Festivals In Nepal

When it comes to Nepal, we can see many festivals being celebrated. Festivals are seen as very important in Nepal. During festivals, we can see families reuniting, people dancing, singing, and eating a variety of foods. Festivals are considered important because they not only bring closeness to a family but also free people from everyday stress and, for once, enjoy and have peace of mind.

Nepal, a small country that is rich in its unique cultural diversity, is located in the southern part of Asia. Even though the country is small, it holds a vast cultural identity in history books. Nepal was declared a secular state on January 15, 2007. Due to its secularism, Nepal's population has seen many different cultural identities. Even when Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists, and Christians have their own cultural belief, they live in harmony and enjoy each other.

Some of the famous festivals in Nepal:

Dashain

Dashain, also known as Bada Dashain, is one of the most celebrated festivals by Hindu people all over Nepal. Many believe that Dashain marks the victory of the goddess Durga over the demon Mahishasura.Dashain begins on the day called Ghatastapana and ends on Purnima.

During Dashain, people sacrifice animals to the goddess Durga. It is believed that offering an animal as a sacrifice ensures that people will have successful days ahead. People wear tika from their elders during Dashain. Kids love Dashain because they get money from their elders, which brings smiles to their faces. During this time, you can see people flying kites and having a pleasant time.

During Dashain, people forget their daily problems and enjoy themselves with their close ones during this period. People play cards, get drunk, and eat a variety of foods. People have a hectic lifestyle but during Dashain, they simply forget everything and enjoy their time with their close ones. Travelers can visit Nepal during the Dashain festival. After that, they can trek to famous trekking destinations in nepal, like the Annapurna base camp trek and the everest base camp trek.

Tihar

Tihar, also known as the festival of light, is celebrated by the Hindu people of Nepal. After 13-14 days, Dashain Tihar occurs.People celebrate tihar for 5 days  and each day has its own name like kukur(dog) tihar,kaag(crow)tihar, gai(cow)tihar,Laxmi puja and bhai tika.People decorate their houses by setting up colorful lights and a diyo, as there is a belief that Goddess Laxmi, also known as the goddess of wealth, will bless the family and ensure they get a lot of wealth.

During Tihar, children play with firecrackers. Also, Nepalese people play deusi and bhailo during this time, which means going from one house to another and dancing, singing, and having a good time. People worship animals like crows, dogs, and cows by putting tika on them and giving them food. Bhai Tihar is the day when the sister puts tika on their brother, ensuring they are safe from any possible danger and wishing for good health ahead.

Due to people's hectic schedules, tihar brings people together. Brothers get a chance to meet with sisters and vice versa. They prepare a variety of dishes, play cards, get drunk, and simply enjoy every minute of life. Tihar helps bring social prosperity to families.

Buddha Jayanti

Lord Gautam Buddha was a person who spread peace all over the world. So, to show our appreciation, we celebrate Gautam Buddha'sbirthdayy, also known as Buddha Jayanti. Buddha Jayanti is highly celebrated by the Buddhist community, where they pray for eternal peace. People smear new colors on the stupas, and Buddhist monks perform holy rituals. Buddha Jayanti occurs during the month of May in Nepal.

Buddhist people celebrate it by performing group meditation, feeding giving new clothes to the poor. Non-meat dishes are avoided during this day. They eat kheer which is a Nepali dish made of milk and rice. Buddhist people wear white clothes and spend the entire day at the vihara. Not only Buddhist people but also Hindu people celebrate Buddha Jayanti to gain eternal. enlightenment.

Holi

Holi, a famous festival in Nepal, also known as the festival of color, is celebrated during the month of March. Holi is also known as fagu purnima, which people celebrate by smearing colors among each other. According to Hindu mythology, Holi was named after a demoness called Holika, who was killed and burned to ashes when she tried to kill Prahalad. Although Holi is celebrated only one day, its presence is known for a week when kids throw water balloons at people.

During Hol, cultural sites are filled with people who listen to music, dance, and simply vibe among themselves. Families reunite at this time; they prepare a variety of food items and play cards, get drunk, and spend quality time together. We can see many kids throwing water balloons at people walking on the road and having a good time during this day. Even if it is one day, people will have a fun time, and who doesn't need a fun, relaxing time from our busy everyday lives?

Chhath

Chhath is a very eminent festival that is celebrated by Hindu people, especially by the people of Terai region, where they worship the sun god Surya. Along with the sun god, they also worship Chhathi maiya. According to Hindu mythology, there is a belief among people that the Chhathi goddess ensures that their children are cured of any potential diseases. Chhath festival lasts for 4 days, where women prepare food that is to be served to god and go to the lake to worship the sun god.

There are many rituals performed on those four days during Chhath. The first day is also known as Nahay Khay, where people dive deep into the holy river and take the water with them to prepare offerings for the god and goddess. The second day is known as lohanda, where people fast until sunset. On the third day, known as Sandhya Arghya, people fast without water and prepare offerings that are to be made to the god and goddess. The fourth and final day is known as Bihaniya Arg, where people go to the river and offer offerings to the rising sun, finally breaking their fast.

Indra Jatra

Indra Jatra is one of the biggest street festivals celebrated in Nepal. It is also known as Yenha Punhi. The Newari community celebrates it after Gai Jatra to thank Lord Indra for providing rain to the farmers of Nepal. It occurs from August to September and lasts for eight days. The main viewpoint during this festival is the chariot marching, where the living goddess Kumari sits, and beside the chariot, masked dancers continuously dance.

The chariot marches Kathmandu Durbar Square to honor the loved ones they have lost. During the nighttime, time you can watch and enjoy the jatra at Durbar Square. The chariot of the Goddess is followed by two other miniature chariots where there are Ganesh and Bhairav. The festival ends with the subsiding of the pole containing lord Indra's flag in the middle of religious ceremonies.

Teej

Teej is a highly regarded auniqueial festival celebrated by Hindu women. Teej occurs during the month of August when women fast during this day and pray for their husband's good health. You can see women singing, dancing, and eating a variety of foods weeks before the main day. It is basically a period where women enjoy having fun be relaxing from their everyday busy schedule.

During the main day, the women go to temples mostly Pashupatinath where they pray to lord shiva for their husband's good health and fast the entire day. Not even a single drop of water they drink. They finally break their fast at night by drinking water from the cup given to them by their husband.

Maghe Sankranti

Maghe Sankranti which is also known as Makar Sankranti is celebrated during the first day of Magh month. People celebrate this day to welcome longer days. Maghe Sankranti is highly celebrated by the Tharu community of Nepal. During this festival, other community people prepare foods like sweet potatoes and sweets made of peanuts and almonds. The Tharu people during this day prepare a special dish called dhikri,khadiya.

Other people prepare a food called quati which is made of different types of beans and people believe drinking this soup makes u safe from mosquito bites. During this day families spend quality time with each other. The Tharu community has a huge celebration. They wear their cultural dress and dance and sing in their own cultural way. This day people basically welcome harvest season wishing for a good healthy harvest of crops.

Christmas

Christmas is not celebrated so much by the people, but it holds considerable significance among the Christian community of Nepal. Christmas usually falls during December, when the people celebrate to mark the birth of Jesus Christ. Looking at history books, one can see that the first Christmas was believed to arrive in Nepal in 1715 AD. In the Church, during the day, people visit where the father reads the bible, and people sing and enjoy.

During Christmas celebrations, the people mostly prepare Western foods. There is a strong belief in giving charity during this day as the people believe it is the path set by the lord Jesus to help those in need. Even though there is cultural difference between people Christmas is embraced by people of different communities as well.

Conclusion

As a secular country, you can observe and embrace different festivals in Nepal. The major Highly regarded festivals are Dashain and Tihar due to their popularity among the larger Hindu population. As you know, it is viewed as a multilingual, multi-ethnic country, so that you can see various customs and traditions among many communities. Despite cultural differences among the different communities, they simply cherish each festival. During festivals in Nepal, families are brought together. They have a go, laugh, eat a variety of cuisines, play cards, and just relax and cherish those moments.

FAQ

1. Which is the biggest festival celebrated in Nepal?
2. Dashain is considered to be the biggest festival celebrated in Nepal, followed by Tihar. As Nepal has many people who follow Hinduism, we can see they celebrate Hindu festivals more.

1. How many Festivals are there in Nepal?
2. More than 50 festivals are said to be celebrated in Nepal. As Nepal is a secular country, we get to observe many different cultures.

1. Why do people love to celebrate festivals in Nepal?
2. Festivals help to bring people together. They basically bring a sense of closeness to a family. Also, people are free from everyday stress and simply enjoy the festival time. 

1. Do people give the sacrifice of animals during Dashian?
2. Yes, during Astami or Nawami, people tend to sacrifice animal goats ,in particular to give them as an offering to Goddess Durga. It is believed that giving a sacrifice will make the goddess happy and the family will be safe from any danger to occur in the future.