At the Northern Suburbs Community Centre on a Sunday morning the steady sounds of drums and cymbals fill the air.
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The Kirat Rai people of Launceston are rehearsing for their upcoming Sakewa harvest festival, an ancient time of celebrating the land, nature, and their ancestors Sumnima and Paruhang.
In a large circle surrounding the musicians, Kirat Rai people of all ages dance through the motions of planting crops and harvesting, singing in unison.
The festival incorporates a number of traditional dances, along with singing and prayer in the ritual language.
Organisers Tek Rai and Purna Puma said the Sakewa harvest festival is part of the whole cycle of life for Kirat Rai people, who are some of the most ancient peoples of the Himalayas.
Mr Puma said Launceston’s community is invited to join the Sakewa celebrations on December 17 at Univiersity Oval, Newnham, from 10am to 3pm.
“We are going to celebrate our culture,” Mr Rai said.
“We’ll dance and we’ll sing in our own language.”