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Rato Matsyendranath Festival
by Utsav Shakya - Travel Times
It was a cold winter’s day in the Nepali month of Poush (November-December) when an inspection team from Kathmandu set off for Makwanpur in the southern belt of the country. The purpose of their visit was to search for, and choose, the perfect tree to cut down in [...]
Saga Dawa is an important Tibetan Buddhist festival, held each year on the full moon day of the fourth lunar month of the Tibetan calendar. The festival marks the anniversary of Lord Buddha’s enlightenment and earthly death. Mt. Kailash is the most important place to celebrate this festival. During the festival pilgrims raise a new [...]
Monsoons are underway and life at the farmsteads in Nepal are abuzz with planting activity.The farmers and their families are busy from dawn till dusk, ploughing the field, planting rice saplings in the wet and muddy earth, all the while singing folk songs and trying to complete their day’s work before dusk falls. The fields [...]
Buddha Jayanti / Purnima
Location: All over Nepal
Date: May 9th, 2009
Buddha Jayanti celebrates the three most important events in Gautam Buddha’s life: his birth, his attainment of enlightenment and ‘nirvana’ or his departure from the mortal world. It is widely celebrated on a full moon night in Baisakh (April / May).
Photos of Lumbini
A fair is held [...]
Bisket Jatra celebration in Thimi, Bhaktapur
Bisket Jatra is one of the most colorful and boisterous celebration in Bhaktapur.In Thimi, the local crowd celebrate it by carrying the palanquins of Hindu deities across the town square. People smear and throw vermilion , as they carry the palanquin of the deities. Yomaris (Newari rice cake prepared especially [...]
Fagu Purnima or Holi
Holi or Fagu Purnima is the festival of colours. Holi is a symbolic commemoration of a legend from Hindu Mythology. The story centres around a proud king who resents his son Prahlada worshipping Lord Vishnu. He attempts to kill his son but fails each time. Finally, the king’s sister Holika who is [...]
Mahashivaratri is celebrated in honor of Lord Shiva, one of the deities of Hindu Trinity. Shivaratri falls on the moonless night of the new moon in the Hindu month of Fagun.
According to a popular legend, Shivaratri marks the wedding day of Lord Shiva and Parvati. Some believe that it was on the auspicious night of Shivaratri [...]
In the recently concluded International Elephant Festival held in Chitwan, Explore Himalaya’s exclusive partner Asia World Enterprise repeated last year’s winning performance by securing first place at the 5th International Elephant Race. As in the previous year, the Asia World bagged the coveted trophy.
The 5th International Elephant Race Trophy
Maghe Sakranti
Date: 14th Jan 2009
Maghe Sakranti is an auspicious Nepalese festival that falls on the first day of the month of Maghaccording to Nepalese calendar. This festival is said to bring an end to Poush an unfavorable month, when all religious ceremonies are halted. From this day onwards the sun changes its course from the [...]
Autumn is a season for festivals in Nepal. Two major festivals falls during autumn: Dashain and Tihar.
Tihar, also known as Deepawali, lasts for five days. The five day festivities mark the worship of various Hindu deities and celebration among families, relations and friends. Pujas(worship), lights, colors, flowers, new clothes, feasts and merriment, all these make [...]