Nepal's major festivals
(September–October) Dashain
The Nepalese festival of Dashain, the biggest festival of the year, is celebrated by Nepalese people during the pleasant autumn season, when the sky is clear, the air is fresh, and the fields are blooming with flowers. All Nepalese castes celebrate Dashain, the longest (15-day) and most auspicious festival on the country's calendar. The festival takes place in the months of September to October, beginning with the bright lunar fortnight and ending on the full moon's day. The goddess Durga is worshipped across the country in all of her incarnations through countless pujas, copious offerings, and thousands of animal sacrifices. The bloodthirsty goddess Durga allegedly vanquished evil by killing the terrifying demon Mahisasur on Dashain Day. It emphasizes spending time with family. All government, educational, and other offices are still closed as people return from all corners of the globe.
Important days include the first, seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth. On the first day, known as Ghatasthapana, a holy water vessel is made and filled with barley seeds. On the seventh day, phulapati, which refers to an offering of flowers and leaves transported from Gorkha to Kathmandu, is observed on the seventh day. The mother goddess temples offer hundreds of goats, sheep, and buffaloes as sacrifices on the eighth day, known as "Maha Asthami." The state offers animal sacrifices while saluting with gunfire on the ninth day, which is known as "Maha-navami." The tenth day is "Dashami," when people take tika and jamara and visit their elders' homes to receive blessings. This action continues for an additional four days.
Tihar (October-November)
The five-day Tihar festival, also known as Dipawali, Bhai Tika, or Laxmi Puja, is a celebration of light. Tihar is a name that follows the Dashain Festival quickly. The festival of lights, known as Tihar, is when many candles are lit both inside and outside of homes to illuminate them at night. The five-day festival is revered as being of great significance because it honors not only gods and people, but also animals that have close bonds with people, such as crows, cows, and dogs. We worship the Hindu Goddess of Fortune or Wealth (Goddess Laxmi), prepare delectable meals at home, go gift-shopping with our siblings, fly kites, decorate our homes and streets, play cards with our friends, unwind, and then exchange temporary marks on our foreheads (called tika in Nepali). Tika Day, or more commonly known as Bhai Tika Day (Bhai is Nepali for "brother"), is the final day of the festival. Tihar is the festival when sisters wish their brothers (Bhai) a long life, to put it briefly.
Buddha Jayanti (April-May)
The Buddha's birthday is known as Buddha Jayanti. Sidhartha Gautam was the original name of Buddha. In Nepal's Kapilvastu, Siddhartha Gautam was born around 543 BC. The Buddha Purnima Festival, also referred to as the Buddha Jayanti Festival, is the most revered day in the Buddhist calendar. For Buddhists, it is the most significant holiday, and it is observed with great fervor. Although Buddhists believe that every full moon is sacred, the Vaisakh/Baisakh (April–May) moon is particularly significant because it is the day that the Buddha was born, attained enlightenment, and attained Nirvana. Buddha Purnima has a special significance because of this strange triple coincidence. With consideration for the very nature of Buddhism, the occasion is celebrated with a mild and serene fervor. People, especially women, go to common Viharas to observe a rather longer-than-usual, full-length Buddhist sutra as something like a service. The usual dress is pure white. Non-vegetarian food is normally avoided. Kheer, a sweet rice porridge, is commonly served to recall the story of Sujata, a maiden who, in Gautama Buddha’s life, offered the Buddha a bowl of milk porridge after he had given up the path of asceticism following six years of extreme austerity. This event was one major link in his enlightenment.
