray for aid and protection for the animals on which the Dunmari depend.