The celebrations are planned on a grand scale beginning with the traditional #bullfight, as every year. Marking the festival day, the country is going to see exciting bullfighting events across different areas.

The bullfighting event will be seen in Nuwakot and Dhading districts, adjoining the Kathmandu valley, as the major highlight of the #MagheSankranti2020 celebrations in Nepal.

Hundreds of public are going to be seen in Taruka village of Nuwakot district to watch the joyful event.

The local sport has its origin in Taruka village and has been played since some 200 years ago in the 19^th century.

Bullfight in Nepal is different from those in other parts of the world! #NepaliBullFight event includes both bulls and oxen, where they will be fighting continuously for nearly an hour period.

Ethnic appearances by the women of Tharu and Magar communities are going to be other highlights of the day.

‘Maghe Sankranti’ – The Auspicious Day

Maghe Sankranti, which falls on the first day of the Nepali month of Magh as per the lunar calendar, marks the transition of Sun into the Hindu zodiac sign called Makara (Capricorn), putting an end to winter and welcoming the other seasons of the year followed by summer.

As per the tradition, Nepali Hindus visit various holy shrines and rivers to observe traditional pujas and Makar Snan (holy river bath) at the confluence of major rivers on this auspicious day.

While the confluence of the holy Kali Gandaki and Trishuli rivers in Devghat hold great significance, devotees also take holy dips at various other rivers such as Dolalghat, Devghat, Ridi, Triveni and Baraha Kshetra, among others across the country.

A large number of people from Sunsari, Ilam, Morang, Saptari, Siraha, and Jhapa districts and a good number of people from various places of India gathered at Kankai River for Makar Snan, the tradition that is observed every year.

Culture and Tradition for Wellbeing

Marking the celebration as the start of New Year, Nepal’s Tharu community people will visit the Kathmandu Valley’s open ground Tundikhel (to commemorate Maghe Sankranti, the community’s biggest festival).

Meanwhile, the Newar Community also celebrates the festival as Ghyo Chaku Sanlhu with delicious dishes like ghee, chaku and remembering their beloved and departed souls.

As per the tradition, the elders apply a little amount of oil to the younger ones who then proceed for holy dip in sacred rivers. It is believed that sharing and eating ghee and chaku, vegetables and yam and sesame seed candy on the festival day adds to a healthy life.

Another special delicious item, a mixture of black gram and rice with hot spices and ghee, called Khichadi is also served on this auspicious festival day. On the occasion, national leaders President Bidya Devi Bhandari and Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli extended their best wishes to the global Nepali community.

Grand Celebrations

In 2019, a three-day-long fair was held in Gulmi at the pilgrimage site of Ridi of Ruru area at a place, a
tri-junction of Gulmi, Syangja and Palpa districts.

Meanwhile, another big religious fair was also celebrated in Devghat of Chitwan district with thousands of participants gathering at Devghat Dham for taking holy dip and observing the festival rituals.

Tharu community people also gathered at Tundikhel on a larger scale to mark the festival celebrations. Dressed in cultural attire, the community performed various cultural and religious dance shows at the event.

A Special Attraction

The traditional bullfight is one most famous animal sports event played as part of the Maghe Sankranti celebrations across Nepal and India. Commemorating the start of Magh and holy Sankranti festival, traditional bullfight sports event will be held across Nepal on January 15, 2020.

While Magh is also celebrated as the feast of molasses, Nepal’s mountainous district Nuwakot looks at it in a different way.

Marking the start of the Magh, the country observes the annual bullfighting event, a traditional animal sport that dates back to more than 225 years.

“This is the tradition which we (farmers) have continued for years. We have been herding the bulls and the government has been giving allowance to buy the tractors. However, we are not getting any sort of help or aid despite preserving the tradition for long,” says Bhoj Bahadur Bhandari, a participant of this traditional bull sport.

This annual bull-taming festival in Nepal is similar to that of the most-famous Jallikattu in Tamil Nadu of India and the Spanish Bullfight.

Apart from being a tradition, this unique bullfighting event is also adding to the promotion of Nepal tourism.

NepaliSansar team wishes all “Very Happy Maghe Sankranti”.

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Observed as a celebration of the victory of good over evil,  the 15-day Dashain festival falls in the new moon and continues until the full moon in the Hindu month of Ashvin.

As per the Gregorian calendar, Dashain usually falls in the month of September or October and is the time when many Nepalese expatriates return to Nepal to observe the festival in their homeland. During Dashain, Nepal Government offices and many businesses remain closed for 7 days, making it easier for tourists to experience their joy in the country.

A 15-day Dashain

As the longest annual festival of Nepal, Dashain or Navaratri Parba or Bada Dashain marks the start of Nepal’s biggest festival season.

Marking the beginning of this Navaratri festival, devotees today worship Goddess Mahakali, Mahalaxmi and Mahasaraswati at the Dashain Ghar.

During Navaratri, thousands of devotees visit various shrines of Goddess Durga including Shobha Bhagawati, Naxal Bhagawati, Guheswori, Maitidevi, Bhadrakali, Sankata, among others across the country. Ghatasthapana, Fulpati, Maha Ashtami, Maha Nawami and Vijayadashami form the key events of nine-night Navaratri and for the entire festival.

• Ghatasthapana – Ghatasthapana, which falls on Aswin Shukla Pratipada (the first day of the bright half of the lunar calendar in the month of Aswin), marks the beginning of Dashain. As part of this ritual, devotees make a holy pot called Kalash, which will last until the end and is key to the entire festival.On this day, Diyo, Kalash and Lord Ganesh are worshipped as per the Vedic tradition. Apart from that, maize and barley seeds are also sown in a jar with soil and cow dung for successful germination of Jamara (barley sprouts).
• Fulpati – On the Fulpati day, which falls on seventh day of the festival, the Kalash, which is filled with holy water, banana stalks, jamara, sugar cane and tied with red cloth, is carried by Brahmans on a decorated palanquin under a gold-tipped and embroidered umbrella.
• Maha Ashtami – The worship of Goddess Durga begins from the first day of the festival and turns intense on the Maha Ashtami day, wherein devotees offer sacrifices to Goddess Durga and Kali. The night of this day is called ‘Kal Ratri’, the dark night.
• Maha Nawami – Dashain is symbolized by the victory of Goddess Durga over the demon Mahisasura. After nine days of fierce battle (representing Navaratri) with the demon, the Goddess finally kills Mahisasura on the Maha Nawami day. So, on this day, devotees offer slaughtered buffaloes as a sacrifice to the Goddess in the honor of her victory.
• Vijaya Dashami – Vijaya Dashami is the last major event of Dashain that continues for four consecutive days including the festival ending. This celebration marks the victory of good (Goddess Durga) over evil (demon). As a symbolism of nine-day intense battle between the Goddess and demon Mahisasura, devotees celebrate nine forms of Goddess on all the nine days of Navaratri.

 
The festival is also celebrated in remembrance of Lord Rama’s grand victory over demon-king Raavana. The fifteen days of celebration occurs during the bright lunar fortnight and ends on the Full Moon Day.

Celebrations in a Nutshell
On this auspicious day, people clean their homes and decorate them ornately as a gesture of invoking the divine mother to bless the family with fortune. Family members and relatives in different regions gather together for enjoying the reunion with their loved ones. Elders in the family mark the foreheads of the others with Tika, a combination of rice, red vermillion and yoghurt. Buying and wearing new clothes, flying kites, playing cards and playing on the swings and ferris wheels are some of the various customs indulged by kids and adults alike during this period.

Though Dashain is a very traditional Hindu festival, it is also observed by many Buddhists and people of other faiths. In comparative terms, Dashain festival is as significant to Nepalese as Christmas is to Westerners.

This period is also the peak tourist season, with clear skies and mild temperatures. By planning your trip to Nepal early, you can experience the great Nepalese culture and festivities with the local population.

Preparations on a Grand Scale
The 15 day-long Dashain is celebrated grandly across the country every year and a large number of Nepalese travel home during the festival time.

According to the transport department estimates, around 2-3 million people are expected to leave the Kathmandu Valley for the festival, annually. The Government has also planned big for the celebrations and announced Dashain receptions across the constituencies.

The festival welcomes high demand for animals such as goats and buffaloes that are slaughtered in huge numbers during the festival, as an offering to the goddess.

The post Nepal’s Biggest Festival Season: Celebrating Dashain! appeared first on Nepali Sansar.

Biggest Festival Season, as the name suggests, is the major celebration time for Nepal when it celebrates its biggest/longest festivals, usually the September-November period. The country receives huge traction globally during this period.

Nepal All Set for Its Major Festivals

• Dashain (October 10 – October 24, 2018)
• Tihar (November 07-09, 2018)
• Chhath (November 13, 2018)

Dashain

• Most important festival for Nepalese that falls in the month of Kartik
• A 15-day long festival that glorifies the victory of good over evil
• Symbolized by Goddess Durga killing demon Mahisasura
• Marks the remembrance of Lord Rama’s victory over demon-king Raavana
• Celebration occurs during the bright lunar ght and ends on the Full Moon Day

Tihar: Festival of Lights

• Second most important Nepali festival after Dashain
• A 5-day celebration dedicated to different animals, Crow, Dog, Cow and Oxen are worshiped, followed by the overall worshiping of Goddess Lakshmi, the main deity
• Goddess Lakshmi (the goddess of wealth) is worshiped with oil lamps, candles and colorful lights lit in every house

Chhath

• A festival that falls on the 7^th day after Tihar
• Devotees observe fasts and make offerings to the Sun God by gathering at river banks
• Majorly celebrated in Terai region and in Rani Pokhari tank in central Kathmandu

Preparations on Pace

Public & Transport 

• Public movement during Dashain is considered as the largest annual migration in Nepal
• Nearly 2.5 million leave the Kathmandu Valley for their homes during Dashain, every year

 
Arrangements by Government 

• Major of educational and academic institutions announced holidays effective from October 10, 2018, while the government declared public holiday during October 16-20, 2018
• State-owned Nepal Food Corporation (NFC) allocated Rs 40.67 million to purchase the animals
• Government extended number of fair shops opened to ease the shopping of supply of daily essentials during Dashain and Tihar, and also directed officials to curb price hike on essential products
• Inspection officials directed to check food adulteration across the hotels and restaurants

 
High Rise Demand for Animals 

• More than 75,000 mountain goats, sheep and he-goats arranged for slaughter at the Kathmandu Valley, with more than 500 transported since a week
• Around 100,155 live goats worth Rs 771 million imported from India for Dashain during mid-August to mid-September 2018

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As the world started watching, Nepali Hindus of all ages took on to roads to celebrate the annual Jagannath Rath Yatra festival on July 13, 2018.

Globally-renowned Hindu organization International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) organized the chariot procession in Nepal’s capital.

As the 35^th series of the festival in Nepal, #JagannathYatra2018 in Nepal saw thousands of devotees participating in celebrations in Kathmandu as part of the chariot procession from Lainchaur area of Kathmandu covering the inner orbit of the capital city.

The country saw devotees of all ages, specially youth, dancing and singing devotional songs with a wide variety of musical instruments in praise of the main deities: Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, Goddess Subhadra and Lord Sudarshan.

#JagannathRathYatra originates from Puri, a religious shrine in the Indian State of Madhya Pradesh, where the festival is celebrated on a grand scale amidst thousands of pilgrims from all over the world watching the chariot procession. The custom of #chariotprocession dates back to the pre 11^th century.

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The festival dedicated to the Goddess Saraswati, the goddess of knowledge and wisdom, falls on the fifth day (Panchami) of the bright half of the month of Magh as per the Nepali Hindu Calendar.

This festival marks the beginning of the spring season every year and is celebrated by the Hindu community across the globe.

People belonging to the Sikh and Hindu communities in Nepal and Eastern India observe this holy festival that is mostly important for students and learners.

On this special day, devotees take early bath and offer prayers to the Goddess for knowledge and  listen to Basant Shrawran.

Some devotees also perform a special ritual on this special day wherein they make kids start writing their first-ever words as part of the ages-old tradition.

The festival is also considered as an auspicious day for starting a new venture and taking new decisions.

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Indra Jatra, an eight-day long famous Nepali Hindu festival, began yesterday amidst the huge presence of devotees praying the king of Gods and rain-god, Indra.

Marking the first day of the festival, celebrated in reverence to Indra, devotees erected the sacred Indradhoj lingo in Hanumandhoka in Basantapur Darbar Square of Kathmandu Valley waving a flag named after the lord.

The lingo-erection procession went on amidst huge public presence. The lingo, brought to Hanumandhoka all the way from a jungle in Bhaktapur, was erected with the help of Nepal Army, Armed Police Force and locals.

As part of celebrations, devotees made dance performances on the streets of Kathmandu. Devotees, dressed in Lakhe costumes and masks, performed Nepal’s one of the famous dances called Lakhe dances.

According to Nepali lunar calendar, Indra Jatra usually falls on the fourth day of the waxing moon in the month of Bhadra, and is celebrated to mark the victory of gods over demons to release Jayanta, the son of Lord Indra.

This festival is majorly celebrated among Newari communities following Hinduism and Buddhism.

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