RELIGION
Religious practices are an important part of the lives of the Nepalese people. Mythologies of various Hindu gods and goddesses abound in this country and cultural values are based on the philosophies of holy books like the Gita, Ramayana, etc.

Though Nepal is the only Hindu Kingdom in the world, many other religions like Islam, Christianity, and Bon are practiced here. Some of the earliest inhabitants like the Kirats practice their own kind of religion based on ancestor worship and the Tharus practice animism. Over the years, Hinduism and Buddhism have been influenced by these practices which have been modified to form a synthesis of newer beliefs.

As a result, visitors to this country may often find the religious practices in Nepal difficult to follow and understand. But this does not prevent one from enjoying the -different traditional ceremonies and rituals of Nepalese culture. It is indeed a totally new experience of religious favor.

In Nepal, Hinduism and Buddhism are the two main religions. The two have co-existed down the ages and many Hindu temples share the same complex as, Buddhist shrines. Hindu and Buddhist worshippers may regard the same god with different names while performing religious rites.

Nepal has been declared as a secular country by the Parliament on May 18, 2006. Religions like Hindusim Buddhism, Islam, Christianity, and Bon are practiced here. Some of the earliest inhabitants like the Kirats practice their own kind of religion based on ancestor worship and the Tharus practice animism. Over the years, Hinduism and Buddhism have been influenced by these practices which have been modified to form a synthesis of newer beliefs.

In Nepal, Hinduism and Buddhism are the two main religions. The two have co-existed down the ages and many Hindu temples share the same complex as, Buddhist shrines. Hindu and Buddhist worshippers may regard the same god with different names while performing religious rites.

Hinduism: Thousands of gods and goddesses make up the Hindu pantheon. Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva are the three major Hindu gods who have their own characteristics and incarnations. Each god has his own steed which is often seen kneeling faithfully outside that god’s temple. Symbolic objects are carries by the multiple hands of each deity which empowers them to perform great feats.

Buddhism: Sakyamuni Buddha is the founder of Buddhism who lived and taught in this part of the world during the sixth century BC. The great stupas of Swayambhunath and Boudhanath are among the oldest and most beautiful worship sites in the Kathmandu Valley.

The spinning of prayer wheels, prostrating pilgrims, collective chants and burning butter lamps are some Buddhist practices often encountered by tourist. A slip of paper bearing a mantra is kept inside the wheels so that prayers are sent to the gods when the wheel is spun. Scenes from the Buddha’s life and Buddhist realms are depicted on thangka scroll paintings which are used during meditation and prayer ceremonies. Many Buddhist followers are seen performing these practices in Swayambhunath , Boudhanath, and at other Buddhist sites around the Valley.

FESTIVALS
We have more festivals than days in a year.  Dasain, celebrated nationwide in October, is the most important of all Nepalese celebrations and features the biggest animal sacrifice of the year. Running a close second is Tihar (November), but unlike Daisan, animals are honored rather than slaughtered. Other festivals celebrated nationally include the water-tinged Holi (March) and Chaitra Daisan (April), which is yet another bad day for animals. Hindu festivals number the Haribodhini Ekadashi (November) and Maha Shivaratri (March), both celebrated in Pashupatinath, the Gai Jatra (August) in Kathmandu and the Krishna Jayanti (August/September) in Patan. Buddhist celebrations are just as thick on the ground, and include Mani Rimdu (November) in Solu Khumbu, Buddha Jayanti (May) in Kathmandu, and Losar (Tibetan New Year) (February) in Swayambhunath, Jawlakhel and highland communities.

MAIN RELIGIOUS FESTIVALS

NEW YEAR (NAWA BARSA)
Venue: all over the country
Date: 01st day of the 01st month according to the Nepali calendar (mid Apr/May)

MATA TIRTHA (Mother's Day)
Venue: Mata Tirtha, Kathmandu
Date: Apr/May

This is one of the widely celebrated festivals that falls on the first month, Baisakh (April/May), of the Nepali Year. It is also called Mata Tirtha Aunsi as it falls on a new moon night. Mother's Day symbolizes love, affection for living mother and memory for dead mother. It is also the day of 'Looking at Mother's Face'. For the living, it is a reminder to pray for their souls. In this day, a special Mela is organized at Mata Tirtha. There are two pools at Mata Tirtha, the lower one is bigger and used for bathing. The smaller, upper one is called the pond f "Looking at Mother's Face", for it is believed, or was believed, one could see the face of one's mother in the pool's reflection.

MANI RIMDU
Venue: The monastery of Thame, one day walk to the west of Namche Bazaar the main hub-bub of the highest Sherpaland. Tengboche Monastery.
Date: Apr/May
(Full moon of the 9th Tibetan month) Mani Rimdu is the biggest event of the year for the Sherpas of the Khumbu region. Sherpas from the Khumbu region congregate at Thyangboche Gompa, the picturesque monastery situated on a spur at 3,870 meters from where both Mt. Everest and Ama Dablam can be seen.

THE TEECHI
Venue: Mustang Region
Date: May

The Teechi (oftern pronounced "Teeji") festival is an annual event indigenous to Lo-Manthang (Upper Mustang). The name is an abbreviation of the word "Tempa Chirim" which translates as "Prayer for World Peace". This festival commemorates the victory of Lord Buddha's incarnation "Dorjee Sonnu" over a demon called Man Tam Ru a vicious creature feeding on human beings and causing storms and droughts. The Teeji festival usually takes place during the last week of May and lasts fro 3 days. Dances performed by the monks of Lo Manthang's "choedhe" monastery during the celebration display. The harassment of Ma Tam Ru Ta (in a dance called "Tsa Chham" on the first day), the birth of Dorjee Sonnu as the demon's son (on the second day called "Nga Chham"), the attempt to return the demon tolord Buddha's realm (on the third and final day). The Teeji festival dances are all organized by the Choedhe Monastery, which is that of the Sakya sect of Lo Manthang. The monastery abbot is Khempo Tasi Tenzing Rimpoche. Altogether about 65 monks from Lo Manthang, Nhenyul and Chhosyer live in the monastery.

BUDDHA JAYANTI
Venue: Boudhanath / Shoyambhunath, Kathmandu
Date: Full moon night-May/June

This day is celebrated to mark the birthday of the Lord Buddha which dates back in about 543 BC it falls on Jestha Purnima.

GHANTA KARNA CHATURDASI
This festival celebrates the exorcism of the mythical demon Ghantakarna.It is also called Gathemangal festival which falls on trayodashi of the month Shrawan (July/August).

JANAI PURNIMA
Venue: Throughout Nepal, Specially Pashupati Area and Kumbheswor, Patan
Date: The full moon day of Shrawan (Aug)
A festival to change the sacred thread with the worship of Lord Shiva. Janai Poornima is the day when Hindus change the janai, the sacred thread the men wear on their chests. This full moon day sees flocks of Brahmina (Hindu priests) at the holy riverbanks. They take ritual dips in the water and offer ablution to the gods. They then change their sacred threads and also tie yellow sacred threads around the wrists of the faithful. Newars of the Kathmandu valley call this festival Gunhi Punhi, a soup of different sprouted beans known as kwati, is prepared as the special menu of the day. At Kumbheswar in Patan, a richly deocrated Lingam, the phallic symbol of Lord Shiva, is placed on a raised platform in the middle of the Kumbheswar (Knownti) pond to receive homage from devotees. Another ceremony that takes place here is Byan-ja Nakegu, in which rice is offered to frogs in gratitude for a good rain. In Bhaktapur, as a preclude to Saparu the next day, a Jujuya Ghintan-ghishi (king's carnival) goes around town. The participants dress in outlandish costumes and gambol to the tune of traditional music.

GAIJATRA
Venue: Kathmandu Valley
Date: August - September
The festival of "Gai Jatra" (the procession of cows) which is one of the most popular festivals is generally celebrated in the Nepalese month of Bhadra (August-September).This festival has its roots in the belief that the god of death, Yamaraj, must be feared and hence worshipped.
SHREE KRISHNA JANMASTAMI
Venue: Patan
Date: August - September

Sri Krishna Janmastami marks the celebration of the birth of Lord Sri Krishna. This festival is also known as Krishna Jayanti or Janmashtami. Lord Krishna is regarded as the 8th avatar or 'incarnation' of Lord Vishnu. It falls on Saptami of Bhadra (August/September).

GOKARNA AUNSI (Father’s Day)
Venue: Gokarna, Kathmandu
Date: August
The most auspicious day to honour one's father is Gokarna Aunsi . It falls on the dark fortnight of Bhadra or in August or in early September.It is also known as Kuse Aunsi. The celebration of a father’s day with the worship of Shivalinga at Gokarna. Gokarna Aunsi is a special day set apart for the veneration of one's fathers alive or dead. On this auspicious day, son and daughters offer ritual food, sweets, meat and other gifts to their fathers. The streets are a happy scene with married daughters with loads of goodies making their way to their parents' houses. Ceremony is also known as 'Looking upon father's face'. Those whose fathers are no more mark this day by visiting Gokarna and other sacred spots and worshiping the deities. There they perform anniversary rituals in honor of their departed fathers and offer aims of rice, pulses and coins to the priests.

TEEJ
Venue: Pashupatinath, Patan, Krishna temple and Shankhu
Date: From 2nd to the 5th of bright Bhadra (August)

"Teej" is the fasting festival for women. Through this religious fasting, Hindu women pray for marital bliss, wellbeing of their spouse and children and purification of their own body and soul. It takes place on Tritiya of Bhadra (August/September). The three day long festival of women. Dancing, folk songs, and the red color of women's wedding sarees dominate the day of Teej, a Hindu festival of womanhood. The day recals the heavenly occassion when Parbati, daughter of the Himalay, won the hand of Lord Shiva after severe meditation and fasting. On the first day, mothers send gifts of food and sarees to their daughters' houses, and groups of women gather together to feast. At midnight, the women begin a fast in emulation of Parbati. The second day is for worship, in the early morning of the third day, women in red flock to the Pashupatinath temple, the great temple of Lord Shiva. The married ones ask for a happy and productive marriage and a long life for the their husbands, and those yet to tie the nuptial knot ask for an ideal husband.

INDRA JATRA
Venue: Kathmandu
Date: August / September
This festival falls in the end of Bhadra (August/September). Both Hindus and Buddhists unite to celebrate the festival of Indra Jatra with great enthusiasm.

DASHAIN
Venue: Important Hindu temples all over Nepal, Kathmandu Durbar Square
Date: September / October

The longest Hindu festival of Nepal, Traditionally celebrated for two full weeks with the animal sacrifice to Durga the Universal Mother Goddess. The great harvest festival of Nepal, Dasain is a time of family reunion, the exchange of gifts and blessings, profuse pujas, ritual bathing and animal sacrifices. Dasain honors the goddess Durga, who was created out of the shakti energy of all the gods, armed with weapons from each of them. Goddess Durga, sumbolizing valor and prowess, is worshipped and offered animal sacrifices for the devotees' progress prosperity. During the first 10 days, pilgrims throng various river confluences early in the morning and sacred shrines in the evening. Ghatasthapana, Phool Pati, Mahaastami, Nawami and Vijaya Dashami are the series of the events under Dasain.On Dashami, men and women in their fineries visit their elders to seek tika (a dab of red vermilion mixed with yogurt and rice). Sword precessions (Paayaa) are also held in various part of the Kathmandu Valley. The last day, known as Kojagrat Purnima, is the full moon. From this day onwards, Hindu women begin a month-long fast, many in residence at Pashupatinath. New clothes, home visits, grand feasts, kite flying and village swings are the highlights of Dasain.

TIHAR / DIPAWALI
Venue: Family House
Date: It begins on 2nd day of dark Kartik and continues until the 3rd of bright Kartik (Oct./Nov.)

The 5 day long festival of lights, honoring Yama, God of Death. 1 st day is to worship a crow informant of Yama. 2 nd day is dogs day, dog is the agent of Yama. 3 rd day is the day to worship Laxmi the goddess of wealth. 4 th day is the self-respect day also a day for draught animal, oxen. 5 th day is the brothers day. This festival is a time of lights and tinsel decorations, fancy sweets and juicy fruits. The celebrations begin with the adoration of crows and dogs. Leaf dishes of rice, incense and light are set out for the dark messenger, while dogs areworshiped and offered goodies. In the period of Tihar Laxmi, the Goddess of Wealth is worshipped. Rows of lamps are placed on windows and doors, with the strong hope that Laxmi, the Goddess of Wealth, is worshipped. Rows of lamps are placed on windows and doors, with the strong hope that Laxmi pleased to reside in light. The following day belongs to the cow, representative of Laxmi. Laxmi Puja, Gobardhan Puja and BhaiTika are the series of event under Tihar. In the day of Bhai Tika sisters and brothers get together and accept Tika from each other. This day is called as Brothers' Day. Brothers and sisters honor each other on this day and sisters pray to Yama, the God ofDeath, for their brothers' progress, prosperity and longevity.

 MAGHE SANKRANTI
Venue: Family House
Date: Mid December
Maghe Sankranti is the beginning of the holy month of Magh, usually the mid of January. It brings an end to the ill-omened month of Poush (mid-december) when all religious ceremonies are forbidden. Even if it is considered the coldest day of the year, it marks the coming of warmer weather and better days of health and fortune.

SHREE PANCHAMI
Venue: Hindu Temple
Date: It begins on 2nd day of dark Kartik and continues until the 3rd of bright Kartik (Oct. / Nov.)
This festival falls in mid Magh (January/February).It is celebrated as the birthday of Saraswati, the Goddess of Learning. She is the lily-white daughter of Shiva and Durga in spotless white robe and seated in a full-blown lotus. This day is also dedicated to the martyrs of Nepal and hence celebrated as Martyr's Day.

MAHA SHIVA RATRI
Venue: Pashupatinath Temple, Kathmandu
Date: February / March

All year Pashupatinath attracts pilgrims, sadhus, devotees and mendicants, but on this day the visitors are in the tens of thousands. Many are from India or the Terai and begin arriving a few days before, some camping out in the vicinity of the temple. Shiva's sacred day begins at midnight but devotees don't really begin to crowd the ghats till sunrise. Then the populace begin streaming in, past a tremendous variety of sadhus, mendicants of various types and deformities, devotees performing roadside penances (standing with a small trident thrust through the tongue, being buried up to the neck, etc.) and merchants hawking everything from puja kits to kitchenware. Hindus pay homage to the scared lingam inside the temple and then bathe, or at least splash a little, in the river. The family takes part in afternoon rites at Tundikhel parade ground, receiving a 31- gun salute at the end. The King and his entourage pay homage to Shiva in the evening, when the whole tempo of the activity there has picked up, especially the musical side. Hundreds of sadhus reside in attendance camps 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. It gets chilly in the evening, but there are usually several fires and lively scenes going at least till midnight, when the consecrated time elapses. In Bhaktapur, devotees honor Shiva by paying a visit to the Dattatreya Temple in Tachapal and people in other towns and villages of the valley.

FAGU PURNIMA (Holi)
Venue: All over Nepal
Date: March

Holi celebrates the death of the demoness Holika. This wicked woman, who was supposed to be invulnerable to fire, tried many times to kill her nephew, an ardent devotee of Lord Vishnu. In the end she put the boy on her lap and set fire beneath them, thinking he would be burned up and she would escape. But instead the boy remained unharmed and Holika, to her surprise, immolated herself. The rites of this festival celebrate her end. Fagu Poornima begins the first day with the raising of the Chir pole about noon in front of Kumari house in Basantapur. Holi is known as 'playing with color' festival. Young and old, especially the children throw bags of water or handful of colored powder at each other and make it pleasure. In Terai region, they celebrate it the next day when people of valley celebrate it

GHODE JATRA (Festivals of horse, Army day)
Venue: Tundikhel, Kathmandu
Date: 14th of dark fort night of Chaitra (Mar)

Ghode Jatra, the Horse Racing Day falls on Darhsa Shrad Aunsi of the month Chaitra (March/April). A grand horse parade takes place at Tundikhel, the central point of the city reputed to have been in the former days the largest parade ground in Asia.

SHREE RAM NAWAMI
Venue: Ram Janaki Temple in Janakpur and other Ram Temples
Date: Chitra (March / April)

Ram Nawami is celebrated in the mid of Chaitra (March/April) as Lord Ram's Birthday. It is celebrated with much pomp at Janaki temple in Janakpur city, which lies in southern Nepal.
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. Sacrificing of roosters, goats, and buffaloes at temples are main activities of this day.

BAGH JATRA
Venue: Pokhara
Date: August
The Bagh Jatra of Pokhara is another cultural baggage brought by Newars from Kathmandu, celebrated in early august. The festival has been celebrated in Pokhara for about 150 years. It expresses the people's joy at their deliverance from a marauding tiger. On the first day, people dress up like hunters and make an appearance accompanied by musical bands. The next day is an interlude devoted to the showing of comic programs. For three days, the hunting party parades through different parts of the town before "slaying" the beast to end the festivities.
BHAIRAB KUMARI JATRA
Venue: Dolkha
Date: August
This is one of the major religious celebrations in Dolkha, an historic town in north-eastern Nepal (133 km from Kathmandu off the highway to Tibet). The festival falls on early August; and consists of masked dances that go on non-stop for five days. Escorted by musical bands, dancers representing the deities Bhairav and Kumari and other gods and goddesses swirl and sway through Dolkha, visiting its many temples. On the occasion, devotees also undergo fasting and worship Bhairav and Kumari. The ceremony has a history going back more than five centuries.

CHAITE DASHAIN
Venue: Hindu temples dedicated to Durga
Date: Chitra (April)
Chaite Dasain used to be the original day of the grand Dasain festival (which takes place exactly six months later now), but because people got their stomachs upset after feasting on spicy food during the warm month of Chaitra, the grand celebration was shifted to the cooler season. But the religious fervor is still evident in the celebrations of the day. 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 commences 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.

GAURA PARBA
Venue: Western Nepal
Date: August / September
Gaura Parva is another celebration honoring Lord Krishna's birthday. It is celebrated in far western Nepal with much gusto for two days (August/September). Apart from the many ceremonies that happen during this festival, it is the occasion for married women to put on the sacred thread. The deuda dance is a major part of the festivities in which participants hold hands and form a circle as they step to traditional music.

GAURA PARBA
Venue: Far western development region
Date: Aug
Towards the end of rainy season far-westerners of Nepal start gathering for Gaura. Gaura festival generally falls on Bhadra Astami. Married women play the main role and worship Shiva-Parvati for the longevity of their husband and peace, prosperity and happiness of their family. It is a group of women working together whose collective efforts not only make this festival service for centuries but also serves an example of unity to the young generation.

GURU PURNIMA
Venue: Temple and School
Date: Jun / July
Teachers come second (after the gods) in the Hindu hierarchy of respect. The full moon day of the month June/July is set aside for students to pay homage to their teachers and receive blessings from them in return. At a place called Vyas on the Kathmandu-Pokhara highway, special worship is performed to Maharishi Vyas, the saint who wrote the great Hindu epic, Mahabharat. For Buddhists, the occasion (Dilla Punhi) is sacred as the day when the Buddha-to-be entered the womb of Queen Mayadevi. Religious functions are held at monasteries and temples to commemorate the event.

LHOSAR
Venue: Boudha Nath, Swyambhunath and Nothern Himalayan Regions
Date: February

Sherpas and Tibetans welcome their New Year with feasts, family visits and dancing. Families put on their finest clothes and jewellery and exchange gifts. Buddhist monks offer prayers for good health and prosperity, and perform dances at the monasteries. Colorful prayer flags decorate streets and rooftops; and 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

RATO MACCHENDRANATH JATRA
Venue: Patan City, the old section, Bungmati
Date: Begins on 1 st day of bright fortnight of Baishakh (May/Jun)

(Begins on the full moon day of Baisakh)This is the longest as well as the most important festival of Patan. It begins with several days of ceremonies and the fabrication of a wooden-wheeled chariot at Pulchowk, near the Ashoka Stupa. About a month long festival of Buddhist rain god. Until a few decades ago, before the Kathmandu Valley became a purely commercial hub, it was an agricultural land, which depended upon the rainy monsoon for its important rice crop. Today, though traditional farming practices have reduced, the premonsoon season still sees great worship made to Red Machhendranath-the rain god. Patan's streets and palace complexes are made even more evocative by warering lamp and candle lights, women busily cooking feasts, and men gathering strength to pull the chariot of their red deity. As Lord Machhendranath views his followers from the high seat of his chariot, its four wheels-representing the powerful Bhairab-receive rice and vermilion powder, the king of serpents is aksed for blessing, and his jeweled vest is shown to the public.

MATA-YAA
Venue: Patan 
Date: The 2nd day of dark Bhadra (Mid Aug)
Celebrated in mid-August Mata-yaa is one of Patan's popular festivals. It consists of a day-long procession of devotees going around the Buddhist courtyards of the town and offering worship at the shrines there. Carrying lighted tapers and joss sticks in their hands, Mata-yaa participants rush in a meandering file and visit the hundreds of Buddhist sites scattered all over Patan. They toss rice grains, flowers and coins at the shrines as they pass by. Some devotees wear elaborate and amusing costumes. Musicians also take part in the parade.

NEEL BARAHI PYAKHAN
Venue: Thimi
Date: August / September
Neel Barahi Pyakhan is a sacred masked dance which is shown over four days (August/September)in different parts of Bode. Nineteen persons representing the town's guardian pantheon take part in the dance performance. Music is provided by a 27-piece traditional orchestra. The ceremony invokes peace and harmony, and is dedicated to the deity Neel Barahi whose temple is located in a jungle outside Bode. Bode adjoins Thimi which is 8 km east of Kathmandu.

RATH YATRA
Venue: Biratnagar 
Date: August / September
Biratnagar in south-eastern Nepal brings out a spectacular chariot procession to mark Lord Krishna's birthday (August/September). The parade sets out from the Radha Krishna temple and goes around the town. The six-meter tall chariot carries the images of Krishna and his consort Radha and is drawn by hordes of devotees. The annual chariot festival was started in 1932 to commemorate the building of a temple dedicated to Krishna.

SITA VIBAHA PANCHAMI
Venue: Janakpur
Date: September
This festival, commemorating the marriage of Sita to Ram, is particularly celebrated in Janakpur. Each year in Janakpur, idols of Ram and sita are brought out in bright processions and their Hindu wedding ceremony is enacted.

TAMU DHEE
Venue: Pokhara
Date: August
Tamu Dhee (also known as Trahonte) is a Gurung holiday (august). Ceremonies are performed to purge the neighborhood of evil spirits and to safeguard one's farm and farm animals from hostile elements. The festival can be observed in Pokhara. Groups of people beating on different kinds of drums form a colorful procession and make house-to-house visits. Participants with their faces smeared with soot and wearing feather headdresses parade through the town to drive away negative influences and ensure peace and security.

TANSEN-JATRA
Venue: Tansen
Date: August
The hilltop town of Tansen in central Nepal exults in a week-long festive spree beginning with Janai Purnima, when Hindus change their sacred threads. The next day, Gai Jatra is marked by parading figures of cows made of bamboo and cloth. Ropai Jatra is the rice planting ceremony and participants perform plowing and planting acts on the streets. During Bagh Jatra, actors dressed up like tigers and hunters march through town. Then there are the parades. Images of Ganesh, Bhimsen and Narayan are placed on palanquins and carried around Tansen. The celebrations climax on August 12 with Bhagawati Jatra, the procession of the town's protective goddess.

YOMARI PUNHI
Venue: Newar Houses
Date: December

Yomari Punhi is one of the popular Newar festivals observed every year during the full moon of December. A yomari is a confection of rice-flour (from the new harvest) dough shaped like fig and filled with brown cane sugar and sesame seeds, which is then steamed. As the new rice is brought in, the farmers of theValley prepare for Yomari Punhi, an offering to the gods in thanks for the abundant harvest.The yomari is a special cake made from the flour of new rice. A shell of dough is filled with melted raw sugar and sealed. After the cake is steamed, it is present-ed to the gods as offering. Later it is eaten as blessed food. Thus each year, when the storerooms are full and the farmer's toil has been rewarded, the gods are thanked for their benevolence and generosity.

SITHI
Venue: Jaisideval in down town Kathmandu
Date: The 6th day of dark Jestha (Jun)
A day choosen for cleaning ponds and wells combined with the worship of the mother earth and Kumara, the six headed god of warfare.

GHANTAKARNA
Venue: The crossroads more colourful in the countryside.
Date: The 14 th day of dark Shrawan. (Jul/Aug)

It is a festival designed to celebrate the death of a demon. Gathan-muga signals the end of the riceplanting season and the beginning of the autumn festival season. The festival itself (known varioulsy as Gathemangal and Ghantakarna) represents a ritual detoxification of the city. Evil sprits that might have sneaked in during the rice-planting season on the farmers or on their tools are banished outside the urban limits to preserve the city's harmony. Effigies of the Ghantakarna demons are ereected at street intersections in the morning. Girls hang dolls on them and people wear iron rings on their fingers to ward off evil sprits. A man wearing war paint all over this body goes about begging for money. At the end of the day, the effigy is taken down. The painted man is made to sit on it holding a fire torch and the neighborhood kids drag it away to the riverbank. Householders then place pots of cooked rice at the crossroads as food for the evil sprits. Iron nails are also hammered into the door lintels to keep them out, because the spooks are terrified of iron.

NAG PANCHAMI
Venue: Taudaha & Pashupati
Date: The 5th day of bright Shrawan. (Jul/Aug)

It is a day chosen to worship the naga (sacred snakes) and pray for the protection from the flood and other water related fears. This day honors the Nagas, the snake-gods, who in Nepal are associated with rain. The festival honors an ancient victory of a king, who was also a Tantric master, over the nagas, who had been withholding the rain. The king forced their submission by casting magic spells over them. Worship of the Nagas on this day, a compromise the conqueror graciously bestowed, insures there will be no drought. Nepalese purchase Naga portraits from the street stalls the day before and on the morning of Naga Panchami attach these over their doorways. They then perform a small puja and leave a food offering in the yards and paddies for the snakes.

KRISHNAASTAMI
Venue:  Patan Durbar Square and Krishna temples in the country
Date: The 8 th of dark Bhadra (Aug)

The birthday of Lord Krishna. Lord Krishna, the dark god who taught warrior Arjuna the value of Kama in the Bhagwad Gita, was born at midnight on the eight day of the dark moon of August. To celebrate the birthday of this much-loved Hindu god, devotees flock to the Drishna Mandir in Patan on the preceding day. There, men and women from far away gather around the 17th century temple and sit in vigil waiting for the midnight hour. Euphoric prayers and incantations fill the air, and small oil lmaps are lit as a mark of felicitation and devotion to the deity. Images of Lord Krishna are also carried around the city in a procession accompanied by joyous crowds of followers and musical bands.

CHHATH
Venue: Terai region
Date: Oct / Nov

The worship of Surya, the Sun God, attracts thousands of pilgrims to the holy town of Janakpur in southeastern Nepal. Devotees from Nepal and India throng the ancient city to worship at the Janaki temple and take ritual baths in the rivers and ponds. Devotees light lamps, sing songs and spend the night before Chhath Parva at the banks of rivers and ponds to greet the coming of the god. As the fiscal rays of the sun blaze from the sky, devotees scramble to offer prayers, holy water, fruits, coconuts and sacred threads. They pray to the sun for protection fromskin diseases.

BASANTA - PANCHAMI (Shree-Panchami)
Venue: Kathmandu Valley and other parts of the country
Date: Feb

Basanta Panchami or Shree Panchami Honors the deities of knowledge and learning. Hindus honor the goddess Saraswati, and Buddhists the god Manjushree. Basanta Panchami announces the advent of spring, with official ceremonies at Hanuman Dhoka. The day is also considered one of the auspicious in the year to get married. On this day upper caste Hindu boys are given their first initiation as it is dedicated to learning. Most popular is the especially school children, line up from sunrise. People aslo flock to Saraswati Kunda in Patan. Ceremonies assoicated with the instruments of art and learning-books, pens, brushes, etc. take place at home. Traditionally, children are given their first alphabet lesson this day.