Festivals by month
February
Losar
Tibetan
peoples from Dolpo to the Khumbu celebrate their New Year with parades,
pujas (religious offerings or prayers) and prayer flags. Find
celebrations in the Kathmandu Valley at Bouddhanath, Swayabhunath and
Jawalakhel, near Patan
Mahashivaratri
Shiva’s birthday heralds
festivities at all Shiva temples, but particularly at Pashupatinath, and
hundreds of sadhus flock here from all over Nepal and India. The crowds
bathing in the Baghmati’s holy waters are a colorful and wonderful
sight.
March
Holi
Known as the Festival of Colors,
when colored powder and water are riotously dispensed as a reminder of
the cooling monsoon days to come. Foreigners get special attention, so
keep your camera protected and wear old clothes. It can be in February
too.
Seto Macchendranath
Kicking off in the wake of the
sacrificial festival of Chaitra Dashain, crowds drag an image of Seto
Macchendranath from its temple at Kel Tole in Kathmandu on a towering,
tottering rath(chariot), through the backstreets of the old town, for
four days.
April
Bisket Jatra
Nepalis celebrate
their New Year as a huge crowds drag tottering chariots through the
winding backsreets, pausing for a quick tug-of-war.
Balkumari Jatra
Thimi
celebrates New Year by hosting palanquins from 32 nearby villages at
the town’s Balkumari Temple, for three days of festivities. Nearby Bode
holds a grisly tongue-boring ceremony at the same time.
Balaju Jatra
Thousands
of pilgrims keep an all-night vigil at the Swayambhunath temple during
the full moon of Baisakh. The following day they trek to the Baise
Dhara(22 watersprouts) at Balaju in the northern Kathmandu for the
ritual bath.
May
Rato Macchendranath
Patan’s
biggest festival involves the spectacular month-long procession of a
temple chariot, culminating in the showing of the sacred vest of the god
Macchendranath.
Buddha Jayanti
A great full-moon fair at Lumbini
(the birthplace of Lord Buddha) marks Buddha’s birth, enlightenment and
passing into nirvana, and there are celebrations in Bouddhanath,
Swayambhunath and Patan. Swayambhunath displays a collection of rare
Thangkas(Tibetan religious paintings for one day only)
August
Ghanta Karna
This
festival celebrates the destruction of the demon ‘bell ears’ when a
god, disguised as a frog, lured him into a deep well. Ghanta Karna is
burnt in effigy on this night throughout Newari villages to cleanse evil
from the land for another year.
Naga Panchami
On this day,
nagas(serpent deities) are honored all over the country for their
magical powers over the monsoon rains. Protective pictures of the nagas
hung over doorways of houses, and food is put out for snakes, including a
bowl of rice.
Janai Purnima
On the full moon, all
high-caste men (Chettri and Brahmin) change the janai (sacred thread)
loped over their left shoulder. Janai Purnima also brings crowds of
Hindu pilgrims to sacred Gosainkunda lakes and the Kunbeswar Temple in
Patan.
Gai Jatra
Newars believe that, after death, cows
will guide them to Yama, the God of the underworld, and this ‘Cow
Festival’ is dedicated to those who died during the preceding year. Cows
are led through the towns and small boys dress up as cows(especially in
Bhaktapur)
Krishna Jayanta( Krishna’s Birthday)
The birthday
(also known as Krishnasthami) of the popular Hindu god Krishna is
celebrated with an all-night vigil at the Krishna Mandir in Patan: oil
lamps light the temple and singing continues through the night.
Teej
The
Festival of Women starts with a sumptuous meal and party; at midnight,
women commence a 24-hour fast. On the second day, women dress in their
red wedding saris and head to Shiva temples across the country to pray
for a happy marriage.
September
Indra Jatra
This
colorful autumn festival combines homage to Indra with an annual
appearance by Kathmandu’s Kumari (living goddess), who parades through
the packed streets of the old town in a palanquin. It also marks the end
of the monsoon.
October
Pachali Bhairab
The
fearsome form of Bhairab, Pachali Bhairab, is revered to on the fourth
day of the bright fortnight in early October or September. Bhairab’s
bloodthirsty nature means that there are numerous animal sacrifices.
Dashain
Nepal’s
biggest festival lasts for 15 days. It celebrates the victory of the
Goddess Durga over the forces of the evil (personified by the buffalo
demon Mahisasura): across the country, hundreds of thousands of animals
are sacrificed and swings are erected at the entrances to the villages.
Fulpati
Fulpati(sacred
flowers) is the first really important day of Dashain. A jar of flowers
symbolizing the Goddess Taleju is carried from Gorkha to Kathmandu and
presented to President at the Tudikhel parade ground before being
transported on a palanquin to Durbar Square.
Maha Astami
The
‘Great Eight Day’ and Kala Ratri, the ‘Black Night’, mark the start of
the sacrifices and offerings to Durga. At midnight, in a temple
courtyard near Durbar Square, eight buffaloes and 108 goats are
beheaded, each with a single stroke of a sword or knife.
Navami
The
sacrifices continue on Kathmandu’s Kot Square the next day: visitors
can witness the bloodshed but you’ll need to arrive early to secure a
place. Blood is sprinkled on the wheels of cars (and Nepal Airline’s
aircrafts) and goat meat is on almost everyone’s menu.
Vijaya Dashami
The
10th day of the Dashain festival is a family affair: cards and
greetings are exchanged and parents place a tika (sandalwood paste spot)
on theor children’s foreheads, while evening processions and masked
dances celebrate the victory of Lord Rama over the evil demon-king
Ravana in the Ramayana.
Kartika Purnima
The full-moon day
in Septembet/October marks the end of Dashain. It is celebrated with
gambling in many households: you will see even small children avidly
putting a few coins down on various local games for chance.
Tihar
Tihar
(also called Diwali or Deepawali) is the second most important Hindu
festival in Nepal. The festival honors certain animals, starting with
offerings of rice to the crows (‘messengers of death’, sent by God
Yama), followed by dogs (who guide departed souls across the river of
the dead), cows and bullocks on consecutive days.
Deepawali(Festival of Lights)
The
third day of Tihar is when Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth, comes to
visit every home that has been suitably lit for her presence. No one
likes to turn down a visit from the goddess of wealth and so homes
throughout the country are brightly lit with candles and lamps.
Newari New Year
The
fourth day of Tihar is also the start of the New Year for the Newari
people of the Kathmandu Valley. The following day marks Bhai Tika, when
brothers and sisters meet to offer gifts of sweets and money and place
tikas on each other’s foreheads.
Haribodhini Ekadashi
On
the 11th day after the new moon the god Vishnu awakens from his four
month monsoonal slumber. The best place to see the festivities is at the
temple of the Sleeping Vishnu in Budhanilkantha, north of Kathmandu.
November
Kartik Dances
Patan’s
Durbar Square fills with music and dancers for this festival that
traces its origins back to choreographed human sacrifices ordered during
the seventeenth century rule of King Siddhinarsingh Malla. Dancers wear
mask to represent the god Narsinga and demon Hiranyakashipu. Dates can
fall in late October as well.
Mani Rimdu
This popular
Sherpa festival takes place at Tengboche Monastery in the Solu Khumbu
region and features masked dances and dramas. Another Mani Rimdu
festival takes place six months later at nearby Thame Gompa.
December
Bala Chaturdashi
On
the new-moon day in late November or early December, pilgrims flock to
Pashupatinath, burning oil lamps at night, scattering grain for the dead
and bathing in the holy Bagmati River.
Sita Bibaha Panchami
Tens
of thousands of pilgrims from all over the sub-continent flock to
Janakpur( the birthplace of Sita) to celebrate the marriage of Sita to
Rama. The wedding is re-enacted with a procession carrying Rama’s image
to Sita’s temple by elephant.
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