FESTIVALS OF NEPAL
Nepal is really the land of feasts and festivals. There are mainly two religions via, Hindus and Buddhists. Each religion has many castes and sub- castes. They have their own tradition and ways of celebrating festivals.
Select the festivals of Nepal for more information.......
JAN-FEB JULY-AUG
Sweta Manchhendra Snan Gunla
Swasthani Puja Krishnastami
Maghe Sagranti Janai Purnima
Basanta Panchami AUG-SEPT
FEB-MAR Gai Jatra
Maha Shivaratri Teej
losar SEPT-OCT
Fagu Purnima or Holi Indra Jatra
MAR-APR Dashain
Chaitra Dashain OCT-NOV
APR-MAY Mani Rimdu
Biska Jatra Tihar
New Year Day NOV- DEC
Red Machhendranath Jatra Balachaturdarsi
Buddha Jayanti Bibah Panchami
Sweta (white) Machhendranath enjoys a week-long 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 the music, offerings, and attentions of his devotees, the people of the Valley can look forward to satisfactory rainfall in the planting season.
Goddess Swasthani's three eyes burn like the sun. She is the ultimate gift
grantor; if insulted, she can make life miserable. By worshipping Swasthani, Parbati attained Lord Shiva as her husband. In the worship rites of Goddess Swasthani, outlined by Parbati, the Swasthani scripture is read every evening for a month. Worshipping Swasthani will bring together parted relations, remove curses, and result in limitless gifts.
MAGHE SANGRATI
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 sesame and a sugarcane paste.
BASANTA PANCHAMI
Basanta, or spring, ushers in the loveliest time of the year. Crowds gather at Kathmandu'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 at the Nil Barahi shrine near Lazimpat. Saraswati, the goddess of learning, arts and crafts is worshiped at her temples. Artists, musicians, teachers, and students bring flowers, unbroken rice, and other gifts to please her.
MAHA SHIVATRI
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 sesame seed": Colorful sadhus, the wandering sages who emulate Shiva, rub ashes over their bodies, give lectures to disciples, meditate, 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 the image. Bonfires are lit, neighbours and friends share food, and devotees enjoy two days and a night of music, song, and dance throughout the Pashupati complex and in the streets.
LOSAR
Sherpas and
Tibetans welcome their New Year with feasts, family visits and dancing.
Families don their finest clothes and jewellery 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 Bouddha and
Swayambhu stupas. Crowds of celebrants at Bouddha bring in the New Year by
throwing tsampa (roasted barley flour) into the
air.
HOLI
Fagu Purnima is one of the most colorful and playful festivals of Nepal. The chit pole, decorated with colorful flags and erected on the first day of Fagu at Kathmandu's Durbar Square, is a formal announcement to all; hide your good clothes, for througout the week you may be splashed with coloured powder and water balloons. The last day is the wildest, youths covered with red vermillion powder roam the streets as inviting targets.
CHAITRA DASHAIN
Red
vermillion powder, family blessings, and goat and duck sacrifices are
essentiaI 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 that helped Ram achieve his
victory.
BISKET JATRA
During this important festival, the old kingdom of Bhaktapur and its neighboring areas replay a drama passed on over the centuries. Images of wrathful and somewhat demonic deities are placed on tottering chariots. They are offered blood sacrifices, flowers, and eoins. 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 palanquins and carried around so that they may see the sigbts. At Bode village, there is a tongue-boring ceremony in which the dedicated may reserve a place in heaven.
NEW YEAR DAY
The Bikram Era is Nepal's official calendar. This solar calendar was started by King Bikramditya. The new year 2057 of the Bikram Era corresponds to 2000-2001 of the Christan Era. New Year's Day is an official holiday. Devotees visit the Pashupati temple to take a dip in the holy Bagmati river. Pilgrims also visit other religious spots and spend the day picniking. It is a day to seek blessings from family priest and one's elders as well.
RED MACHHINDRA JATRA
Until a few decades ago, before the Kathmandu VaIIey became a pureiy 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 busy 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 jewelled vest is shown to the public.
BUDDHA JAYANTI
The ever benevolent Buddha was born in Nepal, and the religion he 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 the Jayanti day, people reach the stupas before dawn, go around them and give offerings to the many Buddha images there.
GUNLA
The monsoon has
arrived, and the fields have been planted. It is time for Kathmandu Valley
Buddhists to observe Gunla. The month-long festivities celebrate a "rains
retreat" initiated twenty-five centuries ago by the Buddha: It is a time
for prayer, fasting, meditation and religious music.
Worshippers climb
past jungles, stone animals, great statues of the Buddha, and begging
monkeys to Swayambhu'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 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.
KRISHNASTAMI
It marks
the birthday of Lord Krishna, one of the incarnations of Lord Vishnu. On
this day, an impressive ceremony at the Krishna Temple in Patan and Changu
Narayan take place.
JANAI PURNIMA
On Janai Purnima, a full moon day, high-caste Hindus chant the powerful Gayatri mantra and change their Sacred Thread (janai), while a raksha bandhan, a red or yellow protection cord, is tied around the wrists of other Hindus and Buddhists. Pilgrims journey to the mountains north of Kathmandu. Here they emulate Lord Shiva by bathing. in the sacred lake of Gosaikund. Those unable lo make the trek celebrate at Shiva's Kumbheswar 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
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 occasion. 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 fake 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
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 by 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
celebration until late at night, when strict fasting
discontinues.
Unmarried women who fast on this day will have good luck
in finding suitable husband. 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
Indra, King
of Heaven and controller of the rains, has 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, Kathmandu's
Durbar Square is the focus of a great celebration fit to "flatter the King
of Heaven". Indra's 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 Kathmandu 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 Kathmandu Valley.
DASHAIN
Dasain is the longest and most favourite festival of Nepal. Everyone stays home with their families, offices close and Radio Nepal plays Dasain music. The skies of Kathmandu are filled with kites and the marketplaces are filled with farmers bringing their buffaloes, goats and chicken 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 RIMDHU
Mani Rimdu is
a Sherpa festival celebrated during the fall at Tengboche Monstery in the
Everest region. For five days, Lamas and Sherpas 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
the days of the festival.
TIHAR
Tihar, known as the Festival of Lights, is a time of candlelight, 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. Maha Puja, the New Year's Day according to the Nepal Era is the day of the self, when people give themselves 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 breaking a walnut, putting on garlands of makhamali flowers and encircling brothers in rings of mustard oil protects them from Yama, lord of the Netherworld.
BALA CHATURDASI
This
simple, festive day takes place in the ancient forest surrounding the
temple of Pashupatinath. It is one of the oldest traditions of the Valley.
Families who have lost a loved one in the last year kreep an aIl night
vigil in the forest, lighting oil lamps and singing songs. Following a
ritual morning bath, people walk through the forest, scattering seven
types 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
AIl the
people of the Hindu world know the story of the marriage of their hero Ram
and the princess Sita, as told in the epic Ramayana. King Janak, Sita's
father, proposed a test of strength for the suitors of his daughter: to
string the great bow of Lord Shiva. Warriors, kings and chieftains came
from afar, but no man could even lift the bow. Ram lifted the bow with
ease and when he tried 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 week-long 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.
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