There are almost all kinds of festivals throughout the year. So if you travel to Nepal, especially to the Kathmandu Valley, you will definitely encounter a certain festival. For tourists, you can experience the local religious culture and traditional customs by participating in different holidays in Nepal. Here’s a list of the 15 grand festivals of Nepal.
Maha Shivaratri
Date: March 11, 2021
Maha Shivaratri, the Night of Great Lord Shiva, is one of the most popular Hindu festivals in Nepal. According to the Hindu calendar, Maha Shivaratri is celebrated on the 13th night or 14th day of Phalguna (the twelfth month in the Hindu calendar) each year. This Nepali festival is held on the date of the wonderful marriage of Lord Shiva and Parvati. Therefore, Hindus believe that sincere worship of Maha Shivaratri will lead to a long marriage and many children. Nepalese women often choose this day to get married so that their husbands will live a long and healthy life under the blessing of the gods.
The best place to go for this festival is Pashupatinath Temple, a temple of Lord Shiva at the east of Kathmandu, which is also known as the "Temple of Burning Corpse".
Lhosar
Date: March 14, 2021
Losar starts at the end of the Tibetan calendar and lasts for about two weeks. However, The first three days of this long celebration are the most important(except the Dashain festival). The festival is grandly celebrated not only in Tibet, China but also in neighboring Nepal. Tibetans and Sherpas living in the alpine regions of northern Nepal commemorate Lhosar with religious ceremonies and parades. In the Kathmandu Valley, there are also big celebrations in the Tibetan areas around Boudhanath Stupa.
On the first day of Lhosar, Nepalese often drink Chaang, an alcoholic beverage. The next day, Nepalese would go to a nearby temple, where monks would perform traditional rituals to expel evil. On the third day, Nepalese gather with family and friends to celebrate the holiday.
Buddha Jayanti
Date: May 26, 2021
Buddhists in Nepal celebrate Buddha Jayanti (the birth of Buddha) on the full moon day of Baishakh (Buddhist month). In Nepal, Buddha Jayanti has a special meaning for many people because Nepal is the birthplace of Shakyamuni, previously named Siddhartha Gautama. In 623 BC, King Śuddhodana Gautama and Queen Maya Devi gave birth to Prince Siddhartha Guatama in Lumbini, and the festival is to commemorate the birth of the Buddha. Celebrations for Buddha Jayanti in Lumbini and Kathmandu are the most striking. On the eve of Buddha Jayanti, monks and pilgrims to Lumbini Garden are not only believers from Nepal but also Buddhists from China, India, Thailand, Myanmar, Korea, Japan and other parts of the world.
Holi/Fagun Purnima
Date: March 29, 2021
Holi/Fagun Purnima is regarded as the most exciting, funny, colorful and joyful festival in Nepal. It is held in late November of the Nepali calendar (March of the Gregorian calendar) and lasts for 7 days. This Nepali festival originated from the mythical story of the banshee Hori being burned to ashes, so it is also called the "Holi Festival".
During the festival, not only do family members sprinkle the red powder on each other's faces or heads to give best wishes but also people walking on the street throw pink powder on each other no matter whether they know each other or not. In recent years, apart from sprinkling red powder, people also use water guns, balloons and other items filled with red liquid. Don't be offended if you get drenched with red, because Nepalese people regard the color red as a symbol of good luck.
Nepali New Year/Bisket Jatra
Date: April 14, 2021
Nepali New Year usually falls between April 11th and 15th in the Gregorian calendar. Due to the multi-ethnic and deep-rooted traditions, Nepal actually has 9 different New Years. But the New Year on Nepali Sambat (Nepali lunar calendar) is considered as the national New Year, which brings a kind of symbol of unity in a vast diversity of languages, cultures and histories. At Hindu temples across Nepal, crowds gather for morning prayer and provide offerings to the gods. Then, the faithful believers would circuit the temples counterclockwise and ring the bells.
Naga Panchami
Date: August 13, 2021
Naga Panchami is also called Nepali Snake Festival. Hindus in Nepal regard cobras as gods and call cobras as Naga during festivals. The festival celebrated in honor of the snake god or Nag Devta is called Nag Panchami. On this day, believers would worship live cobras or their images. Snake worship is basically rooted in humans' natural fear of reptiles. Hindu books are full of stories and fables about snakes, and pictures and images of snakes can be seen at any time.
Nepalese Hindus look for holes where snakes might be found and then visit these holes regularly, placing milk, bananas and other foods that the snakes might like.
Rakshya Bandhan /Janai Purnima
Date: August 22, 2021
“Rakshya” means protection in Sanskrit, and “Bandhan” means knotted rope, which also has a meaning of protection. The knotting ritual is held after the ceremony (point red dots and feed dessert). The older sister ties the rope to the younger brother's hands and the younger brother returns a gift and also ties a rope to his sister. It means that the older sister loves the younger brother, and the brother will protect his sister all his life. It is celebrated on the full moon day of Shrawan (Nepalese fourth month).
On this day, Hindu men all over the world, especially those of the Brahmin and Chhettri castes, will replace the sacred cords on their wrists or necks(given by Hindu ritual Bratabandhan). Gosainkunda, not far from Kathmandu, is the biggest and liveliest site of the festival.
Gai Jatra
Date: August 23, 2021
The Gai Jatra began in the Middle Ages as a religious social event for people to miss their dead loved ones. On this day, families who have lost someone are all leading cows to participate in the parade. Families without a cow can let the boy dress up as a cow and pray for the deceased. They believe that cows can lead the dead to heaven. The most lively places are the three ancient capitals in the Kathmandu Valley: Kathmandu Durbar Square, Patan Durbar Square, and Bhaktapur Durbar Square. There is also equal rights march for gay and transgender groups on the day.
Krishna Janmastami/ Gaura Festival
Date: August 30, 2021
Every year in Nepalese May (late August in the Gregorian calendar) is the day to celebrate the birth of the God of Krishna. On the day, people gather around Krishna Temple(Krishna Mandir), and then go in and worship one by one reverently. Large and small oil lamps will be lit up around the temple, where the devotees would spend a whole night keeping watch Krishna and chant hymns to praise him.
Nepal Visa and Permit
Nepal Visa
Nepal visa on arrival is easy to obtain for citizens of almost all countries except for a few countries or regions such as Afghanistan and Somalia. Nepal visa application at the airport is a very easy procedure. So when you travel to Nepal, you don't need to worry about being denied a visa. There are three types of tourist visas for Nepal, which are divided into 15 days, 30 days, and 90 days according to the length of stay. The corresponding Nepal visa fees are 25USD, 40USD, and 100USD.
Nepal Currency Exchange
Nepal's currency is the Nepalese rupee (RS). US dollar, Euro, Chinese Yuan, and other foreign currencies can be exchanged at the airport, Nepal banks, and money exchangers. Debit cards can be withdrawn at ATMs. Some restaurants and hotels accept US dollars and credit cards. Kathmandu Thamel District is easier to get a good dollar rate in Nepal. Nepal rupee is the only currency during hiking in the remote mountains.
Upon arrival at the airport, you can exchange for a small number of Nepalese rupees to prepare for taxi and baggage tips (the exchange rate for USD is the best value). You can then exchange for Nepalese rupees at Kathmandu Bank or exchange points later.
