In Gaijatra festival, teenage boys dress up as cow parades in the streets of towns. This custom springs from the Hindu belief that the cow helps the soul of the dead ones, within the past year, to cross the river of death to heaven smoothly. Some also dress up as ascetics or fools to achieve the same objective. Groups present sketches that satirise the current political and social scene. These sketches, often humorous and thought-provoking, serve as a form of entertainment and also provide a platform for social and political commentary for the public.

The week beginning from Janai Purnima kicks off a season of religious and cultural activities. All Buddhist monasteries open their gates for a week to visitors and prominently display their bronze sculptures and paintings. At Patan, the festival of Mataya is observed with flocks of devotees. The Gaijatra lasts for a week and is enlivened by dance and drama performances in different town localities. Elements of the old festival are increasingly adopted by cultural centres, newspapers and magazines, which poke fun at Nepalese social and political life. Bhaktapur is one of the significant and beautiful towns to celebrate the festival by the whole community.