Every traveler to Nepal Must Attend These Major Festivals in 2022
The Nepalese people hold their culture and traditions in high regard. Along with the contemporary tendencies that are emerging here, the traditional religious activities are still practiced. Festivals are your best option if you’re the kind of traveler who enjoys getting to know the places you visit very well. Here is a list of the main holidays and festivals so you can take advantage of both and leave Nepal with a richer experience.

1. Mahashivaratri – Take in the splendor and glitz of the festival.
2. Fagun Purnima or Holi: A time to throw colored powder into the air
3. Bisket Jatra, Bhaktapur’s magnificent chariot celebration
4. Buddha Jayanti: Take part in the nation’s rich customs.
5. Janai Purnima, the festival of purity and love
6. Gai Jatra is an unusual festival.
7. Indra Jatra – Offering for a bountiful harvest
8. Teej, a Nepali holiday dedicated to women only
9. Dashain, Nepal’s largest celebration
10. Tihar, the glittering Nepalese festival
11. Lhosar, the vivacious Nepalese celebration

1. Mahashivaratri

To commemorate Mahashivaratri, thousands of monks congregate at numerous Shiv temples around Nepal, particularly at Pashupatinath, one of the most well-known Nepalese temples. People who worship Shiv Linga at night decorate the temples with lamps and fast throughout the day.Shiva Lingas are cleaned with panchamrit and holy water before being presented with flowers, mango leaves, peepal leaves, etc.

The captivating evening prayers and aartis must not be missed. Thousands of people attend the massive bazaar held surrounding the Pashupatinath Temple to watch sadhus perform the snake dance, circus acts, and dance, as well as to buy traditional and puja items. In Nepal, Mahashivaratri is one of the most revered holidays.

The holy bath near the Bagmati River is a major draw.

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2.  Holi.

Tossing colored water on people playing holi in the valley during Fagun Purnima

Holi, Hori, or Faguwa is one of Nepal’s most colorful holidays. Every year, the Nepali community celebrates this festival of colors. Fagu Purnima is observed on the first day while Holi is observed in the Terai region on the second day in Nepal. Locals also mark the beginning of the Holi festival by placing a bamboo pole called a “Chir” that has been decked with colorful fabric strips to signify luck and wealth. People also gather firewood and build bonfires to commemorate Holika’s demon-killing attempt on Vishnu during Fagu Purnima. With dry paint, water sprays, water cannons, and balloons, Nepalese people also celebrate Holi in Nepal, much like Indians do.Holika Dahan and consuming bhang-laced lassi are the main draws.

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3. Bisket Jatra, the magnificent chariot event celebrated by the people of Bhaktapur.

This is yet another major holiday in Nepal and is known as the Nepali New Year. This massive gathering is held in Bhaktapur at the start of Nepali Bisket Month. This ritual, also known as Bisyau Jatra or the slaying of serpents, marks the death of snakes. On the day of Bisket Jatra, a massive tug of war is held at Durbar Square between the eastern and western regions of the nation.To officially start the new year, a huge pole that resembles a holy lingam is hoisted beside the river and dragged down by the throng.

In the Bhaktapur regions of Thimi and Balakhu, Bisket Jatra is also organized. Locals participate in the rally, sing, dance, play dhimay music, and hurl colored powder at one another. During Bisket Jatra, tongue piercing ceremonies are quite popular.

The great chariot parade of Lord Bhairav and Goddess Bhadrakali is one of the main draws.

4. Buddha Jayanti – Witness the country’s rich traditions as monks clean a golden Buddha statue.

Nepal’s national holiday, Buddha Jayanti, is observed with great splendor and grandeur.On this day, Lord Buddha was born in Lumbini; as a result, Buddhists from all over the world travel to Nepal for this ritual. Butter lamps and prayer flags are used to decorate locations including Boudhanath, Swayambhunath, Lumbini, and Monkey Temple. Monks assemble to recite Buddhist chants and give prayers. People practice dan-dharma, eat vegetarian meals, and refrain from drinking alcohol. Local women observe Buddhist scriptures and visit viharas. Every household prepares kheer, or sweet porridge, in honor of Buddha Jayanti.

Important landmarks: In Swayambhunath, the southern wall of the patio is covered with a sacred Thangka.

5. Men tying thread for Janai Purnima, the festival of love and purity

Another of Nepal’s most well-liked holidays is Janai Purnima, the country’s version of Raksha Bandhan.All Hindu males replace their worn-out Janai (the sacred thread) with a new one during this sacred thread festival, which is observed in the month of Shrawan. Every home makes kwati, a traditional dish made of nine beans. Sisters pray for their brothers’ health and luck when they bind the holy thread, or daro, to them. Family members join together on this special occasion to greet each other and share gifts.

The Janai ceremony’s holy chants and prayers are its main draws.

6. Gai Jatra is a strange festival where children wear traditional attire.

Gai Jatra, also known as the festival of cows, is one of Nepal’s most popular holidays and is held to honor those who have passed away during the year. The locals think that cows can carry the dead to Yama, the God of death. One of Nepal’s most distinctive celebrations is this one, during which cows are decorated and paraded around the city’s lanes and streets. Families of the deceased participate in the parade and hand out fruit and food packages to others. Locals participate in protests, men dress as women, enjoy songs, ridicule, and the traditional Ghinta Ghisi dance, all in an effort to lessen the sadness and grief of those who have passed on. Gai Jatra also has mask dancing.

Young children might dress up as cows and gods and participate in the procession.

7. Indra Jatra: Offerings for a bountiful harvest

Following the Gai Jatra, several communities in Nepal will celebrate Indra Jatra, one of the most well-liked and entertaining festivities in Nepal in 2022. The main purpose of the Indra Jatra, also known as the Yenya festival, is to pray for a prosperous harvest in the upcoming years. Every Nepali home displays statues and photographs of Akash Bhairab, and members of the family sip raksi, the local alcoholic beverage. The Indra Jatra is well-known for its masked dances by demons and devils as well as its displays of god and goddess statues. The demon-masked dances Sawa Bhakku, Majipa Lakhey, and Devi Pykhan are three examples.However, Kumari Jatra, when unmarried young girls who are revered as living goddesses are pulled in chariots through the streets, comes after Indra Jatra.

The flagpole ceremony, the display of Bhairava’s mask, and the Pulu kisi or elephant mask dance are the main draws.

8. Teej, a Nepali holiday dedicated to women only

In Nepal, ladies of all sexes worship Lord Shiva and observe Teej, which lasts for three days during the Bhadra month of the lunar calendar. Before beginning their day-long fast, ladies indulge in ‘dar’ khana, or substantial cuisine, on the first day. The married women observe a fast on the second day, while the unmarried females offer prayers for good husbands.On the third day, people worship Goddess Parvati and break their fast by consuming rich foods made of pure ghee, such as chokho and karkalo ki tarkari. One of the most significant holidays in Nepal, Teej, is celebrated over the course of three days with dance, devotional songs, and the consumption of a variety of homemade sweets. One of the most important and extensively recognized festivals is teej, which is observed in both the valleys and the mountain regions of Nepal.

Key draws: Female performers who sing in red saris about

9. Dashain, Nepal’s largest celebration

Dashain festival is one of the most commonly observed festivals in Nepal and is observed for 15 days.During Dashain, worship, feasts, festivals, and family get-togethers commemorate Goddess Durga’s victory over the demon Mahishasura. In honor of the fertile soil and plentiful crop, Nepalis also celebrate the Dashain holiday. The festival’s first day is Ghatasthapana, and its last day is Kojagrat Purnima. Phulpati, or sacred flowers, are used to commemorate the seventh day, and Brahmins transport kalasha with jamara and bamboo stalks from Gorkha to Kathmandu. On the eighth and ninth days of Dashain, animal sacrifices are quite frequent in Nepal. On the tenth day, friends and families get together to celebrate Vijayadashami and exchange wishes and blessings.

Events involving kites, Ashta Matrika worship (eight tantric deities), and Durga’s nine avatars are the main draws.

10. Tihar, the glittering Nepalese festival

Following the Dashain festival is the lavish 5-day Tihar feast. Tihar, also referred to as the “festival of lights,” is observed by fervently and enthusiastically praising Goddess Laxmi. To symbolize the passing of the dark ages and the beginning of the wealthy era, several candles and lanterns are lit in front of the idol.

Along with worshiping the goddess Laxmi, people also worship crows, dogs, and cows for the first two days, cows for the third day, and oxen on the fourth. The fifth day is observed with Bhai tika, in which sisters apply tika to their brothers’ foreheads while pleading for a long life. The fourth day is also Mha Puja for the Newar community.
Diwali lighting up every home and temple, worshiping Laxmi, the goddess of wealth, on the third day, and Govardhan puja on the fourth day are the festival’s main draws.

11. Lhosar, the vivacious Nepalese celebration

Lhosar, the Tibetan word for new year, is a mix of the words year and new. One of the most well-known celebrations in Nepal is the Tibetan New Year, or Lhosar, which is observed on different days by various ethnicities. The Gurung community celebrates Tamu Lhosar, whilst the Tamang and Yolmo communities celebrate Sonam Lhosar. The Tibetan and Sherpa groups practice the third form, known as Gyalbo Lhosar. The start of the new year is marked by dancing, music, family get-togethers, and exchanging greetings and presents.At this festival, families pray together while preparing special meals for the gods and goddesses. It is customary to drink changkol, a local Tibetan beverage derived from chhaang and resembling beer, during Lhosar.

The mask dance and the colorful prayer flags that are draped over pagodas and monasteries are the main draws.