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Major Festivals of Nepal |
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Navavarsha (New Year's Day)
The Nepalese follow their own
calendar system known as the Bikram Era
or Bikram Sambat. This festival
celebrates the first day of the first
month of the New Year and is observed as
an official holiday. In Bhaktapur,
fifteen kilometers from Katmandu, the
new year celebrations take on added
importance as the "Festival of Bisket"
during a tall wooden post is erected in
one of the main squares. This festival
commemorates the great battle of
Mahabharata, with the wooden post
symbolizing victory.
After two days, images of god Bhairab
and his female counterpart Bhadra are
enshrined in two large chariots and
pulled through crowds of cheering
onlookers. When the chariot reaches a
sloping open square, there is a
tug-of-war between the inhabitants of
the upper and lower parts of the town.
Winners are considered to be blessed
with good fortune for the coming year.
The festival concludes with several days
of dancing and worship. Thimi, another
ancient town of the Valley, also
celebrates the New Year with special
festivities.
Red Machchhendranath Festival
This festival takes place in Patan.
During the celebrations the towering
chariot of Lord Machchhendranath is
pulled by ropes through the narrow
streets of the city followed by a large
crowd of worshippers. In front of the
chariot, a small crowd of musicians and
soldiers add even more excitement to the
occasion. Over a period of several
weeks, the chariot is slowly hauled to
Jawalakhel where tens of thousands of
devotees burn oil lamps and keep an
all-night-vigil. During this chariot
festival the "Bhoto" or sacred
waistcoat, itself the subject of many
legends is displayed from the chariot as
all the onlookers strain to catch a
glimpse of the lucky sight. A final
ritual is then conducted to mark Lord
Machchhendranath's departure for one
year.
Buddha Jayanti (The Birthday of Lord
Buddha)
Buddha Jayanti is a great day for
the Nepalese. This day which falls on
the full moon of the month of Baisakh is
celebrated to commemorate the birth,
attainment of knowledge, and the death
of Lord Buddha the founder preacher of
Buddhism, more than 2500 years ago. It
is a thrice-blessed day. It is the day
when he attained Nirvana (salvation).
Prayers are sung and worship is offered
by the Buddhist in leading Buddhist
shrines throughout the country. At
Swayambhunath temple for example, devout
Buddhists gather to chant prayers and
burn butter lamps. The next morning, a
small shrines are visited and
worshipped. Parading groups walk through
the streets of Katmandu and Patan while
special flags fly from all Buddhist
households.
Mani Rimdu
This typical Sherpa festival is
celebrated exclusively in the Lamaist
monasteries of the Mt. Everest region.
It is held in the month of May, mostly
on full moon day at the Thame monastery
in he Khumbu region, near Namche Bazaar
at an altitude of 13,123feet (4000m). A
very spectacular masked dance drama
played for three full days is the main
outdoor highlight of the festival.
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Ghantakarna
Taking place towards the end of
the Nepalese month of Sravan, this
festivals celebrates the exorcism of a
mythical demon, Ghantakarna, who,
according to legend, was greatly feared
throughout the Katmandu Valley. The
festival is celebrated by acting out the
legendary drama in the streets. To begin
with, children of each Katmandu
Neighborhood collect money from
passersby which is then used to make an
effigy of the demon god. While this
effigy remains in the center of a rough
tent-like structure erected from bamboo
poles, one man impersonates Ghantakarna
by smearing himself with white paint and
roaming the local area collecting
donations in a begging bowl. Surrounded
by the crowds of small children, the
group then returns to the effigy and
proceeds to take it to the river for
burning, thus marking the victory of the
local inhabitants over the demon god.
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Gai Jatra
According to tradition dating back
since time immemorial, every family who
has lost one relative during the past
year must participate in a procession
through, the streets of Katmandu leading
a cow. If a cow is unavailable then a
young boy dressed up as a cow is
considered to be a fair substitute. It
is believed that the symbol of a cow,
revered as a holy animal by all devout
Hindus, will assist the deceased
relative's heavenward journey. Later in
the Afternoon, nearly everyone takes
part in another age-old tradition in
which all participants dress up and wear
masks; jokes, mockery and humor of every
kind become the order of the day until
the late evening.
Krishnaashtami
Krishnashtami or the birthday of
Lord Krishna, is celebrated in
commemoration of the hero of the Hindu
epic, Mahabharata. On this day,
worshippers carry ornate and decorated
idols and pictures of Lord Krishna
through the streets, often with bands of
musicians following or preceding the
procession. In Patan, thousands of
devout flock to Krishna temple to
worship and receive blessings.
Indrajatra
The festival is celebrated by both
the Hindus and Buddhists with great
enthusiasm. The festival continues for
eight days during which time there is
much rejoicing, dancing and feasting. On
the first day, along wooden pole is
erected in front of the ancient Royal
Palace at Hunuman Dhoka, in order to
propitiate Indra, the god of rain.
Classical dancers also assemble at the
spot wearing different kinds of masks
and dancing around the courtyard of
Hanuman Dhoka to celebrate Indra's
visit. On the third day of the festival,
the Living Goddess or "Kumari" is taken
out in a procession in a chariot. Three
chariots of Kumari, Ganesh and Bhairav
are taken round the city for three days.
The King also pays homage to the Kumari
during this time. The festival's many
other interesting dances including the
Mahakali, Mahalaxmi, and Dasha Avatara
masked dances, are staged on the plinth
of Narayan temple, just opposite the
Kumari temple. On the last evening of
the festival, the long wooden pole
erected on the first day is lowered amid
religious ceremonies and animal
sacrifices.
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Dashain
Dashain is Nepal's most important and
lavishly celebrated festival. The first
day of the festival is known as
Ghatasthapana-the placing of the sacred
vessel. According to the tradition, all
devout Hindus should take an early
morning bath in the holy river and
return carrying some sand from the
riverbed. At the same time, a small clay
pot is filled with water from the same
river and placed by the sand. Barely
seeds are planted in this pot and
nurtured for nine days. As with other
Nepalese festivals, this ritual has also
a specific meaning. In this case, the
river water represents the mother
goddess Durga, who according to legend,
crushed many powerful demon hordes in an
epic battle. For the next nine days,
devouts, go to different prescribed
sites for early morning bathes.
The next major even occurs on the 7th
day of the festival when the sacred
flowers and leaves are brought from the
old palace of Kind Prithvi Narayan Shah
at Gorkha. When the flowers reach
Katmandu, there is a large procession to
Hanuman Dhoka gate where brass bands are
waiting to celebrate the occasion. At
the same time, guns and cannons are
fired at Tundikhel parade ground.
The eighth day of the festival is known
as Mahashtami and is marked by a fast by
all orthodox Hindus. In the morning,
animal sacrifices are carried out at
temples dedicated to Goddess Durga.
On the 9th day, all temples dedicated to
Durga are bathed in sacrificial blood.
On this day, even vehicles and other
mechanical items are worshipped and
sacrificed so as to prevent accidents
during the coming year. Similarly, all
instruments, weapons and implements of
all professions are worshipped in the
hope that Durga will bless their
usefulness and accuracy. In the evening,
there is an elaborate sacrifice at the
Taleju temple near Hanuman Dhoka.
The peak of Dashain celebration is
reached on the tenth day known as Vijaya
Dashami, or the Day of Victory. On this
day, all the Hindus are supposed to
visit their elders or superior
relatives, starting with their parents.
The main purpose of this visit is to
receive tika and shoots of the barley
known as jamara. Tika is a red dot or
smear placed on the visitor's forehead
by the senior relative. Also frequently
used in other festivals and even in
daily worship, the tika consists of
vermilion powder, rice and curd. As all
visits cannot be completed in one day,
they continue until the end of the
festival.
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Tihar
After Dashain, Tihar is probably Nepal's
second most important festival. The
first day of the festival is crow's day.
In the early morning, worshippers bathe
either in the Bagmati or some other
river. After this the devouts light a
small lamp made of cotton wool and
mustard oil, and placed in a leaf pot.
Then the first portion of every family
meal is offered to the crows.
The second day is known as the dog's
day. On this occasion dogs are given a
red tika on their foreheads and
garlanded with flowers. They are then
worshipped and offered large plates of
food, including many delicacies.
The next day is the cow's day and these
animals are also worshipped in the
similar fashion. This day is even more
important day, as Laxmi Puja, or the day
for worshipping Laxmi the goddess of
wealth also falls on this day. Towards
the evening, small candles or wick lamps
are lighted and placed outside the main
door and along windowsills. This becomes
a very beautiful spectacle as the whole
city, town and village become filled
with little lights.
The fourth day of Tihar is "self day" or
"self worship." As the name implies,
this ritual aims to felicitate the sprit
dwelling in one's own body.
Brother's day or Bhai Tika is the fifth
and last day of Tihar. On this day,
every sister worships her brothers by
placing a multicolored tika on their
foreheads and offering her blessings.
The brothers then in turn give tika to
their sisters after which gifts are also
exchanged. As with many other festivals,
Tihar ends with a grand feast with all
family members present.
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Bala Chaturdashi
The festival of Bala Chaturdashi
at Pashupatinath temple celebrates an
apocryphal legend of long ago. On the
eve of the festival, thousands of people
from Katmandu and its surroundings,
proceed to Pashupatinath to keep an all
night vigil. Small wick lamps are lit
after which the worshippers spend the
night chanting hymns and dancing. At
dawn, everyone makes their way to the
holy Bagmati river to bathe; acts of
worship are then performed at the
temple's many shrines. The festival
concludes with all the worshippers
scattering "sat biu," seven types of
grain along a prescribed route starting
and ending at Pashupati temple. It takes
several hours to complete the task,
after which worshippers begin their
journey home.
Sita Bibaha panchami
This festival, taking place in Janakpur
in the eastern Terai, celebrates the
marriage of Rama and Sita, the hero and
heroine of the Hindu epic, Ramayana.
During the week before the festival
starts, thousands of pilgrims start to
arrive in the city and a local fair is
set up. On the first day of the festival
a large procession sets out from Rama
temple, carrying an image of Rama and
proceeding to the famous Janaki temple.
The next day, in an equally colorful
ceremony, an idol of Sita is carried to
Rama's side thus re-enacting the ancient
wedding of the divine couple.
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Constitution day
The Birth anniversary of the Late King
Mahendra On this historic day, actually
the first day of Paush, processions all
over the Kingdom celebrate the late King
Mahendra's birth anniversary. Various
social and cultural activities are also
arranged to celebrate the day when the
Late king Mahendra announced the
establishment of Party less Panchayat
Democracy in Nepal, thus ushering in a
new era of peace and stability.
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National Democracy Day
The Birth of Anniversary of the Late
King Tribhuvan .This is celebrated all
over the Kingdom to observe the 7th of
Fagun 2007 BS(1951 AD) when the Nepalese
people, led by the Late King Tribhuvan,
overthrew the autocratic Rana regime.
All government offices remain closed on
this day and parades, processions and
other celebrations take place throughout
the country.
Shivaratri-The night of Shiva
This festival, taking place at
Pashupati temple on the outskirts of
Katmandu, is dedicated to the god Shiva.
On the morning of Shivaratri day and
also on proceeding days, thousands of
worshippers make their way to the
ancient and revered temple of Shiva,
many of them undergoing one or more days
of fasting. It is customary to offer
gifts both in the temple itself and to
the temple priests. The priests in turn,
give back a small portion which is
considered a gift from Lord Shiva and a
sign of his blessing. While these
religious rites continue until the
evening, there is along military gun
salute at Tundikhel parade ground in
central Katmandu to acknowledge the
important occasion. In the evening, His
Majesty the King, accompanied by the
Royal family, also pays homage at
Pashupati temple.
As darkness falls, hundreds of wick
lamps are lit around the temple vicinity
while on the surrounding hills, bonfires
are lit. Throughout the night, prayers,
singing and chanting continue; many
worshippers also take holy baths at
three-hourly intervals. Bonfires are
also lit at important crossroads and in
village and town courtyards throughout
the valley.
Fagu
Fagu, also known as Holi, is a weeklong
festival celebrated all over Nepal. In
Katmandu, it starts at Hanuman Dhoka
with the setting up of a "Chir" - a long
pole whose upper portion consists of
wooden frames decorated with strips of
colorful cloth. These strips of cloth
are believed to carry special power to
ward off the evil. The following six
days of festival are almost normal;
however, the last day is wildly
celebrated with people throwing colored
powder and water at each other. In every
town of the country, there are
jubilations in the streets as the
celebrants throw small balloons filled
either with ordinary or colored water.
At the end of the festival, the chir is
taken down and burnt.
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Ghode Jatra
The festival of horses is a yearly
sports event-taking place at Tundikhel
parade ground in central Katmandu. Its
roots go back several hundred years,
though, it is also associated with other
older religious traditions. For example,
at midnight at the parade grou
nds, the images of Bhadra Kali and her
sister goddess are carried from their
respective temples and placed in the
middle of the dark expanse. A third
sister goddess is then brought from
another locality and made to bow before
the first two images. The actual
horseracing is conducted with great
gusto and spectators come from all over
the valley, as well as from more distant
parts, to witness the exciting event.
Seto Machchhendranath Jatra
Held annually, the main feature of this
festival is a weeklong chariot
procession of Seto Machhendranath
Katmandu. A long chariot-decorated with
flowers and greenery, with the replica
of the main deity, is taken out in
procession through the main throughfares
of old Katmandu.
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