Here are some key highlights of culture and tourism related updates of Nepal in 2017:

Culture

Culture is one important area that describes Nepal as a whole.

In a move promoting its culture, Nepal, in 2017, discussed and signed key agreements to strengthen cultural ties with its ally countries.

Very recently, Sri Lanka and Nepal entered into an agreement to boost cultural tourism between the two countries.

Taking ahead the Indo-Nepal cultural ties, a group of pilgrims recently began their 2-week long pilgrimage to India.

Apart from the above, Nepal celebrated its famous annual festivals such as Dashain, Tihar, Kanya Puja, Gaijatra, Indra Jatra, Janai Purnima, Krishna Janmashtami, among others.

Tourism

Tourism is one important area of focus for Nepal owing to the country’s dependence on tourism revenue.

Despite major natural calamities such as 2015 earthquake, floods in August 2017, among others, Nepali tourism regained its strength in 2017 aiming at a million tourists’ arrival target by the end of 2017.

October 2017 alone witnessed the all-time high of 112,492 tourist arrivals and November was estimated to have more than 130,000 tourists breaking all the past records.

Nepal tourism had gone to a six-year low registering only 538,970 foreign visitors earlier. However, the latest figures over the rise of tourist arrivals appeared as an encouragement to the country’s tourism industry.

Meanwhile, a survey spotted a rise in women mountaineers to Mount Everest, once again proving Nepal’s status as the global destination for adventure sports.

With the rise in tourism activity, Nepal is undergoing a complete transformation in terms of infrastructure and is heading for the completion of key infrastructure projects.

Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) and Lumbini’s Gautam Buddha International Airport (GBIA) are among two infrastructure projects that were deferred until 2019.

Upgradation of Bhairahawa airport, the gateway to the pilgrimage destination of Lumbini in south central Nepal, expansion of the Narayanghat-Mugling road, Kathmandu Ring Road Improvement Project and the reconstruction of monuments & heritage sites (damaged in the 2015 earthquake) are among other key projects that are set to offer needed boost the country’s tourism sector.

Besides, Nepal is also witnessing a lot of hotel construction activity, which is expected to add 4,000 star category rooms to the country by 2020. A dozen hotels are investing more than Rs 40 billion in the Nepali hotel industry.

World Travel Market 2017 is one major event that proved what Nepal means to the world tourism, wherein, a large number of business leaders expressed interest to invest in and collaborate with the Nepali tourism industry.

To overcome the existing drawbacks and offer a better Nepal, the Government of Nepal has postponed its major tourism event Visit Nepal Year 2018 Campaign to 2020 that aims at attracting 1.5 million tourists.

“As we had little time to make preparations for the national campaign, we have decided to reschedule it. However, the ministry will launch a massive marketing campaign in 2019 before starting Visit Nepal Year 2020,” says Ghanshyam Upadhyaya, Tourism Ministry Spokesperson.

In a major announcement to Nepal mountain tourism and dependent communities, the Government of Nepal has also established the Nepal Mountain Academy to ensure high-level education courses in mountaineering.

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Nepal’s longest festival Dashain concluded yesterday with the celebration of Kojagrat Purnima among the country’s Hindu community.

Vijaya Dashami is the tenth and most auspicious day of the festival and marks the celebration of goddess’ victory over the demon Mahisasura.

Following the 10^th day, Nepalese continue the victory celebrations for the next five days and conclude the 15-long Dashain festival on the Kojagrat Purnima day.

This is also the final day for Nepalese receiving tika, jamara, prasad and blessings from their elders.

Jamara (barley sprouts), grown as part of the Dashain rituals, will be removed from the Dashain Ghar on this day and immersed in holy rivers.

Marking the Purnima night, the devotees remain awake throughout the night offering special prayers to Goddess Lakshmi for prosperity and wealth.

The Nepali Hindu community strongly believes that the Goddess Lakshmi roams around the earth on this special day and blesses those Ko-jagrat (meaning ‘who is awake’ in Nepali).

Dashain Concludes Welcoming Tihar

Concluding the 15-day long Dashain, the Kojagrat Purnima day also marks the beginning of preparations for the other two important festivals of the Nepal’s biggest festival season i.e. Tihar, the festival of lights, and Chhath.

Tihar falls two weeks after the concluding day of Dashain. This year, it is celebrated from October 19-21, 2017.

Chhath is another important festival of Nepal that is celebrated on October 25, 2017 in 2017.

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Millions of Nepali citizens residing in the Kathmandu Valley leave their capital for homes as part of Dashain celebrations, every year.

This time, 190,000 people have already left the Valley for Dashain celebrations that began on September 21, 2017.

The Metropolitan Traffic Police Division Spokesperson Umesh Ranjit informed this in a statement on September 26, 2017. According to the department, the data includes the number of passengers who left the Valley since September 5, 2017.

Meanwhile, the number of people entering the Valley was found to be minimal.

With the beginning of Dashain 2017, the officials have already taken necessary measures to ensure a conducive environment for the public.

The metropolitan traffic police has set up civic help desks at 12 locations for the passenger convenience.

Additional human resources have also been deployed across the capital to ensure smooth traffic.

The actual festive mood in Nepal began prior to the arrival of Bada Dashain, when thousands of Nepali citizens started thronging to bus stations for early travel booking.

The official data had estimated that millions of people would leave the Valley during the ongoing Nepal’s Biggest Festival Season.

The Nepali Federation of Nepalese National Transport Entrepreneurs (FNNTE) General Secretary Saroj Sitoula estimated around 3-4 million people to leave the Valley for Dashain celebrations. Whereas, the Department of Transport, Nepal had estimated that it would be 2-3 million.

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Nepali Hindus are observing the eighth important day of the 15-day long Dashain festival called Maha Astami, today.

The Maha Astami festival marks the worshipping of one of the significant forms of Goddess Durga called Goddess Mahakali, and the night of this day is celebrated as Kalaratri.

Other key forms of the Goddess including Goddess Lakshmi and Goddess Saraswati are also worshipped on this occasion, considered as the day on which Goddess Durga attained power.

The fervor of worship that began from the first Dashain day and the sacrifice to Goddess Durga increases today.

Religious rituals are performed at Dashain Ghars and devotees visit various shrines of Goddess Durga to offer sacrifices of different animals such as goats, buffaloes and ducks.

Devotees also read the holy Durga Saptashati scriptures and also offer special worship to weapons, vehicles and machinery.

A special Kalaratri worship is performed at midnight at the Dashain Ghar of Hanumandhoka in Kathmandu.

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Fulpati is the second most important event of the 15-day long Dashain festival, celebrated on the seventh day after Ghatsthapana.

As part of the ritual, an assortment of jamara, belpatra, banana stalks and sugarcane sticks tied with red cloth, along with Kalash (filled with holy water on the Ghatsthapana day) is carried to Dashainghar in Hanuman Dhoka of Basantapur, Kathmandu on a decorated palanquin.

Following the tradition, six men of the Magar indigenous nationality carry Fulpati from Gorkha Durbar of the Gorkha district to Jivanpur in Dhading, which is then carried to Kathmandu by six other men belonging to the Kathmandu Brahman community.

Gurujyuko Platoon, Nepali police, Nepali Army and related high-ranking officials, panchebaja bands, decorated kalsyoulis, Asha Gurja team and a special procession in cultural attire leave Hanuman Dhoka for Jamal, to receive Fulpati.

Marking the Fulpati day celebration, the Nepali Army stages a parade at Tundikhel in Kathmandu and various government officials including high-level officials like President offer Tika and Jamara on the occasion.

According to Hanuman Dhoka Herchar Addha Chief Aruna Nakarmi, the Fulpati tradition began during the King Prithvi Narayan Shah’s rule.

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