Yomari Punhi

When the rice harvest is safely stored, the Newar community celebrates Yomari Punhi on the full moon of the month called Thinla in Nepal Bhasa, which falls in December. It is a warm, family festival centred on a single, delicious food.

What is a yomari?

A yomari is a dumpling made from the flour of newly harvested rice, shaped by hand into a fish-like or conical form with a pointed tip, and filled with chaku (dark molasses mixed with sesame seeds) or khuwa (sweetened milk solids). The dumplings are steamed and eaten hot. The name is often explained as ya, to like, and mari, bread — the much-liked bread.

Rituals

Families make yomari in special shapes representing deities such as Kuber, god of wealth, and Lakshmi, goddess of prosperity, and offer them in the storeroom where grain is kept, praying for a good harvest next year. The dumplings are left in the store for several days before being eaten. In some families, children go from house to house singing and receiving yomari, and a child's birthday falling near this time may be marked with a garland of yomari.

Where to taste it

In the days around Yomari Punhi, sweet shops and Newar restaurants in Bhaktapur, Thimi and Sanothimi sell yomari freshly steamed. Many eateries now make them all year round, so you can try them whenever you visit — but they taste best on a cold December evening.