Nepal's religions
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Grafik Nepal's Religious Festivals
Christians:
Christmas Festival
Festivals in Nepal
Nepal's Festivals
Christmas Festival
Assumption Church at Dhobighat, Lalitpur
The city of Kathmandu, the capital of the only Hindu Kingdom in the world, is also celebrating the Christian festival. With Christmas greetings and gifts on hand and wearing colourful new dresses, tens of bunches of children were seen moving towards nearby churches that have sprouted in recent years across the Valley of nearly two million people.

Many christians are celebrating Christmas eve in the Assumption Church at Dhobighat, Lalitpur. With this, the festival to mark the birthday of Lord Jesus, the saviour of all Christians, formally is beginning.

After visiting the church, the christians will have delicious food, masubhat (meat and rice) and cakes. On christmas day children will get beautiful Christmas gifts from their parents. The population of Christians hovers around 4 per cent in the country, and sociologists closely following the developments say the population of Christians is gradually going up. The population of Catholics in Nepal has been estimated around 6,500, and 2,500 of them are living in the Kathmandu Valley.

March 2008
The Government in Nepal decided to observe 18 different festivals of various religions and communities as public holidays and insert them as national holidays in the government's official calendar.

The festivals to be observed as public holidays include Eid and Bakr Eid of the Muslims, Christmas, the Nanak Memorial Day of the Sikhs, Udhouli and Ubhouli of the Kirants, Goura of the far west and the Tamu and Sonam Lhosars.

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