Happy Father’s Day is the perfect time to show your father how much you love and appreciate him. If you are not sure what to get your dad this Father’s Day, here are some ideas that will help you decide.
Father’s Day is also known as Kushe Aunsi or Pitri Tirpani Aausi or Gokarne Aunsi. Gokarna Aunsi means cow ears (Gokarna) and there is no moon night (Aunsi) it is a celebration in late August or early September in Nepal, where Hindus worshiped the incarnation of Lord Shiva and his parents with cow ears.
On this day, Nepalese worship their father with their favorite food, their favorite clothes, and their father’s favorite things. “Mukh Herne” means “admitting someone as our relative, respecting or recognizing a person’s achievements.”
This is a special day, we recognize and respect our Father for his care and love for us (his children and his family) throughout his life. Therefore, this day is called “Babu ko Mukh Herne din“. The literal meaning of Mukh Herne is to see the face of a human.
Today is also known as Gokarna Aunshi, people offer delicacies to their fathers and receive blessings from them. Those whose father is dead go to temples and perform shraddha. Devotees throng Gokarna of Kathmandu, Betrawati of Rasuwa, and Bishnupaduka of Dharan during the festival.
Similarly, the 150th birth anniversary of Nepali litterateur Motiram Bhatta is being celebrated across the nation by organizing different programs tomorrow. Bhatta had made a remarkable contribution to Nepali literature.
This is a special day set apart for the veneration of one’s father. On this auspicious day, sons as well as daughters go home to meet and spend quality time with their fathers. Home-cooked delicacies, sweets, meat and other gifts are offered to all fathers.
On the streets are seen married daughters with goodies making their way to their maternal home to meet, no matter how busy their schedule is. Many people celebrate this festival by offering prayers to the Shiva shrine at Gokarna Temple. People also visit the temple at Gokarna or other holy places to perform “shradh” in memory of their deceased fathers.
In Father’s day, he who has already lost his father remember him giving Sida daan to pandit (Sida is holy mixture of rice grains and other pure food materials with clothes).
Gokaran and Kuse Aunsi
Some men in Kathmandu go to Gokarna (a place east in Kathmandu) to do the Sraddha or pinda daan to their deceased father and some do Shradha at home or at the near river or at any holy place nearby.
According to legend, once Shiva and Parbati disappeared from Himalaya parbat. All the gods were very surprised and started searching them all across the universe. Brahma and other gods, caught Lord Shiva and his wife Parvati in Deer’s lives hiding in Sleshmantak forest in Pashupatinath.
The “Buck” Shiva was caught by Brahma by his horns. Horns of Shiva came out in Brahma’s hand. Then Lord Shiva asked Brahma and Bishnu to establish those horns as Shiva linga in somewhere in Nepal as they think fit. Brahma placed it in Gorkarna. Since then, It is believed that worshiping Shiva in Gokarneshwor Mahadev and doing pinda daan (homage to dead people) is equivalent of visiting Gaya 10 times (Gaya is another Hindu holy place).
