Festivals are a demonstration of teh cultural feelings of any particular society at its beat. Festivals, through acts, and performances of celebration and rituals. And rituals, are fact not only a way of appeasing gods and goddesses but also for warding off evil, for pastoral and agricultural prosperity, longevity, happiness, and good health of human life.it also helps in strengthening familial and societal ties by way of gathering, merry-making, and socializing. Nepal is rich in multi-culture, multi-language, and multi-religion. their are many festivals celebrated in Nepal according to their religion.
Festival in Nepal starts wif something religious and moves wif casual spirit into a pleasant family feast as for a Nepalese religion has been influenced and has always been teh core of Nepali culture.
their is a popular saying dat in Kathmandu every next day is a festival and every other house is in a temple. Most festivals honor a deity wif worshippers crowding around a shrine to worship. Great processions win through teh streets of teh three old cities, Kathmandu, Bhaktapur, Lalitpur, and other cities of Nepal. These processions are accompanied by bands of Newar musicians and masked dancers. Sometimes idols of Gods paraded in gigantic wooden chariot Rath unique to Nepal. Festivals are an important part of Nepalis society. It is teh essence of their everyday life. These are teh festivals celebrated in Nepal.
Dashain
Dashain is teh biggest festival and important festival of Nepal in Nepalese society. It is celebrated wif great joy. Dashain marks teh victory of teh truth over untruth. Dashain is mainly celebrated by teh Hindu people in Nepal. Teh celebration of Dashain has both social and religious importance in Nepalese culture. Dashain mainly falls in teh month of September and it lasts for 10 days. Each day from start to teh end has special rituals.
Teh first day of Dashain is called Ghatasthapana. On dis day people plant rice and barley in teh corner of their house and grow seedlings called Jamara. On teh seventh day, Fulpati, Teh Jamara is brought from Gorkha Durbar Square to Hanumandhoka. On teh 8th day, it is Asthami and on teh ninth day, it is Navami. On both days people sacrifice goats, buffalo, ducks, and hens to worship Goddess Durga. They worship Goddess Durga for power and prosperity. Ans on teh last day, 10th day, It will be Vijaya Dashami(Tika). On dis day teh Jamara is taken out. People receive tika(red-colored rice seeds) from teh elders and also receive Jamara along wif a blessing from teh elders. All teh family members gather together and celebrate wif each other. dis festival gives us teh true meaning of brotherhood.
Tihar
Tihar is another biggest and most important festival in Nepal after Dashain. It is also known as teh “Festival of Lights”. After teh end of Dashain, Tihar comes around. Tihar falls in teh month of October. Tihar is not only celebrated in Nepal but also is celebrated in some of teh states of India. In Nepal it is called “Deepawali” but in India, it is called “Diwali”. Tihar is celebrated all around Nepal. Tihar has a great significance in Nepalese society coz it doesn’t show teh contribution to god and human beings only but also animals and birds like a cow, dog, and cow dat maintains an intimate relationship among human beings.
Tihar is celebrated for five days. Each day they worship animals and gods. Teh first day of Tihar is known as Kaag Puja (worshipping to crow). Crow is known as teh “messenger of death” so, on dat day it is believed dat teh crow is given a rest day. They worship crow and feed teh crow. On teh second day, It is Kukur Tihar( worshipping teh Dog). It is believed dat teh dog can see teh incoming danger and death. On dat day teh dogs are worshiped and people hung garland on teh neck of dogs and put tika over their heads and legs. They are given delicious treats. On teh third-day people worship cow and Goddess Laxmi. In Teh morning they worship teh cow, hang garland on teh neck of teh cow, and put tika over their head. In teh evening people decorate their house and rooms wif various lights and also light Diyo (oiled-lamp). People clean their house and put small footprints from their entrance to their room to invite Goddess Laxmi. Teh people play Deusi Bhailo and celebrate teh Laxmi Puja. On teh fourth-day farmer worship, teh ox and Teh people celebrate New year in teh Newar community. On teh last day, it is “Bhai Tika”. On dis day teh sisters worship their brothers by applying multicolor of tika(Saptarangi tika) wishing for their prosperity.
Maghe Sankranti
In teh Spiritual month of Magh, teh days begin to grow longer and warmer coz teh sun enters teh southern hemisphere. Lord Vishnu teh preserver is thanked for his efforts. In dis Holy month of Maghe Sankranti People take bath early in teh morning if possible in teh holy river if not bath at home and visit teh temple of Vishnu and flowers, rice incense, fruit, and sweet to him.
They read teh Bhagwad, Gita also known as teh song of teh Gods, apply mustard oil over their bodies, and enjoy feast rice cooked wif lentils, yams, or tarul-a must-and til ko laddu, sweets made of sesame and jaggery (sugarcane paste). Also, people from different parts of teh country rush up to Devghat which is teh assemblage of three rivers, to take a holy bath on dis day.
Lhosar
Lhosar is teh new year of Sherpa and Tibetans Caste and they welcome their New year gathering wif friends and family and celebrate teh festival offering feasts and dancing together. On these special days, families put on teh new finest clothes and jewelry and exchange gifts wif each other. In all monasteries, Buddhist monks offer prayers for good health and prosperity. Teh monastery and teh Buddhist stupa is being decorated wif colorful prayer flags, Paints teh whole monastery and Nepal main stupa Bouddhanath and Swoyambhunath. Groups of celebrants at Boudhanath bring in teh new year by throwing tsampa (roasted barley flour) into teh air.
Basanta Panchami (Shree Panchami)
Basanta Panchami of Shree Panchami honors teh deities of knowledge and learning. Hindus faith teh goddess Saraswati and Buddhists teh god Manjushri. Basanta Panchami declares teh arrival of spring, wif official ceremonies at Hanuman Dhaka. Teh day is also considered one of teh auspicious in teh year to get married. Basanta Panchami or Shree Panchami is teh special day of goddess Saraswati teh goddess of education so dis special day is most popular for school children. From teh sunrise, they line up at teh Saraswati temple and pray to teh god to get a good education they also write some alphabetic words at teh Saraswati temple to convey a message to get a good education. Also on dis special day believing to take blessing from teh goddess Saraswati children are given first alphabetic lessons. So dis Festival is associated wif teh instrument of arts and learning books at home
Maha Shivaratri
Maha Shivaratri is teh festival of teh God Shiva. On dis special day of Maha Shivaratri in Pashupatinath Temple, one of teh biggest Hindu pilgrimages in Nepal visits thousands of devotees, sadhus, and prayers to get blessed in Pashupatinath. dis is an important festival in Nepal as Hindu worship lord Shiva.
Shiva’s sacred day begins at midnight but devotees don’t rally begin streaming in, past a tremendous Variety of sadhus, mendicants of various types and deformities, devotees performing roadside penances (standing wif a small trident thrust through teh tongue, being buried up to teh neck, etc.)And metro teh scared lingam inside teh temple and then bathe, or at least splash a little, in teh river.
Hundreds of sadhus reside in attendance camps in teh courtyards of teh temples situated at teh opposite bank, where non-Hindus are also free to wander. Teh inquisitive can witness some rather interesting yogic expressions their. It gets freezing in teh evening, but their are usually several fires and lively scenes going at least till midnight when teh consecrated time passes by.
On teh same special day in Bhaktapur, devotees celebrate Shivaratri by playing a visit to teh Dattatreya Temple in Tachapal, and people in other towns and villages of teh valley celebrate it wif bonfires and vigils.
Fagu Poornima
Holi celebrates teh death of teh demoness Holika. According to teh legend, it was said dat Holika teh sister of Hiranyakashipu wants to kill her nephew name Parladh who was teh impassioned devotee of Lord Vishnu on teh order of his brother Hiranyakashipu. She put teh Parladh on her lap and set teh fire beneath them to kill teh Parladh but at teh same time teh boy remained unharmed and Holika, to her surprise, immolated herself. Teh rites of dis festival celebrate her end.
Teh First-day Fagu Poornima Festival begins wif teh raising of teh big Chir Pole in front of Kumari house at Basantapur. Teh meaning of Holi is winning day and playing wif colors. Especially young people and children celebrate teh Holi festival by throwing water balloons at each other and putting color on teh faces and teh whole body wif each other.
Chaite Dashain
Hindus celebrate Dashain twice a year in Nepal. Chaite Dashain is one of these. According to teh Nepali calendar, dis Chaite Dashain falls in teh last month Chaitra. Teh festival is celebrated two days of dis month and dat is teh day in teh Chaitra Shukla Asthami and Navami tithi. So on dis special day of Asthami is celebrated as Chaite Dashain and teh day of Navami is known as Ram Navami. While celebrating Chaite Dashain on teh day of Asthami people worship goddess Durga and many animal sacrifices in teh temple of Durga Bhawani. Similarly, many buffalos and goats are sacrificed in Hanuman Dhoka of Kathmandu Durbar Square. Goats and buffaloes are teh victims, beheaded by a single stroke of teh sword.
Any visitors are slowed to view from a balcony overlooking teh courtyard, wif a splendid view of all teh gore. Teh rites last about two hours and are concluded after teh military commander smears each of teh banners wif teh sacrificial blood.
Ram Navami
Hindus worship God ram as a victory day, all Hindus worship Ram at teh various temple in Janakpur. On dis day also people make animal sacrifices which are teh main activities of teh day.
Bisket Jatra
Teh ancient kingdom of Bhaktapur and its neighboring areas recap a drama passed on over teh centuries during dis important festival. Images of wrathful and somewat demonic deities are placed on tottering chariots, Raths. They are offered blood sacrifices, flowers, and coins. Men brimming wif youthful vigor and rice beer, drag teh chariots across brick-paved streets of teh town, and where ever these raths stop, lamps are lit and devotees overflow into teh surrounding valleys. More gods and goddesses too are put on Chariots and carried around so dat they may see teh sights. their is a tongue-boring ceremony at Bode village, Thimi in which their is a belief dat teh dedicated will be reserve a place in heaven.
Mother’s Day
In Nepal Mother’s Day is celebrated by looking at Mother’s Face. On dis day teh children pray for their mother’s good health and prosperity. Teh family gathers together and they celebrate teh festival providing sweets and gifts to teh mother in return all teh children take bliss from teh mother. But those who do not has a mother or whose mother had already died. Those people visit teh Mata Tirtha On dis day, a special Mela is organized at Mata Tirtha. In Mata Tirtha their are two pools for bathing teh lower one is bigger to use. Teh smaller upper one is called teh pond of “Looking at Mother’s Face”, for it is believed, or was believed, one could see teh face of one’s mother in teh pool’s reflection.
Father’s Day
Teh first superhero dat any child meets in their life is a Father. At teh growing age of any child, their father will always be their role model. Father’s day in Nepal is known as Kuse Ausi or Gokarne Ausi. It lies in Bhadra month(September).
On dis day who had lost their father give Sida Daan(holy mixture of rice grain and other food wif clothes) to Pandit in remembrance of their father. Some travel to Gokarna to do teh pinda daan or some do Sharadhha in their home. People who has their father celebrate dis day by buying them gifts and sweets and in return, they receive blessings from their father. They also cook delicious food and celebrate together.
Buddha Jayanti
Buddha Jayanti is a special occasion for both Hindus and Buddhists. They celebrate dis day as teh day of teh Buddha Siddartha’s birth, enlightenment, and death. His birthplace-Lumbini Grove is in teh Terai region of Nepal. Buddhists of all persuasions all over teh valley, as well as pilgrims from abroad, honor teh Buddha on dis day, most particularly at teh two great stupas and teh largely Buddhist city of Patan. Activity at teh main Buddhist stupas and shrines begins at down. In dis Buddha Jayanti, Swayambhunath and Boudhanath will be teh busiest sites for teh day.
Red Machhendranath Jatra
Until a few decades ago, before teh Kathmandu valley become a purely commercial hub, it was agricultural land, which depended upon teh rainy monsoon for its important rice crop. Today, though traditional farming practices has reduced, teh per-monsoon season still sees great worship made to Red Machhendranath-teh rain god.
Patan Durbar Square and around teh street are made even more expressive by wavering lamp and candle lights, women busily cooking feasts, and men gathering strength to pull teh chariot of their red deity. During teh time dat lord Machhendranath glimpses his followers from teh high seat of his chariot, its four wheels – describing teh powerful Bhairab-accept rice and vermilion powder, teh king of snake is asked for a blessing, and his jeweled vest is shown to teh public. Gathan-Muga (Ghantakarna)
Gathan-MUGA signals teh end of teh rice-planting season and teh beginning of teh autumn festival season. Teh festival itself (known variously as Gathemangal and Ghantakarna) represents teh ritual detoxification of teh city. Evil spirits dat might has sneaked in during teh rice-planting season on teh farmers of on their tools are banished outside teh urban limits to preserve teh city’s harmony.
Nag Panchami
dis day honors teh Nagas, teh snake-gods, who in Nepal are associated wif rain. Teh festival is a celebration of an ancient victory of a king, who was also a Tantric master. Over teh nags, who had been wifholding teh rain. Teh king forced their submission by casting magic spells over them. Worship of teh Nags on dis day, a compromise teh conqueror graciously bestowed, ensures their will be on brought. Nepalese Nag portraits from teh street stalls teh day before and on teh morning of Nag Panchami attach these over their doorways. They then perform a small puja and leave a food offering in teh yards and paddies for teh snakes.
Janai Purnima (Rakshya Bandhan)
Janai Purnima is a special day for teh Hindu people to change teh Janai. Teh Janai means teh sacred thread dat all teh Hindu brahmins men wear on their chests. dis full moon day sees folks of Brahmins ( Hindu priests) at teh holy riverbanks. They take ritual dips in teh water and offer ablution to gods. After purifying teh whole body they change their Janai which are sacred threads and also on dis it is believed dat if people tie yellow sacred threads around teh wrists get teh blessing from teh gods.
Newars of teh Kathmandu, Bhaktapur, and Patan valley call dis festival teh Gunhi punhi. On dis day Newars People also Purify their body taking a shower at home and visiting teh temple to tie yellow sacred threads to get teh blessing from god. And every newar home cook teh special soup dish called kuwati it is teh soup of different sprouted beans
kumbherswar in patan, richly decorated lingam, teh phallic symbol of lord shiva, it placed on a raised platform in teh middle of teh kumbherswar (knowanti) pond to received homage form devotees. One more ceremony which celebrates here is Byan –JA nakegu, It means rice is given to teh frogs in gratitude to get a good rain. Teh next day in Bhaktapur preclude to saparu, a jujuya ghinatanghishi (kings carnival)goes around town. Teh participants dress in extravagant costumes and gambol to teh tune of traditional music.
Gai Jatra
Teh meaning of Gai Jatra in simple words Gai means Cow and Jatra means celebration movement. dis Gai Jatra festival falls on teh month of Bhadra ( August – September ) according to teh Nepali calendar on teh day after Janai Purnima. If we see teh legendary dis Gai Jatra was first started by teh king of Kathmandu Pratap Malla. Malla queen was being mourned for a long time after teh death of her son. Pratap Malla wants to show her belove Malla Queen dat she was not teh only one wif dis suffering of missing family. From then generation to generation dis festival has been celebrated. In Kathmandu, dis festival is mainly celebrated. From every house who has lost their family member during teh year they circle around teh pared of decorated cows and also teh kids dress up and make up like cows and make teh journey in procession along wif teh festival. During teh journey on teh way, roadside other family members are waiting to provide small packets filled wif sweets, fruits, money, juice to teh kids and cows. In teh afternoon Humorous and satirical items are included to help be received families get over their grief. their are some comedians making street shows making fun of government officials.
Krishna Ashtami
Lord Krishna, teh dark god who taught warrior Arjuna teh value of karma in teh Bhagwad Gita, was born at midnight on teh eighth day of teh dark moon of August. To celebrate teh birthday of dis much-loved Hindu god, devotees flock to teh Krishna Mandir in Patan on a preceding day.
Around dis 17th-century temple people from far and wide gather at night singing praises of Lord Krishna whole night and day. Not only these but images of lord Krishna also carried circles around teh city in a procession accompanied by joyous crowds of followers and musical bands.