KHOLEY DAI HISTORY
Kholey Dai? | खोलें दाइँ
An overviewIn Nepali, Kholey translates to a soupy porridge made from rice and Dai is the process of separating grains from the straw.About 40 years ago, the people of Parengtar followed a unique practice where every evening during harvest, old and young, men and women, children and elders, all came together to harvest rice. In the Khaley Gara a plot of farmland was cleansed and leveled with cow dung, paddy stalks were spread out, and as the community worked, they sang and performed the Dhaan Nach, a harvest dance,by turning their labor into joy. By the evening , after completing the Dai, everyone sat together in the Khaley Gara to enjoy hot Kholey prepared from freshly harvested rice. This practice also known as “PARMA”brought the entire village together, with everyone helping in each household’s Dai, ensuring every family has their harvest ready and no family is left behind.Through this tradition, the Kholey dai Festival was born celebrating the spirit of collaboration, community, and the simple beauty of life in our villages.
Why is Kholey Dai celebrated ?
In our hills, farming is slowly losing its place. With modernisation and youth migrating, economic pressures rising, and age-old practices fading, agriculture has been devalued in the very communities it once sustained.
The Kholey dai Festival was born to change that demeaning phase of traditional farming . The main aim remains to motivate our community, especially the youth, to continue farming and to value the land and its stories, reviving age-old harvest practices that are disappearing from our villages and create an alternative solution to commercial festivals, the one that is rooted in community participation, ownership and indigenous ideas.It is also one of the few platforms dedicated to conserving folk music and arts in their most authentic form, creating space for voices and traditions that rarely find the spotlight. And to celebrate the farmers of Parengtar and to revive harvest traditions that once brought entire villages together.Kholeydai is celebrated to honor the past, inspire the present, and build a sustainable future.
How did the Kholey Dai Festival start ?
It all started in June 2021, when the people of Parengtar came together to celebrate Asar Pandra, the sowing festival. The joy of farming and the strength of the community inspired the idea of a harvest festival to complete the cycle at the end of a year.Hence in December 2021, the first edition of Kholey Dai was born. The community contributed ₹40,000, while musicians, artists, architects, and volunteers worked pro bono. The entire village came together to host and cook meals for everyone sowing the seed of the Kholey Dai Festival
Built on humble intentions, honesty, and collective effort, Kholey Dai has always been more than a festival.Villagers hosted participants in their homes and cooked meals, transforming the festival into one big family gathering , it has been a journey of community ownership and heart. As we step into our 5th year, we pause to remember where it all began, to acknowledge the sources that inspired us, and to thank everyone who has walked with us. Kholey Dai today continues as a community-led, zero-waste festival, celebrating collaboration, culture, and sustainability at its core. The first edition was a success because it was built on collective effort , ownership and heart.
Where does the Kholey Dai festival happen?
Parengtar is a name born from Pareng (bamboo) and Tar (plateau). Once a small hamlet on a quiet plateau in Kalimpong, bordered by the hills of Bhutan and the flowing Jaldhaka River, it was a land of simple farms and endless horizons. This is where the Kholey Dai festival takes place Not long ago, just seven houses stood here, with no running water or electricity until 2012. But out of these hardships grew resilience. The old and the young, men and women, came together to build not only homes but also a vision for a thriving future.Today, still deeply rooted in farming, Parengtar is embracing community-based tourism growing sustainably while keeping its soul intact. The youth carry its hopes forward, the elders safeguard wisdom, and the whole community stands side by side, building something lasting for generations to come.Parengtar’s story is one of hardship, resilience, and hope, a living model of how a village can honour its past while shaping a future together. Parengtar, a village in the Eastern Himalayas houses Kholey Dai’s three-day community-led harvest festival that celebrates its way of Community and brings about celebration.Cultural exchanges & traditions a blend of the eastern himalayas lifestyle.Folk music folklores & art of the hills
Regional food, delicacy to savour the taste buds & flavours to bring the roots of the culture and most importantly the use of the term Sustainability adapting as a way of life It is not only a usual festival but also an investment in the village’s 50+ youth a platform for creating opportunities, giving exposure, and inspiring them to think big for their future.
This is what Kholey Dai aims for in this year’s 5th edition .