Nepal's Religious Festivals Festival information

Nepal's Religious Festivals Nepal's Festivals: A - L (Bala Chaturdashi - Lhosar) Nepal's Festivals: M -T (Machindranath Jatra - Teej )

Bala Chaturdashi

Pilgrims from ail over Nepal throng at Pashupati temple from the night before and burn an oil lamp to the god for the whole night. In the morrow they take a holy dip in the sacred water of the Bagmati, pay obeisance to Pashupati and traverse the route prescribed for that occasion scattering 'a hundred variety of seeds' in Kailash forest of Pashupati so that thier dead relations may reap the fruit of this merit in the next world.

Buddha Jayanti

Buddha Jayanti is a great day for the Nepalese. This day which falls on the full moon of the month of Baisakh is celebrated to commemorate the birth, attainment of enlightement and the death of Gautama Buddha, the founder preacher of Buddhism, more than 2500 Years ago. It is a thrice blessed day. It is the day when Buddha was born, when he was enlightened and when he got Nirvana (Salvation).

Prayers are sung and worship is offered by the devotees in leading Buddhist shrines throughout the country including Lumbini in the Rupandehi district, which is the birth place of Lord Buddha, the Light of Asia.

There is a great fair held at Lumbini on this day.

Chaite Dashain

Dashain is a great festival of Nepalese people. In Nepal it is observed twice a year-once in the month of Chaitra and once in Ashwin (Sept-Oct). The former is observed on the eighth of the bright half of the month of Chaitra. On this occasion goddess Bhagawati is worshipped and animal sacrifices are made to her. But this festival is not observed with so much pomp and grandeur as the one which is observed in autumn.

Chhat

The great festival of the Mithilanchal, Chhath is being observed at the fourth day of the lunar calendar in October. The festival bears a great significance on increasing the faith of the mankind on truth and non-violence as well as sympathy to all the living beings.
The Chhath festival in which the sun is worshipped when it rises and sets. This festival is observed for four days.

The first day is Arba Arbain or Nahan Khan. The devotees take fast by discarding meat, garlic and onion.
The second day is Kharana meaning the reduction of sin.
On the third day, the devotees go to the rivers and ponds singing folk and devotional songs.
The fourth day is called Paran or Parwan.

There is a tradition of listening to Surya Puran after the conclusion of Arghya or offering of curd, the devotees listen to the stories of the Chhath fasting. They also listen to a story of a greedy mother-in-law and her daughter-in-law.

According to Mahabharat scriptures, the Pandavas and Draupadi had also observed the fast with sun worship for the successful completion of their exile.

Dashain

It is truly the national festival of Nepal celebrated between September to October. Every Nepali is stirred by the prospects of the joy this festival is supposed to bring with it. The change of mood is also induced psychologically by the turn off autumn season after blue sky and a green carpet of fields.

The climate is also put ideal at this time, it neither being too cold nor too warm. The Nepalese cherish their Dashain as a time for eating well and dressing well. The whole festival lasts a total of ten days.

The first nine days are devoted to worship the goddess Durga Bhavani and her diverse manifestations. Each house also sets up a shrine to worship the goddess at this time. Barley seeds are planted on the first day in every household and nurtured for nine days.

During the nine days goddess Durga Bhavani is worshipped and offered a lot of blood sacrifice. Buffaloes, goats and chickens are killed in thousands at the temples, at military posts and in every household.

One of the main centres that witnesses the animal sacrifice in a large scale at this time is the Hanuman Dhoka Palace on the night of the eighth day and the morning of the ninth.

On the concluding day of the festival called the tika, the elders of the family give tika to their junior members and to other relatives who may also come to seek their blessing. The fresh shoots of the barley known as 'Jamara'are also given to wear. Family feasting and feasting of guests is a common practice at this time. On the day of Vijaya Dashami people go to Narayanhity Royal Palace to receive tika from Their Majesties the King and the Queen.

Gaijatra

In this festival teen-aged boys dressed up in the attire of a cow parade in the streets of the town. This custom spring from the belief that cows help the members of the family, who have died within that year, to travel to heaven smoothly. Some are also dressed up as an ascetic or a fool for achieving the same objective to their dead family members.

Groups of mimics improvise short satirical enactments on the current sociopolitical scenes of the town to the entertainment of the public.

The week beginning from Janai Poornima actually unfolds a season of good many religious and cultural activities. All the Buddhist monasteries open their gates to the visitors to view their bronze sculptures and collection of painting for a week. At Patan, one observes the festival of Mataya at this time.

The festivity of Gaijatra itself lasts for a week enlivened by the performance of dance and drama in the different localities of the town. The spirit of the old festival is being increasingly adapted by Cultural Centres, newspapers and magazines of fling humour and satire on the Nepalese social and political life.

Ghanta Karna

Ghanta Karna is also known as 'Gathyamuga'. This festival is a relic of the be!ief in demonolatry by the people of the Valley. Ghanta Karna, a demon and other evil spirits are propitiated and exercised on this day. An effigy made of green reeds is erected at all the main cross-roads of the town in the day. A person is painted in all kinds of colour till he looks like a grotesque figure representing the demon Ghanta Karna. This symbolic demon goes begging in the locality.

At the end of the day he is dragged to a river on the green reeds symbolising the driving away of the demon from the locality.

Naag Panchami

This is devoted to the worship of the Nagas, the divine serpents. Pictures of the Naga are stuck over the doorposts of all the houses in the morning as protective spells. This is also the day for the beginning of Gunialakhe dance in Kathmandu in which persons wearing masks of a demon entertain the people with their gimmick.

Ghode Jatra

This festival is called Pasachare. The other aspect of the festival is provided by the function organised by the Royal Nepalese Army at Tundikhel in the afternoon of the main day. Horse race and acrobatic shows are presented at this time in which His Majesty the King is present. A meeting of lumadi, Bhadrakali, Kankeshwari and Bhairav takes place during the day time at the main celebration at Ason. The deities are brought in their portable chariots. The same festival is repeated at night in Tundikhel.

Gokarna Aunsi - Father's Day

This day is observed as the Father's Day with the expression of proper regards towards one's father. It is individually performed by persons out of filial piety. Those whose fathers are already dead go to bathe and perform shraddha ceremony in honour of their dead fathers at Gokarna. The fortunate ones whose fathers are alive present him with gifts of sweetmeat and delectable food and drink and receive blessings in return from them. Government offices are closed on this day.

Indrajatra

On the night when this festival begins, members of the family in which death has taken place within one year go round the town limits of Kathmandu burning incense and putting lamps along the route. The same morning a tall wooden pole representing the standard of lndra, the king of gods is erected in front of the Hanuman Dhoka Palace. Wooden statutes of lndra and large wooden masks of Bhairav are put on display in the old bazaar. Several groups of religious dance like the Devinach, Majipat Lakhe, Bhairav and Bhakku and Mahakaii Nach come into life during this week.

The week also commences the dragging of chariots of Ganesh, Bhairav and Living Goddess Kumari in Kathmandu. His Majesty the King comes to pay homage to Kumari just before the start of the chariot-pulling.

Janai Poornima (Janai Purnima)

This festival is also known as Rakshya Bandhan. The full-moon of the month of Shrawan, the day when this festival is observed, is considered sacred ail over Nepal and is celebrated in different manner by different groups of people of Nepal. However, the most widely accepted mode of celebration is that on this day people take a ritual bath and change their sacred thread.

Everyone gets a string of thread tied in his wrist from the Brahmans as a protective mark for the whole year. The Nepalese prepare a special dish called 'Kwati, (mixed sprouted beans) on this day. This day is also held sacred for bathing in Gosainkunda.

One can also see a pageantry of the Jhankris (witch doctors) attired in their traditional costume come to bathe at Kumbheshwor at Patan. These Jhankris also visit the temple of Kaiinchowk Bhagavati (the goddess at Kalinchowk) in Dolkha district where they go to beg for their healing powers, as they are the traditional healers of the Nepalese villagers.

On the occasion, 'Tagadhari Hindus' change the Janai or the sacred thread today after having a haircut and holy dips in ponds and rivers. People also receive the 'Rakshya Bandhan' thread around their wrist from a Brahmin priest.

The 'Rakshya Bandhan' thread is purified by mantras from Vedas and is regarded a symbol of protection, according to Hindu belief.

The Newar community observe the festival as 'Gunhu Punhi' while Gurung and Thakali community observe Yatung mela (fair) in the premises of Mukninath temple in Mustang on this day. During the fair, exhibition of local goods and horse races are performed.

On the occasion, people consume 'Kwati'- a soup prepared from nine different beans. In the Terai, sisters tie Rakhis to their brother's wrist wishing them a long and prosperous life.

Lhosar

The Tamang community across the country and abroad are celebrating the Lhosar festival with much fanfare. The festival is celebrated as their New Year. This festival is observed in Nepal by the Tamang, Sherpa, Gurung, Magar, Thakali, Jirel, Nesyangba, Bhote, Dura and Lepcha communities. However, these communities observe the festival on different dates under different names like Tola Lhosar, Sonam Lhosar and Gyalpo Lhosar.