Nepal is a land of festivals. The reason why it is a land of festivals is the number of festivals. There are more than 50 festivals celebrated every year in Nepal throughout the country. It means on average, Nepal celebrated at least one festival every week every year. In this post, we are going to tell you the 10 most celebrated festivals of Nepal.
Nepal is a country full of people of different religions, castes, ethnicities, cultures, and traditions living here. That’s why Nepal celebrates a big number of festivals throughout the year. There always has been great importance of religion, culture, and traditions among Nepalese and Nepalese communities. The celebration of festivals reflects the culture and tradition of every group of people living in Nepal. That’s why Nepal celebrates a large number of festivals every year.
List Of The Top 10 Most Celebrated Festivals Of Nepal Every Year
Nepal celebrates more than 50 national festivals every year. We have picked the names of the 10 most celebrated festivals of Nepal. We hope you are going to like these festivals.
1. Dashain
Dashain, also known as Bada Dashain and Bijaya Dashami is indeed the most celebrated festival of Nepal. It is because the number of Hindus living in the country is high. Dashain is the longest-running festival among the Hindus. Dashain is the most auspicious and the most anticipated festival for Hindus and Buddhists in Nepal. Nepalese celebrates Dashain enthusiastically for almost two weeks. Traditionally, Dashain is celebrated by worshiping Goddess Durga for 10 days-last days known as Vijayadashami. But there is also the 15th day which is known as Kojagarat Purnima.
Dashain has a great significance among the people celebrating this festival. Due to its greater significance and value, it is so auspicious for Hindus and people celebrating this. Dashain symbolizes the victory of good over evil. Celebration of Dashain is a time of family reunion, meeting with relatives, exchanging gifts, conducting poojas, eating sweets, different veg & non-veg cuisines, going to fair(mela), etc. In short, Dashain is a festival that brings happiness to everyone till its last day. That is why it is widely celebrated throughout Nepal and is the most anticipated festival for Nepalese every year.
2. Tihar
It is the second most celebrated and the biggest festival of Nepal after Dashain. Tihar is a five-day-long festival of lights for Hindus in Nepal. It is known as Swonti among the Newari community and as Deepawali or Diwali among the Madhesi community of Nepal. This 5-day long festival begins with the worship of Crow known as Kaag Tihar on Day 1, Kukur Tihar on Day 2, Lakshami Pooja on Day 3, Govardhan Pooja on Day 4, and ends with Bhai Tika on Day 5.
During this festival, people clean their houses and household things, make different types of Rangolis on the floor of the houses, lights Diya & different types of modern electric lights inside and outside of the houses to make the houses bright at the night time. Rangolis are made to welcome Goddess Lakshmi who is worshiped at this festival. Different types of cuisines are made during Tihar in the houses of everyone who celebrate this festival. These things made Tihar the second biggest festival of Nepal and one of the most anticipated festivals for Nepalese every year.
3. Chhath Pooja
Chhath festival is an important festival celebrated by Hindus in Nepal. In this festival, worship of Shashti Bhagwati is performed and the welfare of the son, husband, and family are wished. This festival is celebrated with reverence and devotion especially in the Terai (Madhesh) region of Nepal. It is customary for men and women who have been fasting to bathe in the holy reservoir and cook milk, rice, and sugarcane kheer in the evening. According to the tradition, on the evening of Chhath, after standing in the reservoir and offering Argha to the setting sun, one sits on the bank of the river and lake all night and performs bhajans. Celebrating the Chhath festival with a pure heart is believed to bring family welfare, child happiness, and fulfillment of desires.
4. Holi
Holi isn’t only one of the most celebrated festivals of Nepal, but it’s also the most widely celebrated festival of Nepal. It is celebrated in most parts of Nepal for two different days. In the Hilly region and mountain region. it is celebrated on one day, and in the Terai, it is celebrated on another day. Holi is a festival of colors that has many significances. Holi usually falls in the month of Falgun and Chaitra according to the Nepali Bikram Sambar Calendar. Celebration of Holi in Nepal brings a lot of joy and happiness among the Nepalese.
5. Maha Shivaratri
This is a festival when there isn’t even a small place for a person to put their step in the Pashupatinath Temple and the place around it. Maha Shivaratri, also known as “Night Of Lord Shiva” is one of the major festivals of Nepal when literally thousands of devotees gather together in Pashupatinath Temple. Not only is Pashupatinath, but a large number of people gather in the temples dedicated to Lord Shiva on this holy night of Mahadev(Shiva).
6. Budhha Jayanti
Everyone knows Nepal is the birthplace of Gautam Buddha. Lumbini is the place where Gautam Buddha was born, and hence this place is a very sacred place for Nepalese and for all the Buddhists all around the world. Buddha Jayanti is a very special day for both Buddhists and Hindus in Nepal. This festival is celebrated as the birthday of Gautam Buddha on the full moon day mostly in the month of April-May. People not only celebrate his birthday on this day, but also celebrate the teachings, enlightenment, and Mahaparinirvana (Death).
7. Eid al-Fitr
Eid al-Fitr, simply known as Eid is the biggest festival for Muslims all around the world. This festival is also known as the “Festival Of Breaking The Fast”. It is the first of the two Eids that Muslims celebrate. This holy festival of Muslims falls on the first day of the month of Shawwal according to the Islamic Calendar. It rounds off the month of Ramadan, which Muslims observe every year to acknowledge Allah’s revelation of the Quran to the Prophet Muhammad. For the whole month of Ramadan, they offer to fast for the whole day and eat only at night for the whole one month. Although the population of Muslims in Nepal is very small. They are only 5% of the total population of Nepal, there is a national holiday in Nepal to celebrate this festival.
8. Teej
Although most of the festivals in Nepal are celebrated by Women, Teej is the one that can be called as Women’s Festival because it is a festival that is completely celebrated by women for three days. Mostly occurring in the month of August, Teej has a great significance for married women in their lives. Women celebrate this festival for the long life of their husband and long and firm relationship between them until the death of this life and all the lives to come. Teej is observed for marital happiness, the well-being of spouse and children, and purification of own body and soul. Teej is the most famous festival among Nepali women. Women dress up in Red sarees with red tika and red bangles and sing and dance to traditional songs for days along with performing poojas.
9. Shree Krishna Janmashtami
Shree Krishna Janamashtami is a festival of Hindus in Nepal that is celebrated as the birthday of Lord Shree Krishna. This festival falls on Ashtami tithi, the eighth day of the Krishna Paksha of the month of Bhadra (August-September) according to the Nepali Calendar Bikram Sambat. Krishna Janamashtami is also known as Krishnashtami, Saatam Aatham, Gokulashtami, Ashtami Rohini, and Srikrishna Jayanti.
Temples of Lord Krishna all over the country are decorated and different bhajans and kirtans are sung and played. It is celebrated by observing fasting by the devotees till midnight of this eve. They enchant Slokas from the Bhagwat Geeta. They offer flowers, coins, and food and wait for a glimpse of the Krishna Janmashtami festival at Krishna Mandir. After the temple priest gives them ‘prasad’ they make their way home. Although the main attraction of Krishna Janamashtami in Nepal is the Krishna Mandir of Patan Durbar Square, the vibe of this festival can be felt all over the country in the temples of Lord Krishna.
10. Raksha Bandhan
Raksha Bandhan is a festival of sisters and brothers. On the day of this festival, sisters tie a kind of amulet on the wrist of the right-hand of their brothers. This symbolizes the strong relationship between a brother and a sister. And in return for this act, brothers give different gifts to their sisters along with the traditional promises of their responsibilities toward the potential care and protection of their sister. This festival falls on the full moon day of the month of Shrawan (July-August).
Conclusion
These are our picks of the top 10 most celebrated festivals of Nepal. There are many other such festivals that are celebrated with full joy and enthusiasm in Nepal. We hope you like this list of ours. If we have given any misinformation about any of these above-mentioned festivals, then let us know, we will improve it. And if you find this article informative, then share this with others.
