Festivals And Celebrations In Kathmandu in 2024 / 2025
Holi is the festival of colours and also the significance of the victory of good against evil. It is celebrated in Fagupurnima, which is in February and March every year. The Hindus primarily celebrate Holi festival as a day commemorating the death of the evil asura Holika. People share sweets and love with each other, put colours and water on each other, and enjoy it. Lots of people also prefer to drink bhang lassi during this festival. It is celebrated for two days. This festival not only brings colour to a day, it also gives people hope to do good, joy in their faces, and love among each other.
Holi Festival Dates in 2025
- 13 March 2025, around Kathmandu
- 14 (March 2025, inside Terai Region)
Vijaya Dashami Festival in Kathmandu
Vijaya Dashami is considered to be the biggest festival for Nepalese people. Even though it is a Hindu festival, everyone enjoys it. The translation of Vijaya Dashami outcomes to be victory and ten days is from the Hindu mythical belief that goddess Durga purified the world from evil by killing them in those ten days, and that’s why it is celebrated for ten days at the time of October and November annually. It is also called Dashain. The first day is Ghatasthapana, when people put mixed grains in the soil to grow jamara. And the days pass, with different rituals performed each day. On the eighth day, people make swings to play and hunt down goats as Bali to goddess Durga, and on the last day, people put on tika and blessings from the elder ones, and Dashain is over. During this festival, people clean their surroundings, eat good food, and wear new clothes. This festival brings joy and happiness to every face and lets them drown in joy.
- Dashain Festival Dates: October 10 to October 15, 2024
Tihar Festival in Kathmandu
Tihar is one of the biggest festivals in the Hindu community. This is a festival about brothers and sisters and their love. This festival comes just a short time after Dashain ends. It is celebrated for five days, with each day celebrating and respecting different things and animals. First-day Kaag (Crow) Tihar, when the birds crow, known as a messenger for humans, is worshipped, then Kukur (Dog) Tihar, a dog who guards our houses, is worshipped. Then Laxmi puja and Gai puja, goddesses of wealth Laxmi and cow, are worshipped. On this day, girls play Bhaili, singing and dancing in traditional costumes. Also, the houses are decorated and lit up with lights and candles to win over darkness. Next is Govardhan puja; the ox, who is crucial for farmers and is a sign of Lord Shiva, is worshipped, and likewise, the boys sing deusi songs. The last day is Bhai Tika. Sisters give seven-colored tika to their brothers, give good food, and put on malas made of Makhamali flowers in the belief that the Lord of Death Yamaraj will extend their brother's life. In exchange, brothers gift their sister's beautiful dresses with money and other things they want. Overall, this festival brings light in the dark and respect to the animals too.
- Tihar Festival Dates: 1 November to 5, 2024
Chhath Parba Celebration In Kathmandu
This auspicious occasion is celebrated all over the country, but especially in the southeastern part of Nepal. Amazingly, mainly women in Terai and the inner Terai celebrate it. It is celebrated for three days in November. The sun is worshipped in this festival, praying it to keep them away from diseases. The first day includes cleaning the environment. The second day is for collecting various fruits, food, and nuts. People gather around the bank of the river at the end of the day and light up oil lamps and let them float in the water, which is the best thing to witness at that time. And on their last day, they worship the sun and pray for a disease-free life.
- Chhath Festival Dates: November 7, 2024
Gaijatra Festival in Kathmandu
Gaijatra is one of the beautiful festivals celebrated for a beautiful reason. The Newar community is primarily responsible for celebrating this amazing festival. The day to celebrate is set according to the Lunar Nepal Era, which falls in August or September. According to Hindu myth, when King Pratap Malla lost his son, the queen got stuck in the grief of his death. Then the king decided to bring out a rally of people who had lost someone once in their lives. There was almost every family; this helped the queen and king to diminish the grief and move on. That day onward, they decided to dedicate a day of the year to the memory and respect of the dead, and the holy animal cow, which helped them in the way of heaven, was brought out. In this way, this festival started to be celebrated, and people on that day came out for a rally with cows and other things reflecting dead ones. This festival brings out hope for people to overcome their grief and accept the rule of nature.
- Gai Jatra Festival Date: August 10, 2025
The biggest festival that Hindus observe in Nepal is Shivaratri. It is the festival to worship Lord Shiva and Shakti and their greatness. This festival is celebrated on February 26th, 2025. It is a myth that the stars of the northern hemisphere, which raise a person’s spiritual energy, are at the optimum distance, and it is also believed that Lord Shiva performed the Tandava cosmic dance on that day. The main centre of this celebration is Shree Pashupatinath, who is also considered the guardian of Kathmandu. The pilgrims from different places gather and chant songs of Shiva, like Om Nama Shivaya or the chant called Mahamrityunjya Jaap. People sit all around a bonfire and stay awake the whole night, filled with the love of Shiva. Learn More about the Shivaratri Festival in Nepal
- Maha Shivaratri Festival Date in 2024: Feb 26, 2025
It is the biggest street festival celebrated inside the valley. This festival is also known as Yenya (ye = Kathmandu and ya = celebration), which means celebration inside Kathmandu. This festival was initiated in the 10th century to celebrate the foundation of Kathmandu by King Guna Kaam Dev. This festival is celebrated for eight days, from the 12th day of the bright fortnight to the 4th day of the dark fortnight. The best venue for the Indra Jatra festival is Basantapur Durbar Square, where people gather, play cultural instruments, and enjoy themselves. A pole (branchless tree) is decorated and carried out in different streets of Kathmandu on this occasion.
- Indra Jatra Festival Dates: September 15, 2024 to September 21, 2024
Bisket Jatra in Bhaktapur
It is the centrepiece of festivals. It is the Jatra of the Golden Chariot. This festival is celebrated in mid-April, the last day of the Nepali calendar. A golden chariot is pulled over the streets until it reaches Khalna Tole. When it reaches there, a pole about 25 metres high is held up and demolished the next day as a symbol of ending the day and turning it into a new year. Locals support this public event by applying tika to their children, bringing the new year to life in this way.
- Bisket Jatra Festival dates: April 12 and 13, 2025
Sindoor Jatra { Sindur Jatra }
Sindoor Jatra is another big celebration in Madyapur Thimi, Bhaktapur, Nepal. Festival of colour, chariots, and Newari traditional music. For more details about Sindoor Jatra Thimi Festival
- Sindoor Jatra Festival Dates: 2025, April 14 (From 5 pm onward till 10 pm) and April 15 (from 8 am till late evening)
Seto Machindranath Rath Jatra (Kathmandu)
Consistently, the Seto Machindranath Rath Jatra begins around March (Chaitra Sukla Aastami). This year, the Jatra began on April 16, 2024. The Seto Machindranath (White Machindranath or Machhendranath) is viewed as the divine force of rain and the god for good harvesting. Seto Machindranath Rath Jatra is a traditional festival of the Newar people. During the festival, the statue of Seto Machindranath is carried up to Jamal Tindhara (Durbar Margh) in a small chariot. The statue is then transferred to a bigger chariot, which will be pulled around the core areas of Ason, Hanumandhoka (Kathmandu Durbar Square), Jaisideval, and Lagan.
- Seto Machindranath Jatra Festival Dates: 2024, April 16, 17, and 18
Upper Mustang Tiji Festival Dates
Women in Nepal celebrate Hartalika Teej as a celebration of their husbands' long lives and their committed marriage, which will last until their deaths and those of all future generations. Teej is followed to promote marital harmony and the health of one's partner and children, as well as to purify one's own body and spirit. The most well-known event among Nepali women is Teej. The folklore and dances give Teej's traditional values a richer flavour. It is amazing to witness ladies coming to the temple in a fasting and holy spirit while dressed in "red" and dancing and singing in public. Hari-Talika Teej is another name for Teej. Hindu ladies from Nepal commemorate this event all over the world.
- Teej Festival Dates: August 26, 2025
