Bisket Jatra is celebrated in the historic city
of Nepal, Bhaktapur and the surrounding areas.
During the festival people replay a drama passed on over
the centuries. God Bhairav and goddess Bhadrakali are placed
in large chariots (locally known as Rathas) and pulled through
crowds of cheering onlookers. When the chariot reaches
a sloping open square, there is a tug-of-war between the
inhabitants of living in the scattered local of city. Winners are
considered to be blessed with good fortune for the up coming
years. Other gods and goddesses, are also put on palanquins
and carried around so that they may witness the sights. Ritual
of sacrifice, flowers, and coins are endowed to know them.
Specially the youths drag the chariots across brick-paved streets
of the town, with the celebration of rice beer for fun wherever
these Rathas stop, lamps are lit and devotees overflow into the
surrounding alleys.
Bisket Jatra is also celbrated in Thimi at Bode village, there is a
tongue-piercing ceremony in which the dedicated may reserve
a place in heaven. The festival concludes with several days of
dancing and worshiping.

Hindus celebrate Dasain twice a year in Nepal.
Chaite Dasain is one of these. The most public of the
ceremonies are the ritual animal sacrifices performed by the army
in the courtyard of the police station at Hanuman Dhoka. This
commence from 8:00 a.m. and is performed before the banners
and insignia of various military units. Goats and buffaloes are
the victims, beheaded by a single stroke of the sword. In previous
years anyone in the audience could volunteer to dispatch one
of the animals, but this custom has lapsed. Western visitors are
allowed to view from a balcony overlooking the courtyard, with
a splendid view of all the gore. The rites last about two hours and
are concluded after the military commander smears each of the
banners with the sacrificial blood.

Hindus worship God Ram as a victorious person. In
memory of the victory day, all Hindus worship Ram at various
temples, especially in Ram Janaki Temple in Janakpur.

Krishnashtami is the birthday of Lord Krishna the hero of the Hindu epic Mahabharata. Devotees flock to the ancient Krishna temple in Patan Durbar Square to worship and receive blessings. It is celebrated across the country at the temples of lord Krisna. In Kathmandu, decorated statues and pictures of Lord Krishna are displayed at many places.

Fagu Poornima or Holi is one of the most
colorful and playful festivals of Nepal. It is the festival
of water and colors which is also known as “Phagu” in Nepal.
According to Hindu Mythology, during the reign of King
Hiranyakashyap entire people of the kingdom were prohibited
from worshiping Lord Vishnu and were forced to worship him
instead. The king had immense hatred towards God Vishnu.
But for his misfortune, King’s own son, Pralhad, was an ardent
devotee of Lord Vishnu. When king learnt about this, he grew
very furious and implemented extreme cruel measures to
make his son forget Vishnu. No matter how cruel the king got
his son grew more closer to lord Vishnu. In one of his ploys,
the King assigned his sister, Holika, to burn Pralhad to death.

Holika had the power of emitting fire. She took Pralhad into
her lap intending to burn him but with Lord Vishnu’s immortal
blessings instead she was burnt to ashes. It is believed that from
this day people started to celebrate the death of Holika as Holi
festival.
The chirpole, decorated with colorful flags and erected on
the first day of Fagu at Kathmandu’s Durbar Square. The last
day is the wildest as people especially the young ones wander
through the streets in groups on foot or vehicles covered with
various colors all over them and the people in houses make
merry throwing colors and water balloons at each other and
also to these people on the streets.

Shivaratri meaning the night of Lord Shiva is one
of the major festivals of Nepal. Hundreds of thousands of
followers from different parts of country and India crowd the
Pashupatinath temple – one of the holiest shrines of the Hindus
in Kathmandu to worship Lord Shiva on his birthday. Lord Shiva
is considered as the guardian and protector of everything that
exists. Colorful and naked sadhus, the wandering sages who
emulate Shiva with ashes over their bodies, give lectures to
disciples, meditate, or practice yoga. Special attendance camps
are set in the courtyards of the temples situated at the opposite
bank, where non-Hindus are also free to wander. The curious
can witness some rather interesting yogic demonstrations there.
Children collect donations from passersby since the morning to
buy necessary items to prepare holy meal and bonfire during
the evening. People make bonfire at junctions and homes at the
evening and warm themselves sitting by the
fire eating Prasad the holy meal.

Nepal Tourism Board celebrates World Wetlands Day on 2nd
February each year in cooperation with various national and
international organizations like Nepal River Conservation Trust
(NRCT) in association with Environmentalists’ Association of
Nepal (EAN), National Trust for Nature Conservation (NTNC),
International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development
(ICIMOD), Sustainable Tourism Network (STN) and Department
of National Park and Wildlife Conservation (DNPWC) of
government of Nepal etc. Awareness programs and workshops
are organized on conserving wetlands in the country.

Basanta Panchami is also called Shri Panchami or Saraswoti
Puja and is celebrated in the honor of Goddess Saraswoti,
goddess of knowledge and learning. This day is very special
for students. They take early morning bath, wear clean
clothes, worship their books and visit temple of goddess
Saraswoti with puja items. Students believe that worshiping
the goddess on this day broadens up their knowledge horizon
and their studies will progress further fruitfully. Parents who
have toddlers at home take them to temples and make them
write on the walls of the temple. This day also bears cultural
and religious significance for Buddhists who prioritize this
day for worshiping God Manjushree. At Hanuman Dhoka
in Kathmandu official announcement is made indicating the
arrival of spring. Astrologically, Shri Panchami is an ideal day
for couples to tie a marriage knot and also
for new born babies’ name-giving
sacrament called nwaran.

Sherpas and Tibetans welcome their
New Year with feasts, family visits and dancing.
Families done their fi nest clothes and jewellery and
exchange gifts. Buddhist monks off er prayers for good health
and prosperity, and perform dances at the monasteries. People
wear new clothes and fi nest jewelries and exchange gifts
during the festival. Colorful prayer fl ags decorate streets and
rooftops; the colors seem especially brilliant at the Bouddha
and Swayambhu stupas. Crowds
of celebrants at Bouddha bring in
the New Year by throwing tsampa
(roasted barley flour) into the air.

In the holy month of Magh the sun enters the
southern hemisphere, and the days begin to grow longer
and warmer. Lord vishnu the Preserver is thanked for his eff orts.
On Maghe Sankranti (the first day of Magh) people take an
early morning bath in a holy river, visit the shrines of Vishnu,
and present flowers, incense and food to him. They read the
Bhagwad Gita, also known as The Song of the Gods, apply
mustard oil over their bodies, and enjoy feast of rice cooked
with lentiles, yams or tarul-a must-and til ko laddu, sweets
made of seasame and jaggery (sugarcane paste).
People from many parts of the country rush to Devghat, a
confluence of three rivers, to take holy bath in the river on this day.