---

Nepali Festival: Nepal is a year-round festival

---

Nepal seems to have festivals all year round, and no matter what time of year you visit, it's easy to "happen" to come across at least one festival. The people of Nepal take every festival very seriously and are full of enthusiasm. The festivities are sure to feast your eyes on everything from mask dances depicting the struggle between good and evil in epic epics to grand national tug-of-wars. If you want to relive the retro scene of the Middle Ages, pick a festival with a chariot parade! Hundreds of enthusiastic devotees pull rickety chariots up to 20 meters high through the crowded streets of Kathmandu and Patan in what is known as Indra.

Celebrations vary from epic masked dances to the grand national tugs of war, which must be a splendid feast for your eyes. If you want to experience the retro scenes of the Middle Ages, I recommend you to attend festivals with impressive chariot parades, like Chaitra Dasain, Bisket Jatra, Indra Jatra, Rato Machhendranath, etc. Here you'll see hundreds of sincere followers drag the 20-meter-high chariots through the crowded streets of Kathmandu and Patan.

Generally speaking, accurate festival dates change with Nepal’s lunar calendar, which won't be announced by the official in advance. Therefore, it's almost impossible for us to pinpoint exactly when the festival will be celebrated. Here we have listed Nepali big festivals in the month they usually fall on, with Nepali lunar months in comparison. Meanwhile, some Tibetan festivals like the Losar Festival are also celebrated in Nepal.

Come and correspond to your travel date and see what kind of festival you will encounter!

Nepal Festivals & Calendar

Nepal Festivals	Solar Calendar	Nepal Calendar	Active Region
Magh Sankranti	January - Feburary	Magh	Nationwide
Saraswati Puja / Basanta Panchami	January - Feburary	Magh	Swayambhunath, Kathmandu
Tibetan New Year / Losar Festival	January - Feburary	Magh	Boudhanath, Nationwide
Maha Shivaratri	Feburary - March	Falgun	Pashupatinath
Holi / Festival of Colors (Nepal popular festival)	Feburary - March	Falgun	Nationwide
Chaitra Dasain / Small Dasain	March - April	Chaitra	Hanuman Dhoka, Kathmandu
Bisket Jatra / Nepali New Year	April - May	Baisakh	Bhaktapur, Nationwide
Buddha Jayanti / Buddha's Birthday	May - June	Jeth	Swayambhunath, Bodhnath, Lumbini, Nationwide
Naga Panchami	July - August	Saaun	Nag Pokhari in Naxal, Taudaha, Nationwide
Gai Jatra / Cow Festival	August - September	Bhadra	Kathmandu
Teej / Nepal Women’s Festival	August - September	Bhadra	Kathmandu
Indra Jatra	August - September	Bhadra	Kathmandu
Pachali Bhairab	September - October	Ashoj / Ashiwin	Kathmandu
Dashain / Bijaya Dashami (Nepal's biggest festival)	September - October	Ashoj / Ashiwin	Nationwide
Tihar / Festival of Lights (Second only to Dashain)	October - November	Kartik	Nationwide
Mani Rimdu	October - November	Kartik	Tengboche Temple, Thame Temple
Sita Bibaha Panchami	November - December	Mangsir	Janakpur

All Nepal Festivals That The Locals Will Celebrate

Nepal festival in February

At the end of winter, it's a good time to get out and when there are fewer tourists, you can opt for a low-altitude hike or a visit to the national park in the Terai. Pokhara will be warmer than Kathmandu in the "Frozen Man".

Losar Festival

Tibetans from Dolpo to Khumbu celebrate their New Year with processions of floats, religious ceremonies or pujas, and fluttering prayer flags. Within the Kathmandu Valley, you can join the locals in celebrations at Bodna, the Monkey Temple, and Jawalakhel near Patan.

MahaShivaratri

Shiva's birthday is celebrated at all temples dedicated to Shiva, but the biggest celebration is at the Pashupatinath Temple, where hundreds of dervishes from places like Nepal and India gather. Bathing rituals are performed in the Bagmati River, creating an interesting and wonderful landscape.

Nepal festival in March

As the weather warms up, so does the hiking season. The trails in spring are not as crowded as in autumn, but the clouds that accumulate at any time can greatly reduce the scenery.

Holi Festival

Also known as the "Festival of Colors". Not only are colorful powders sprinkled but also watered to remind you of the approaching cooler monsoon season. Foreigners will be in the spotlight, so to protect your camera, it is best to wear old clothes that are not afraid of dyeing. It is also sometimes held in February of the Gregorian calendar.

Seto Machhendranath Festival

Marking the beginning of Chaitra Dasain, people are invited from the temple in KelTole, Kathmandu, to a tall, rickety chariot (rath) that prefers a four-day parade through the streets and alleys of the ancient city.

Nepal festival in April

The lower elevations and the Terai region are starting to get hot, but the rhododendrons at the higher altitudes are blooming in the mountain winds, making this the third most popular month of the year for trekking.

Bisket Jatra Festival

Nepalis celebrate the Nepalese New Year by dragging chariots through the streets of Bhaktapur, with a tug-of-war in between.

Balkumari Jatra Festival

People in the town of Thimi carry palanquins from 32 nearby villages to the town's Balkumari temple to celebrate the New Year, which lasts for three days. The surrounding village of Bode also hosts a grand musical instrument performance at the same time.

Balaju Jatra Festival

Thousands of devotees visit the Monkey Temple for a vigil at the full moon of Baisakh in the second month of the Hindu calendar. The next day, they trek to Baise Dhara (22 drainage tanks) in Balazhu, north of Kathmandu, for a bathing ceremony.

Nepal festival in May

The climate is dry, the monsoon season has not yet arrived, and the temperature in the Terai and Kathmandu valleys has reached more than 30 degrees, and the country is enveloped by the coming rainy days. This is the best season to climb Mount Everest.

Rato Machhendranath Festival

Patan's biggest festival features the vests of Lord Mai Qundrona and a month-long parade of temple floats.

Buddha Jayan Festival

A month-long event in Lumbini (the birthplace of Lord Buddha) to commemorate the Buddha's journey from birth, enlightenment to nirvana. Commemorations are also held at the Monkey Temple, Bodna and Patan. On this day, the Monkey Temple holds an annual thangka (Tibetan religious painting) event.

Nepal festival in August

From mid-June to September, the monsoon continues to bring rain to Nepal, the rivers roar, the trails are muddy, and landslides and leeches are everywhere. Although the weather is good in the high-altitude trans-Himalayan valley areas such as Mustang and Shangduopo, the number of tourists is still relatively low.

Ghanta Karna Festival

This festival celebrates the destruction of the devil's "bell ears". Legend has it that a god turned into a frog and led the devil into a deep well. In the villages of Newari all over the country, people burn the statue of Ghanta Karna on this night to drive away the devil once again.

Naga Panchami Festival

On this day, the whole country pays homage to the snake god Naga, who is believed to have magical powers to control rain. Naga portraits are placed on the doors of every house, and offerings are made to the snake god, including a bowl of rice.

Janai Purnima Festival

On the day of the full moon, all the high castes (sati and brahmins) are to change the Janai that is tied to their left shoulder. Hindu devotees also make pilgrimages on this day to the Kambeshwa Temple in Kok Kant, the Lakes and Patan.

Gai Jatra Festival

The Newari people believe that after death, the soul will be led by a cow to meet Yama, the king of Hades, and this "cow festival" is dedicated to those who died the previous year. On this day, cows are led through the streets and children dress up as cows (Bhaktapur is especially lively).

Krishna Jayanta Festival

On the birthday of the popular Hindu deity, Krishna, people visit the Krishna temple in Patan to keep vigil for him: oil lamps illuminate the temple and chant all night long.

Teej Festival

Women's Day begins with a party and a feast. By midnight, the women began to fast, for 24 hours. The next day, the women don the red wedding gowns they had when they got married and go to Shiva temples across the country to pray for a happy marriage.

Nepal festival in September

After the rainy season, the weather becomes unpredictable but warmer, the land is busy green, and the higher river levels make this one of the best times for whitewater rafting.

Indra Jatra Festival

This colorful autumn festival combines the Indra celebration with the annual appearance of Goddess Kumari in Kathmandu. The living goddess will parade the streets of the Old Town in a float. The festival also marks the end of the rainy season.

Nepal festival in October

Sweeping views of the Himalayas and comfortable temperatures mark the start of the peak season, with flights, hotels, and trekking lodges in high demand, so book well in advance. Eid al-Adha can cause inconvenience to some services.

Pachali Bhairab Festival

Pachali Bhairab is one of the fearful phases of Bayrab, which is celebrated on the fourth day of the two brightest moonlit weeks in September or early October. The bloodthirsty nature of Bayrab means that many animals will be spared during this festival.

Dashain Festival

Nepal is the biggest festival of the year and lasts for 15 days. It was established to celebrate the victory of Goddess Durga over evil spirits. Hundreds of thousands of animals are slaughtered across the country, and bamboo branches are erected at the entrance of villages.

Fulpati Festival

It is an important day during Eid al-Adha. On this day, people would bring a jar full of flowers from Gorkha to Kathmandu and present it to the president in Tondikar Square. The flowers symbolize the goddess Taleju and are then transported to Durbar Square in a palanquin.

Maha Ashtami Festival

Also known as the "Great Eighth Day", also known as "Kala Ratri", or "Black Night", this day marks the beginning of the sacrifice to Goddess Durga. At midnight, in the courtyard of a temple near Durbar Square, eight buffaloes and 108 goats are headed, each killing with a sword or a knife.

Navami Festival

The second day of Maha Ashtami continues with the sacrifice at the Kot Courtyard in Kathmandu: visitors can see the blood sacrifice with their own eyes, but come early to take advantage of it. Blood would be spilled on car tires (and the wheels of Nepal Airlines airliners), and families would eat goat meat that night.

Vijaya Dashami Festival

The tenth day of Eid al-Adha is a family holiday: people send greeting cards and greetings to each other, and parents put a tika (red dot) on the forehead of their children. In the evenings, people celebrate Rama's victory over the demon king Ravana in the Ramayana with parades and mask dances.

Kartika Purnima Festival

The day of the Full Moon in September or October marks the end of Eid al-Adha. Many families get together to gamble: you'll see even small children taking a few silver coins and hopefully participating in the locals' gambling games.

Tihar Festival

Eid al-Id (the third day of the celebration, also known as Diwali or Deepawali) is the second largest Hindu festival in Nepal. The festival celebrates certain animals, beginning with the offering of rice to the crow (the death messenger sent by the Yama), followed by dogs (who lead the spirits across the river of death), cows and young bulls.

Deepawali Festival

On the third day of Eid al-Adha, Laxmi, the goddess of wealth, descends to care for those who welcome her with lamps. No one would refuse the goddess of wealth, so the whole of Nepal was lit up with candles and lamps.

Newari New Year Festival

The fourth day of Eid al-Animals is also the beginning of the New Year for the Newari people in the Kathmandu Valley. The second day is called Bhai Tika, and it is a day for siblings to gather and give each other gifts such as candy and money, and they will place tika on each other's foreheads.

Haribodhini Ekadashi

The 11th day after the New Year. Legend has it that on this day Vishnu would wake up from the four-month slumber of the rainy season. The best place to watch the day's festivities is in Budhanikantha, north of Kathmandu with the statue of Vishnu.

Nepal festival in November

The succession of good weather makes this time the second golden season for Nepal to visit, especially for outdoor activities and trekking. The number of visitors will drop by the end of the month.

Kartik Dances

During the festival, Patandura Square is a sea of joy made up of music and dance. The origins of this festival can be traced back to the 17th century in Sidinarashiha. King Marat ordered the design of dance moves during the sacrifice. Dancers wear masks to play the gods Nassingha and the devil Hiranyakashipu.

Mani Rimdu

This very popular Sherpa festival is held at the Thien Poche Monastery in the Solu Khumbu region and features mask dancing and Tibetan opera. Please log in for the exact time www.tengboche.org Another dance festival took place six months later at the nearby Thami Temple

Nepal festival in December

Winter makes Kathmandu's nights exceptionally cold, and morning fog often causes flight delays. Snowfall can cause snow to accumulate on high-altitude hiking trails and make it impossible to pass through, and a visit to Everest Base Camp is an absolute test of your willpower.

Bala Chaturdashi

Held at the end of November or the beginning of December, devotees gather at the Pashupatinath temple to light butter lamps at night, throw grains of grain for the deceased, and bathe in the sacred Bagmati River.

Sita Bibaha Panchami Festival

Tens of thousands of devotees from the South Asian subcontinent gathered in Janakpur (Sita's birthplace) to celebrate Sita's marriage to Rama. During the procession, the wedding will be staged anew. Carry the image of Rama with an elephant to the Sita Temple.

WorldElephant Polo Championships

Fans of this unique race gather every year on the Meghauli airport runway near Tiger Tops for the five-day annual elephant ball tournament. Elephants lying down in front of the goal or eating the polo will betray the foul.

Pokhara street festival

Half a million visitors come to the Pokhara Street Food Festival, which takes place before the Gregorian New Year, every year to enjoy street food, float parades and cultural performances. Remember to book your accommodation in advance.