Cultures

In Hinduism, there are many religious fast done, worshipping different deities. These kinds of religious fast could last for one day to one month. However, the intensity of fast increases as the days for fast rise. One such rigorous month-long fast is taken for Goddess Shree Swasthani and God Madhav Narayan. Hindu...

Of the many Macchendra idols in the valley, Seto Macchendranath of Kathmandu comes second in popularity. The first one is the famous Rato Machhendra in Patan. Some believe these two idols represent the same god. But most consider them sisters endowed with both male and female aspects. Even though they be male in appearance and Buddhist scripture. Each is paraded annually through...

Yomari Punhi or Dhanya Purnima is the festival in Nepal celebrated every year on the full moon day of December. This is the time of year where the heavy labor of rice harvest is over and the storage bins are full. Indispensable to the many ceremonies and festivals of this agrarian valley people is food : food...

Nepal is home to numerous gods and goddess. Elders are respected as gods here. And there are many rituals and ceremonies that are dedicated to the deceased ancestors. Among them Bala Chaturdashi is one of the important day for the Hindus. This festival is celebrated for the welfare of the departed soul. It is believed in Nepal that for one...

According to Legends, once Indra's mother, Basundhara, had to take a vow on Nepali date Bhadra Saptami. For this, she needed a Palija Swa a special flower which was not found in the Indra Lok. She sent her son Indra to Kathmandu, Nepal in search of the flower. Indra sees the flower in a...

Yenya also known as Indrajatra is the festival that displays captivated rain god, Indra. 'Ye' mean Indra and 'Ya' means Jatra. According to legends, God Indra was captured by the local when he came to steal the 'Palijaswa' flower in Kathmandu to fulfill his mother's wish to use the flower for worshiping purpose.

Saparu also known as Gai Jatra is the most revered and celebrated festival in the Kathmandu valley. This festival aims to commemorate the demise of people for a year. The name translates to ‘Sa Paru’ in the Nepal Bhasa (Newa Language) where Sa stands for cow and Paru stands for the first day of the dark...

August marks the celebration of the historic and culturally significant festival, Janai Purnima. In terms of the Nepalese calendar, it falls on Shrawan/Bhadra. This festival is synonymous with Rakshya Bandhan and Gun Punhi and it is greatly celebrated by Hindus across the world. There are numerous names and methods through which this festival is celebrated and, in...

 Gunlā (Nepal Bhasa: गुंला) is one of the most revered festivals for the Newar Buddhists. According to the Newari dialect, LA means month whereas GU means a hill or mountain. As per the Bikram Sambat calendar, this festival starts from Shrawan Shukla Pratipada and ends at Bhadra Shukla Pratipada, and it lasts for a month. The entire...

The Gathemangal festival has synonyms like Ghantakarna and Gathemangal Chaturdasi. This festival is most popular with the people of Newar community and although you may not be a Newar, chances are that you might have taken a leave in this festival. If you ask children and youngsters about this festival, then they’ll simply reply ‘You have to...