INSIDE HIMALAYAS | NEPAL | TIBET | BHUTAN
APRIL
14
2019
MAY
18
2019
AUGUST
20
2019
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NEPALI NEW YEAR
This is a major holiday in Nepal. A
particularly lively place to spend the
day is Bhaktapur, where the Bisket Jatra
festival takes place. A huge chariot
carrying the god Bhairab is pulled
through the streets, ending with a chariot
battle at Bhaktapur’s Khalna Tole.
BUDDHA JAYANTI (Buddha’s birthday)
Buddha’s birthday falls on the first full
day of the first month of the Hindu lunar
calendar, and is celebrated by Hindus
as well as Buddhists. It is observed
at Buddhist shrines and monasteries
throughout Nepal, but a particularly
grand ceremony is held at Buddha’s
birthplace in Lumbini, on the Terai. In
Kathmandu, the Tibetan enclave of
Boudhanath is a particularly good place
to watch the festivities.
NAAG PANCHAMI
Naag Panchami falls in the middle of the
monsoon. It is a Hindu festival that worships
the serpent god, Naag. Pictures of Naag
are posted in doorways, and milk is offered
to him. It is believed that worshipping
Naag protects against snakebites. This
festival marks respect to serpents as water
guardians, and to ensure regular rainfall in
the Kathmandu Valley.
www.insidehimalayas.com | By Royal Mountain Travel
INSIDE HIMALAYAS | NEPAL | TIBET | BHUTAN
APRIL
19
2019
MAY
JUNE
2019
MATA TIRTHA AUSHI (MOTHER’S DAY)
On this day, children (including adult
children!) offer sweets, fruits and gifts to
their mothers to show their respect and
gratitude. Those whose mothers have
passed away visit Matatirtha in the west
of Kathmandu, take holy bath and make
offerings in their mother’s memory of
their deceased mothers.
w w w. n e y d o h o t e l . c o m
RATO MACHCHHENDRANATH
This is Nepal’s longest and largest
festival, held in Patan. A large chariot
is built on Pulchowk Road over
several weeks, and finally the god
Machchhendranath is placed inside.
Three days later, the chariot begins its
procession all throughout Patan and
wider Lalitpur, towards Bungamati.
Machchhendranath is the Newar god
of rain, and the festival ushers in the
monsoon.
Tucked away in the Himalayas of Nepal’s Kingdom,
amidst the most scenic area, there lies a Buddhist
Monastery Guest-house in the most peaceful
location alongside Neydo Tashi Choeling Monastery,
just 22km or less than an hour’s drive from the heart
of hectic Kathmandu. It is located in the southwest
corner of the Kathmandu Valley close to Pharping.
www.insidehimalayas.com | By Royal Mountain Travel
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