Kholeydai - Annual Harvest & Folk Music Festival 2022

'The Kholey Dai Celebrations' is the community's annual rice harvest & folk music festival of Parengtar.

The purpose is to revive and re-establish the age-old tradition of the community’s culture

conducive to rice-grain harvesting, generally known as 'Dai' in Nepali. This festival is organized by the Parengtar Nawlo Umanga Welfare Society in association with Muhaan and Cafe Kalimpong. With time such traditions have faded, such that the ‘Kholey Dai Celebrations' is an initiative to re-engage the community in activities that will reaffirm our culture's values as a whole. This event is therefore an excellent opportunity for the visitors to participate and immerse themselves in our authentic village culture, while undeniably being a wonderful prospect for the residents of Parengtar to preserve their cultural essence.

Parengtar is a small village located at the Indo-Bhutan border in Patangodak Gram Panchayat under Gorubathan Block, Kalimpong, West Bengal. The village is easily distinguishable, situated in a unique location, on a plateau adorned by green paddy fields. Though Parengtar is still largely unknown, the village has a strong and ambitious community. The community is determined to bring Parengtar to the forefront as a clean model village with strong cultural roots. It is believed that the village came into being in the late 19th century by clearing a Pareng forest (a certain type of bamboo).

COMMUNITY FESTIVAL

What makes the festival stand out is the active participation of the rural communities right from the conceptualization to the organization of the festival. The festival is a key element of the community tourism model that is being developed in Parengtar by the organizing team and the community members of the village which aims to integrate every possible aspect of the community. Promoting a cyclic economy the event is based on the effective utilization of local resources from the community itself. As part of community tourism, even the local houses of the village are encouraged to provide accommodation as homestays for the visitors of the festivals. Part of the revenue from the festival is also contributed to the welfare of the society of Parengtar.