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Major Festivals Of Nepal |
Nepal has more festivals than the number of days in a
year. A festival is always a meaningful and memorable
event in the life of Nepalese people. Every festival has
some purpose to serve. From bringing in the rain to
honoring the dead or averting calamities, every festival
has something spiritual about it. Festival is a way of
life in Nepal. With the number of festivals that Nepal
has, it is one of the best ways to understand and
appreciate the Nepalese ways of life. The dates of
Nepali festivals are according to the lunar calendar.
Hence the date of festivals varies from year to year.
Some of the major festivals of Nepal are:
April
New Year's Day : - (First day of Baisakh)
Matatirtha Aaunsi :- (Mother’s Day)
Buddha Jayanti :- Celebrating the birth of Lord Buddha
May
Rato Machhendranath Rath Jatra :- The festival of
Lokeswar, one of the patron Gods of Kathmandu. A 40-foot
tall chariot with the God's image installed is pushed
and pulled through the streets by hundreds of
worshippers.
Kumar Sasthi :- A celebration of the birth of the Hindu
warrior God Kumar marks the beginning of the rice
planting season. It's also celebrated by groups of boys
who indulge in stone throwing fights.
June
No major festivals in the monsoon season.
July
Ghanta Kharna :- A festival commemorating an ancient
victory over a particularly malevolent devil, Gathemuga.
Mock funerals are held and figures burned in effigy.
August
Guru Poornima :- Teacher's Day
Naga Panchami :- A festival devoted to the snake gods,
who most Nepalese believe ruled the Valley before the
coming of people.
Janai Purnia :- The festival of changing of the sacred
thread which every Brahmin caste Hindu male wears around
his torso.
September
Gaijatra(Cow Festival) :- A festival to the sacred cow.
Among other symbolisms of the cow, cows are believed to
lead the souls of the dead to the underworld; and on
Gaijatra Newar households process around an ancient path
believed to mark the city walls of times past, in honor
of recently deceased members of their families. It's
also a carnival celebration with practical jokes -
something like Mardi Gras combined with April Fool's
day.
Krishna Asthami :- Celebrating the birth of the Hindu
God Krishna, one of the incarnations of Lord Vishnu.
Gokarna Aunsi :- Father's Day
Indra Jatra :- This festival officially begins with the
raising of a 50-feet tall ceremonial pole at Hanuman
Dhoka Durbar Square in Kathmandu. A weeklong traditional
display of old images of Akash Bhairavs is one of the
highlights of this festival. The ceremonial pulling of
the rath (chariot) of the Kumari, the chariots of Ganesh
and Bhairav accompany the Virgin or Living Goddess
October
Bada Dashain :- The biggest and most widely celebrated
national festival in Nepal, usually falls in early
October. It begins with Ghatsthapana. Of the two full
weeks of celebrations, the 8th, 9th and 10th are the
most eventful and auspicious days. The main deity
worshipped during Dashain is Goddess Durga. On the 9th
day, thousands of devotees visit important Durga temples
to worship her. The tenth day is climax day. People
visit to seniors for Tika (blessings). The ministers,
high-ranking officials, general public queue to get Tika
from their Majesty in Royal Palace.
November
Tihar :- It is also known as Diwali or Deepavali, is the
festival of lights in Nepal. The celebrations continue
for five days. It is an annual festival celebrated in
the bright blue days of autumn. The festival begins with
the worship of crows, followed by the worship of dogs on
the 2nd day. On the 3rd day, Laxmi, the goddess of
wealth, is worshipped. On the 5th day, one's own soul is
worshipped. Sisters also worship their brothers on this
day. This is called Bhai Tika, and is a great day and
the grand finale to Tihar.
Constitution Day :- The new democratic constitution of
the Kingdom of Nepal was promulgated on November 9,
1990. since then, this day is observed as the
Constitution day.
Dhanya Purnima :- A full moon festival celebrating the
end of the rice harvest.
Mani Rimdu :- It is one of the most fascinating High
Himalayan Buddhist festivals observed every year,
usually in November. Tengboche, the world's highest
monastery located in Solu Khumbu district of Nepal, is
the focal point for the celebration of this festival.
The main attraction of this festival is the various
masked dances of religious significance.
December
Seto Machhendranath :- A cleansing ritual for the White
(seto) Machhendranath, a counterpart god to the Red (rato)
Machhendranath who's chariot procession is in April-May.
Birthday of previous King Birendra Bir Bikram Sha Dev :-
The suspicious birthday of His Majesty King Birendra Bir
Bikram Shah Deve falls on December 28/29 ( Push 14th).
This occasion is celebrated with great enthusiasm all
over the kingdom.
January
Prithivi Jayanti :- This festival is celebrated in honor
of King Prithvi Narayan Shah, the founder of Modern
Nepal, with a colorful ceremony in front of the Singh
Durbar Gate in Kathmandu on
February
Losar :- It is one of the greatest festivals of
significant importance to the Sherpas and peoples of
Tibetan origin. It is celebrated every year in February.
The focus of this festival centers around the
celebration of the Tibetan New Year. Many fascinating
rituals and celebrations may be observed in Boudha and
in Tibetan settlements such as the Tibetan Refugee Camp
at Jawlakhel, Patan.
National Democracy Day :- This day is officially
observed as Rastriya Prajatantra Divas or National
Democracy Day ( it generally falls on February 18th i.e.
7th of Phalgun as a mark of respect ot people’s
revolution of 1950 – 51.
March
Shiva Ratri :- Shivaratri or the night of Lord Shiva, is
observed in March. It is celebrated in honour of Lord
Shiva. A great religious fair takes places in the
Pashupatinath Tmple and thousands of people from all
over Nepal and India visit the temple.
April
Ghodejatra :- Known as the festival of horses, it is one
of the most exciting festivals of the Kathmandu city.
Horse race and other sports take place at Tundikhel on
this day.
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Picture of Festival In Nepal |
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Nepal Information |
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Current Tourism News |
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Nepal trekking /
travel related business was booming until 1999. After that, the
incessant conflict scared off tourists from visiting
Nepal and we are feeling the pinch of the fall in
tourist arrivals. There was a time when we recorded such
a huge flow of tourists that we used to turn back some.
As a professional Nepal tour operator we did not have sufficient
staff and equipment to handle all of them...
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