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Nepal
is known for its continuous festivals. Nepalese are
said to  observe
more festivals than there are days in the year. Some
of the major and interesting festivals are presented
below.
Navavarsha:
The Nepalese 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.
Red
Machchhendranath Rath Jatra:
( May -June ) This festivals is the biggest socio-cultural
event of Patan. The wheeled chariot of a deity known
as Bungdyo or red Matchhendranath is prepared at Pulchowk
and dragged through the city of Patan in several stages
till it reaches a prescribed destination (Lagankhel)
. The grand finale of the festival is called the 'Bhoto
Dekhaune'. ' . A similar kind of chariot festival of
Machhendranath (White) is also held in Kathmandu city
in the month of March-April.
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Baisakh Poornima:
(April-May) As Nepal is the birthplace of Lord Buddha,
the Light of Asia, the triple anniversary of the Buddha's
birth, enlightenment and death is observed with many
colourful ceremonies on this day. People celebrate the
occasion with great veneration paying homage to Buddha
at places like Swayambhunath and Lumbini.
Dumji:
It is celebrated in all the Sherpasettlement in the
month of July. The Sherpas of Khumbu and Helambu regions
participates in dancing on this day .
Gaijatra
(Cow festival):
( July-August ) it is a carnival-type of festival lasting
eight days. Dancing, singing comedy and anything that
caused mirth and laughter are its highlights. Those
people whose family members have died during the years
send out persons dressed up as a cow to parade the main
thorough selfares of the city on the first day of the
festival.
Krishnastami:
( July-August ) 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.
Indrajatra:
(August-September) The festival of Indra, the God of
rain, is observed with great enthusiasm in Kathmandu
Valley. The festival is celebrated in August-September
lasting for eight days. The chariot of Kumari, the Living
Goddess, is taken out in procession through the main
streets of Kathmandu. The festival is specially noted
for the echoes of drums and dancing feet of the masked
dancers almost every evening.
Dashain
or Durga Puja:
(September October) The Dashain festival is the most
important festival of the Nepalese. The entire country
is entete at the time of the festival. It takes some
time in the month of September-October.
Tihar
(Deepawali):
(October-November) Known as the festival of lights 'Tihar'
is celebrated for five days in October-November. On
the occasion of houses are illuminated at night and
the special sweets of diverse kinds are prepared
Vivaha
Panchami:
(November-December) This is a famous festival of Janakpur
in Dhanusa district in the eastern Terai. The occasion
commemorates the marriage of Sita to Ram, one of the
most venerated Hindu divinities. It attracts thousands
of pilgrims from India.
Birthday
of His Majesty the King:
The auspicious birthday of His Majesty King Birendra
Bir Bikram Shah Dev falls on December 28/29 (Poush 14th).
This occasion is celebrated with great enthusiasm all
over the kingdom.
Prithvi
Jayanti: This festival is celebrated in honour
of King Prithvi Narayan Shah, the founder of Modern
Nepal, with a colourful ceremony in front of the Singh
Durbar Gate in Kathmandu on January 10/11 (Poush 27
th).
Lhosar:
This festival is the most impressively observed in the
month of February by all the Tibetan speaking populations.
They
organize folk songs and dances on this occasion. These
dances
can be seen in Khumbu, Helambu and other northern regions
of
Nepal and also at Bouddhanath in Kathmandu.
National
Democracy Day:
This day is officially observed as Rastriya Prajatantra
Divas or National Democracy Day (it generally falls
on February 18th i.e. 7th of Phagun as a mark of respect
to the people's revolution of 1950-51).
Maha
Shivaratri: (Fabruary) Shivaratri or the
night of Lord Shiva, is observed in February - March.
It is celebrated in honour of Lord Shiva. A great religious
fair takes place in the Pashupatinath Temple and thousands
of people from all over Nepal and India visit the temple.
Ghodejatra:
(March-April ) Known as the festival of horses, it is
one of the most exciting festivals of the Kathmandu
city. Horse race and other sports take place at Tundikhel
on this day. In other parts of the city the various
deities are carried shoulder-high on wheelless chariot
(Khat) with the accompaniment of traditional music.
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