Festival of nepal

 

source Nepal Tourism Board

Festival

Sweta Machhendranath Snan

January. Sweta (white) Machhendranath enjous a weeklong festival in which he is bathed, oiled, perfumed, and painted. The Goddess Kumari visits him at his elaborate temple near Asan Tol. If he is pleased by Music, offerings, and attention of his devotees, the people of the valley can look forward to satisfactory rainfall in the planting season.

Swasthani:

January - February. Goddess Swasthani's three eyes burn like the sun. She is the ultimate gift grantor, if insulted, she can make life miserable. By worshiping Swasthini, Parbati attained Lord Shiva as her husband. In the worship rites of Goddess Swasthani, outlined Parbati, the Swasthani scripture is read every evening for a month. Worshipping Swathani will bring together parted relations, remove curses, and result in limitless gifts.

Maghe Sankranti

January. In the holy month of Magh the sun enters the southern hemisphere, and the days begin to grow longer and warmer. Lord Vishnu the preserver is thanked for his efforts. On Maghe Sankranti (the first day of Magh) People take an early morning bath in a holy river, visit the shrines of Vishnu, and present flowers, incense and food to him. They read the Bhagwad Gita, also known as The song of the Gods, rub mustard oil over their bodies, and enjoy feasts of rice cooked with lentils, Yams or taruls - a must - and laddu, sweets made of seasame and a sugarcane paste.

Basanta Panchami and Saraswati Puja:

January. Basanta, or spring ushers in the loveliest time of the year. Crowds gather at Kathamandu's Durbar Square while His Majesty the king and other dignitaries welcome the season as a band plays the traditional song of spring. A different celebration occurs at Swayambhu and the Nil Barahi shrine near Lazimpat. Saraswati, the goddess of learning , arts and crafts is worshiped at her temples. Artists, musicians, teacher, and student bring flowers, unbroken rice, and other gifts to please her.

Maha Shivaratri:

February. Lord Shiva is one of Nepal's most popular gods. During Maha Shivaratri, his "Great Night", followers throughout the Indian sub-continent crowd the Pashupati temple to worship him. On this occasion "there is no space even for a sea same seed". Colorful sadhus, the wandering sages who emulate Shiva, rub ashes over their bodies, give lectures to disciples, mediate or practice yoga. Devotees pray to Shiva's image inside the temple at midnight and may queue for up to six hours to look at tthe image. Bonfires are lit, neighbors and friends share food, and devotees enjoy two days and night of music, song, and dance throughout the Pashupati complex and the streets.

Losar:

February. Sherpas and Tibetans, family visits and dancing. Families don their finest clothes and jewelry and exchange gifts. Buddhist monks offer prayers for good health and prosperity, and perform dances at the monasteries. Colorful prayer flags decorate streets and rooftops; the colors seem especially brilliant at the Boudhha and Swayambhu stupas. Crowds of celebrants at Bouddha bring in the New Year by throwing tsampa (roasted barley flour ) into the air.

Holi or Fagu Purnima:

March. Fagu Purnima is one of the most color-ful and playful festivals of Nepal. The chair pole, decorated with colorful flags and erected on the first day of Fagu at Kathamandu's Durbar Square, is a formal announcement to all; hide your good clothes, for throughout the week you - may be splashed with colored powder and water balloons. The last day is the wildest: youths covered with red Vermillion powder roam the streets inviting targets.

Chaitra Dasain:

March - April. Red Vermillion powder, family blessings, and goat and duck sacrifices are essential to praise the victory of Ram, hero of the epic Ramayana, over the evil king Rawan. Mother Goddess Durga, the source of all power, must be supplicated too, for her powers helped Ram achieve his victory.

Ghode Jatra:

April. Visitors are often amazed by the fine horses  of the Nepalese army, and Ghode Jatra is a time for the most graceful of these animals to perforrri  before the public eye. Legends relate that this " horse festival" was begun after the Kathamandu people buried a demon under the soil of Tundikhel showgrounds. They say that he may rise again and cause worry to the world if he is not trampled on by horses each year. So every spring, this victory over evil is celebrated in the valley by organizing palanquin processions and a grand display of show jumping, motorcycling feat, and gymnastics. Their Majesties the King and Queen, the Living Goddess Kumari, and thousands of people from all over the country are a part of the jatra audience.

Bisket Jatra:

April. During this important festival, the old kingdom of Bhaktapur and its neighboring areas replay a drama passed on over the centuries. Image of wrathful and somewhat demonic deities are placed on tottering chariots. They are offered blood sacrifices, flowers, and coins. Men brimming with youthful vigor and rice beer drag the chariots across brick-paved streets of the town, and wherever these Raths stop, lamps are lit and devotees overflow into the surrounding alleys. Other gods and goddesses, too,  are put on the palanquins and carried around so that they may see the sights. At Bode village, there is a tongue - boring ceremony in which the dedicated may reserve a place in heaven.

Red Machhendranath Jatra:

May. Until a few decades ago, before the Kathamandu valley became a purely commercial hub, it was an agricultural land, which depended upon the rainy monsoon for its important rice crop. Today, though traditional farming practices have reduced, the pre-monsoon season still sees great worship made to Red Machhendranath - a rain god. Patan's streets and palace complex are made even more evocative by wavering lamp and candle lights, women busily cooking feasts, and men gathering strength to pull the chariot of their red deity. As Lord Machhendranath views his followers from the high seat of his chariot, its four wheels - representing the powerful Bhairab - receive rice and vermilion powder, the king of serpents is asked for blessings, and his jeweled vest is shown to the public.

Buddha Jayanti:

The ever benevolent Buddha was born in Nepal, and the religion the preached is the second most popular in the kingdom. On May 6, a full moon day, the Lord's birth, enlightenment, and salvation are applauded throughout the valley with celebrations. Swayambhu and Boudhanath Stupas are prepared for the oncoming festivities several days in advance. Monasteries are cleaned, statues are polished, bright prayer flags waft in the breeze, and monks prepare to dance. On stupas before dawn, go around them and give offerings to the many Buddha images there.

Gunla:

July - August. The monsoon has arrived, and the fields have been planted. It is time for Kathamandu valley Buddhists to observe Gunla. month-long festivities celebrate a "rains retreat" initiated twenty-five centuries ago by the Buddha. It is a time for prayer, fasting, mediation and religious music.

Worshippers climb past jungles, stone animals, great statues of the Buddha, and begging monkeys to Swaymbhu's hilltop where daily prayers begin before dawn. Oil lamps, prayer flags, religious statues, and scroll paintings adorn the monasteries as temple bells chime and powerful scents fill the air. Important Buddhist statues and monasteries are on display at the monasteries, and the teachings of Lord Buddha are remembered as the rains nurture the rice, Nepal's most important crop.

Janai Purnima and Raksha Bandhan:

August. On Janai Purnima, a full moon day, high-caste Hindus chant the powerful Gayatri mantra and change their Sacred Thread (janani), while a raksya bandhan,  a red or yellow protection cord, is tied around the wrists of other Hindus and Buddhists. Pilgrims journey to the mountains north of Kathamndu . Here they emulate Lord Shiva by bathing in the sacred lake of Gosaikund. Those unable to make the trek celebrate at Shiva's Kumbeshwar Mahadev temple. Here, a pool with an image of Shiva at its center is filled with water believed to have come from Gosaikund.

Gai Jatra:

August. The gai, or cow, is holy to Hindus. She represents Laxmi, the goddess of wealth, and guides the souls of the departed to the gates of the Netherworld. But Gai Jatra is not a somber occassion. Satire, jokes, fancy costumes, and colorful processions are the order of the day as people recall how an eighteenth - century  king rallied his people to cheer his queen upon the death of their son. Those who have experienced the death of close ones during the past year share their sorrow and take comfort in the fact that the gai has safely transported the departed souls on their afterlife journey.

          Young men wearing women's saris, children dressed up as cows, and whimsical characters of all sorts fill the streets. Special issues of local magazines poke fun at everyone and everything - even the most important people aren't spared.

Teej:

September. Pashupati, the temple of Shiva, is drenched in crimson during Teej as women in their fine red wedding saris crowd the temple grounds. This unique women's festival is marked fasting, folk songs, and dancing as the women recall Parbati's devotion to her husband Shiva. Married women visit their fathers' homes. All daughters and sisters receive gifts from their male kin, and an elaborate feast is prepared for them. It's a loud and cheerful celebrations until late at night, when strict fasting begins unmarried women who fast on this day will have good luck in finding suitable husbands. Married women who fast will find their husbands faithful and will see the bond of love grow. The blessings of Shiva and Parbati ensure that family life will be joyous for all

Indra Jatra:

September. Indra king of Heaven and controller of the rains have once again blessed the valley. As the end of the monsoon nears, farmers look forward to a rich harvest: everyone is grateful to the deva for his help. For eight days, Kathamandu's Durbar Square is the focus of a great celebration fit to "flatter the king of Heaven". Indra dhwaj, or flag, is erected on the first day. It is said that many centuries ago, Indra's mother needed specially- scented flowers but could not find them in heaven's gardens. Indra discovered Parijat flowers in the Kathamandu valley and tried to steal them for his mother. ;He was caught and imprisoned by the valley people. When Indra's mother came searching for him the people were appalled by what they had done. They released Indra and dedicated one of the most colorful festivals of Nepal to him to appease his anger. Masks and statues representing Vishnu, Bhairab, and Shiva are shown to the public, and the Goddess Kumari witnesses the special occasion from her chariot. Indra is thanked for the rains and assured once again that he is respected in the Kathamandu valley. 

Dasain:

October. Dasain is the longest most favorite festioal of Nepal. Everyone stays home with their families, offices close and Radio Nepal plays Dasain music. The skies of Kathamandu are filled with farmers bringing their buffaloes, goats and chickens to sell. The animals are to be sacrificed on the night of Kal Ratri to the goddess Durga to celebrate her victory over evil. On the day of Dashami, everyone puts on new clothes and goes to honor their family elders, where they receive large red tikas of vermilion paste on their foreheads. In the following days of Dasain, families and friends unite, feasts are consumed, blessings are imparted and gifts are exchanged. Nepal's most beloved festival ends with the full moon.

Mani Rimdu:

Mani Rimdu is a Sherpa festival celebrated during the fall at Tengboche Monastery in the Everest region. For five days, Lamas and Sherpa gather for "the good of the world". There are plays, masked dances, prayers, and feastings. Demons are quelled and the pious rewarded. The days are colorful and trips to the Everest region are very rewarding indeed if they can be organized during of the festival. 

Tihar:

November. Tihar, known as the festival of Light, is a time of can-dlelight, tinsel decorations and festive colored sweets. On different days, there are offerings and small celebrations for crows, dogs, cows, and oxen. On the night of Lakshmi Puja, garlands are hung and lamps are lighted to invite Lakshmi, the goddess of  wealth, into the home. Mha puja, the New Year's Day according to the Nepali Era, is the day of the self, when people give them selves blessings to remain healthy and happy for the rest of the year. Bhai Tika, the last day of Tihar, is the day when sisters make offerings to their brothers. The rituals of breakings a walnut, putting on garlands of Makhamali flowers and encircling brothers in rings of mustard oil protects them from Yama, lord of the Netherworld.

Bal Chaturdarsi:

December. This simple, festive day takes place in the ancient forest surrounding the temple of oldest traditions of the valley. Families who have lost a loved one in the last year keep an all-night vigilin the forest, lighting oil lamps and singing songs. Following a ritual morning bath, people walk through the forest, scattering seven type of grain along the paths and over the linga of  Lord Shiva to give merit to their late kinsmen and to cleanse the sins of a mythological man called Bala who had been transformed into a demon.

Bibah Panchami:

December. All the people of the Hindu world know the story of the marriage of the hero Ram and the princess Sita, as told in the epic Ramayana. King Janak, Sita's father, proposed a test of strenght for the suitors of his daughter: to string the great bow of Lord Shiva. Warriors, kings and chieftains came from a far, but no man could even lift the bow. Ram lifted the bow with ease and when he tred to string it, the bow shattered into pieces. Ram and Sita were married in Janakpur, now in southern Nepal, and their marriage is celebrated to this day. Each year, idols of Ram and Sita are brought out in procession and their HIndu wedding ceremony is re-enacted during a weeklong religious fair. Bibah Panchami reflects the devotion of Hindus to Ram, perhaps the most popular among the incarnations of Vishnu, and to Sita, the model of the ideal Hindu woman.

Yomari punhi:

December. As the new ric is brought in, the farmers of the valley prepare for Yomari Punhi, an offering to the gods in thanks for the abundant harvest. The Yomari is a special cake made from the flour of new rice. A shell of dough is filled with melted raw sugar and sealed. After the cake is steamed, it is presented to the gods as offering. Later it is eaten as blessed food. Thus each year, when the storerooms are full and the farmer's toil has been rewarded, the gods are thanked for their benevolence and generosity.

Navavarsha (New year):

April. The Neplease New Year's Day usually falls in the second week of April. i.e. the first day of Baisakh. The day is observed as a national holiday. The people celebrate it with a great pomp and show. On this occasion, Bisket Jatra is held in the city of Bhaktapur.

Dumji:

It is celebrated in all the Sherpa settlements in the month of July. The Sherpa of Kathamandu and Helambu regions participates in dancing on this day.

Chatt Parva

November. Chhat parva is a festival celebrated predominately by the people of Terai. In this festival. the sun god Surya is worshiped. People celebrate it by fasting, praying and providing different offerings. The festival starts in the afternoon by going to a pond/lake to wait for the sun to set. Then they gather round an altar bringing their baskets of offering and chant their prayers until darkness sets in.