diverse culture, religions and ethnicity of people residing in nepal means multiple type of festivals are celebrated in nepal. with more than 50 major festivals every year, nepal may also be known as land of festivals. though festivals are particular to each caste/ethnicity, every festival is celebrated all over the country by everyone due to the strong social ties and respect for each other’s culture and lifestyles. festivals plays an important part in the life of nepalese and is an essence of their everyday life. every day is a day of celebration for one or the other community. here you will find communities who have festivals and jatras almost every day. here most of festivals are observed as per lunar calendar and may celebrated on different dates every year. people still celebrate these festivals with the same enthusiasm as it was done hundreds of years ago. the details of most prominent and known festivals of nepal along with their dates in 2018 are:

 

lhosar (tibetan new year): combination of two words lho (year) and sar (new) it is tibetan new year celebrated by different communities on different days which generally last for 15 days with the main celebration being on first three days. it is the main festival of sherpas, gurung, rai, limbu and magar communities in nepal. drinking changkol, made from chhaang (a local tibetan drink similar to beer) is a known practice during lhosar. a key feature of this festival is mask dance performed in monasteries and pagodas decorated with colourful prayer flags. families put on their finest of clothes and exchange greetings and gifts. during this time boudhanath stupa and sawayambhunath stupa are beautifully decorated with colourful prayer falgs and pilgrims throng these places.

• tamu lhosar, celebrated amongst the gurung community is held on 15 poush of nepali calendar which falls in december/january – date: 30th december 2020
• sonam lhosar, celebrated by the tamang and yolmo communities is held on first day of the new moon of magh which normally falls in december or january – date: 25th january 2020
• gyalbo lhosar, celebrated tibetan and sherpa communities is held on 29th day of the 12th month of lunar calendar and is celebrated 3 days which is generally in february or march – date: 25th february 2020

 

dashain (victory of good over evil): one of the biggest and most important festival of nepal with more 80 percent of the people following hinduism celebrating it for 15 days. it is also the national festival of nepal. during this period, people return to native places and spend time with their families celebrating the festival with their family. sacrifices of goats, buffalo and other animals are offered to please deities on 8^th and 9^th day of festival. kites flying is a common sighting during dashain. the festival falls in september or october.

the first day of the dashain also known as ghathasthapana marks the beginning of the festival. families worship the nine incarnations of goddess durga for the remaining nine days. on the 7^th day is a tradition of bringing nine types of phoolpati into the pooja room of the house. hence, the seventh day is also called phoolpati in nepal. on this day royal kalasha is decorated and worshipped and taken out for a parade which is joined in by a number of people. eighth day of the festival is known as maha ashtami or kal ratri with people sacrificing animals to goddess kali, an incarnation of goddess durga. ninth day is also known as maha navami which is also marked with sacrifices of animals. tenth day known as vijaya dashmi festival marks victory of goddess durga over devil mahishasura after fighting for 9 days. from tenth day onwards, people receive tika on their foreheads from the elders. the last day of the festival lies on the full moon day and is called ‘kojagrata’ purnima.

date: 17th october 2020 to 26th october 2020.

 

tihar (dipawali): it is nepal’s second most important festival, after dashain which is spread over five days and is also known as festival of lights as the household, shops are decorated with either “diyo” (oil lamps) or electric lightings. on first four days, a different animal is worshipped. the festival is of great importance not only because we worship gods, but also for the animals who maintain an intense and loyal relationship with the humans.

on the first day crow is worshipped as they are messenger of yama (god of death) alert us for bad omens which can be prevented by worshipping them. on second day, dogs who are yama’s custodian are worshipped as they are a loyal companion. on the third goddess lakshmi, goddess of wealth, is worshipped and dipawali (festival of lights) is observed on this date by lighting houses with oil lamps, candles and colourful lights. on the fourth day oxen is worshipped and govardhan pooja is conducted during the evening. the newar community celebrates mha puja on the fourth day as well. on last day bhai tika is celebrated and sisters put tika on their brother’s forehead and pray for their longevity, progress and good health. it takes place during the month of october/november.

date: 17th november 2020

 

chhath: the most important festival of terai region which falls on seventh day after tihar. it is four-day festival celebrated in october / november. the first day of the festival is known as arba arbain or nahan khan on which devotees fast by discarding meat, garlic and onion. second day known as kharana or day of reduction of sin. on the third day, devotees throng the rivers and ponds and sing folk and devotional songs. the fourth day is called paran or parwan.

during this festival devotees fast which is followed by making offerings to the sun by gathering at the banks of river and thanking him for nourishing earth. in kathmandu rani pokhari tank located in central part is the best place to see this festival. thekuwa and anarsa are two unique sweet dishes prepared during chhath. the festival is celebrated after tihar and is especially significant for married women as they observe two-day fast and offer prayers while keeping almost three-quarters of their body immersed in water for two hours.

date: 20th november 2020

 

bisket jatra (nepali new year): it falls on the first month of nepalese calendar which is in april and is annual festival of bhaktapur where the celebrations goes on for more than a week. this festival marks the end of serpents, hence also known as bisyau jatra or slaying of serpents. during this festival, chariots of lord bhairav and goddess bhadrakali are pulled through different parts of the city by people to khalna tole. the locals join the rally, sing, dance, play music and throw colours at each other. tongue piercing is a very common ceremony during bisket jatra. a huge pole, resembling a holy lingam is raised by the river, which is pulled down by the crowd to start the new year.

date: 13th april 2020

 

janai purnima: also known as rakshyabandhan, it takes place on the full moon day of shrawan called shrawan purnima every year. on this day when hindu change the janai, the sacred thread that the men wear on their chests. brahmins on this day take dips at the holy river banks and then change their sacred threads. they also tie yellow sacred threads around the wrists of common people. kwati, a traditional dish from nine beans is prepared in every household. sisters tie the holy threads to their brothers and pray for their longevity, progress and health.

date: 3rd august 2020

 

nag panchami: this festival takes place on the 5th of shrawan in honor of the nagas, the snake-gods, who in nepal are associated with rain and generally falls in the middle of the monsoon which is usually in august. as per belief stone image of garur at changu narayan is said to perspire during the festival and priests are sent to wipe the perspiration off with a handkerchief. they later present it to the king and water is used to make it into a snake bite remedy. during this festival pictures of naag are posted in doorways and milk is offered to him. this festival marks respect to serpents as the water guardians, and to ensure regular rainfall in the kathmandu valley.

date: 25th july 2020

 

krishna janmashtami – krishna janmashtami is celebrated on the 8th of bhadon which is usually in august to mark the birth of lord krishna. shops and houses are adorned in celebration. devotees flock to the krishna mandir in patan on the preceding day and gather around the 17th century temple. they sit there waiting for the midnight and lit small oil lamps.

date: 11th august 2020

 

teej: a hindu festival in honour of communion of lord shiva and goddess parvati, celebrated by women dresses in red saris (as red is considered auspicious) who are singing and dancing. these women visit the houses of relatives and enjoy various sweets before and after the fast.

it takes place on 3rd day of shukla paksha in bhadrapada or bhadav month of nepali calendar which is usually in august/september and is celebrated for 3 days. on the first day, women enjoy ‘dar’ khana or heavy food as this is the last food before the start of fasting. on the second day, married women keep fast for health and prosperity of their husbands while unmarried girls pray for good husbands. the third day known as rishi panchami is celebrated by worshipping goddess parvati and breaking the fast by eating chokho and karkalo ki tarkari, rich food made in pure ghee. these worm fast for entire three days of festival

date: 21st august 2020

 

gai jatra: among the most popular and unique festivals of nepal, gai jatra or festival of cows is celebrated to commemorate the death of people during the year. as per the beliefs, cows help deceased people to reach heaven. during this festival cows are decorated and paraded round the cities. families of the deceased join the procession and distribute food packets and fruits. other dress up kids as cows or ascetics and walk in procession along the festival route. there is also funny aspect to the festival. humour and satirical items are included to help bereaved families get over the grief of losing near ones. there are street shows making fun of government officials and people also roam the city dressed like lunatics. newspapers bring out special mad editions on this day. it is celebrated differently in the three cities of the valley as each city observes the events differently according to their own cultures. gai jatra is held on 1^st day of bhadon which is generally in august or september

this festival was started by king pratap malla in 17th century in remembrance of his son who died at an early age. he wanted to show his queen, the death is a regular phenomenon and they are not alone in the city who lost their loved ones that year.

date: 19^th august 2020

 

indra jatra: celebrated for 8 days mainly in kathmandu in honour lord indra, the god of rain. it begins on 26th of bhadon which generally falls in august or september. this was started by king gunakamdev after founding the city of kathmandu in the 10th century. kumari rath yatra was later added to the celebration in the 18th century. this festival honours releasing of lord indra by the locales of kathmandu after they had captured and held him captive. during the festival a procession of lord ganesh, bhairav and kumari (the living goddess) is taken out. it starts from kumari house and travels around the old parts of kathmandu. on the first day a lofty wooden post is erected before king’s palace or at other durbar sites and dancers from all across nepal perform with masks representing deities and demons.

date: 1st september 2020

 

holi: the festival takes place on the last day of fagun which falls in february or march and is known as festival of colours. during fagu purnima, people collect firewood and light bonfire to celebrate the death of holika, the demoness who tried to kill vishnu. this festival signifies the victory of good over evil. the next morning is celebrated as holi. people smear coloured powders on their friends, relatives and family members, and throw coloured water and water balloons. they play holi in open streets, parks, outside temples and buildings. people also carry drums and other musical instruments, go from place to place singing and dancing. they also consume bhang, an intoxicating ingredient made from cannabis leaves mixed into drinks and sweets.

date: 9th and 10th march 2020

 

maha shivaratri: this means the ‘great night of lord shiva’. on this day hindus bathe early in the morning visit shiva temples and fast on this day. this festival can be best witnessed at the pashupatinath temple where thousands of sadhus gather and smoke marijuana and hashish, considered dear to lord shiva. lord shiva on this day is bathed with milk, water, honey etc by the devotees. as per belief shivaratri is the wedding day of lord shiva and parvati. on this day one must not miss evening prayers and aartis at the pashupatinath temple. there is a huge fair which is organised around pashupatinath temple

date: 21st february 2020

 

buddha jayanti: it is the most important festival of buddhists as they celebrate this as the day of the buddha’s birth in lumbini which falls on the first full day of the first month of the hindu lunar calendar. in kathmandu swayambhunath and boudhanath are the busiest sites on the day of buddha jayanti and they are decorated with prayer flags and butter lamps which looks magical in the evening. monks gather to offer prayers and chant buddhist mantras. most of the non-vegetarian buddhists also turn vegetarian for the day and abstain from meat and alcohol to respect the teachings of buddha. buddhists eat kheer, sweet porridge, which they also share with the poor. they set up stalls in public places to offer others clean drinking water and also show kindness to animals.

date: 6th may 2020