Five significant festivals of Nepal
- nepaldiscovering
- Apr 17, 2019
- 3 min read
Updated: Apr 18, 2019
Nepal is not just about the astounding mountains, It is so much more than that. Festivals in Nepal are celebrated throughout the year. People from different culture in the country make the festivals in Nepal diverse. If you plan to travel Nepal to experience the heritage and culture of the country, then you should plan a trip during one of the grand festivals of Nepal. You will have a beautiful experience. The tradition and culture followed by the people of Nepal will amaze you.
1. Mahashivaratri - Thousands of Monks gather to celebrate
Mahashivaratri is one of the most sacred festivals celebrated in Nepal. During Mahashivaratri you will witness the glamour and grandeur of celebration. This festival is celebrated in the honor of Lord Shiva, who is considered as the “guardian’ of Nepal. Thousand of monks gather at Pashupatinath Temple, a renowned Shiv Temple in Nepal to celebrate Mahashivaratri. The temple is lit with lamps. You cannot miss the evening prayer and aarti, which is mesmerizing. A huge fair is organized around Pashupatinath Temple for the people. The people come and enjoy with their families. There is celebration everywhere.
Key attraction: The holy Bagmati River in Nepal
Date: 4 March 2020
2. Buddha Jayanti – Celebrating the life of Lord Buddha
Buddha Jayanti is celebrated with immense grandness in Nepal. The festival celebrates the birth of Lord Buddha. Lord Buddha was born in Lumbini in Nepal, hence Buddhist from all over the world visit Nepal during for the celebration. Buddhist temples including Boudhanath and Swayambhunath are decorated with prayer flags and butter lamps. People gather to offer prayers and chant Buddhist mantras. They donate clothes, money and food to the needy. The local women visit viharas and observe Buddhist sutra. Kheer, a dessert made of rice and milk is cooked in every household on this day. The sight of the temples lit with butter lamps is worth seeing.
Key attraction: The holy Thangka displayed on the southern wall of the patio in Swayambhunath
Date: 30 April 2019
3. Indra Jatra – Worship for Good Harvest
Indra Jatra, also known as Yenya festival is celebrated to thank Indra the King of Heaven and God of Rain for the rains and to pray for good harvest in the coming years. The festival generally falls in September indicating the end of monsoons and is celebrated for eight days. Celebrated by both the Hindus and the Buddhist, the festival has two parts, the Indra Jatra and the Kumari Jatra. The Indra Jatra that involves ritual worship and religious acts by the masked dancers, whereas, during Kumari Jatra, the chariot of Kumari, The Living Goddess is taken out in a procession through the main streets of Kathmandu. Sawa Bhakku, Majipa Lakhey and Devi Pykhan are some of the forms of masked dance seen during this festival. If you are in Nepal during Indra Jatra you can enjoy the masked dance and be a part of the procession of Kumari, The Living Goddess.
Key attractions: Mask Dance and the procession of the Living Goddess of Nepal, Kumari
Date: 23 September 2019
4. Teej – A Festival in Nepal only for woman
Teej is a female only festival celebrated in Nepal where they worship Lord Shiva. During this festival, single women pray for an auspicious future marriage while married women pray for their marital bliss. Teej runs for three days. On the first day, women enjoy ‘dar khana’, which means heavy food as women keep a day long fast on the second day for their husbands. They then worship Goddess Parvati and break fast on the third day. Women in Nepal enjoy the three-day festival by singing, dancing and celebrating. They wear only red colour clothes on these days. So, if you are in Nepal during Teej don’t be surprised to see everyone wearing red colour clothes.
Key attractions: Lord Shiva temples
Date: 2 September 2019
5. Dasain – The biggest festival of Nepal
Dasain is the main and the most widely celebrated festival in Nepal. This is a fifteen daylong celebration to honor the victory of Goddess Durga over the devil Mahishasura. It is an official holiday for the country. People gather with their families to worship and celebrate. They play cards, fly kites, go to fairs and eat traditional food. The temples all around Nepal are decorated and lit up with lamps. Travelling to Nepal during Dasain will give you a very festive experience. You will see the culture and customs of Nepal more closely.
Key attractions: Kite Flying events, various fairs and Pashupatinath Temple
Date: 10 October 2018
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