Holi celebration in Nepal

Holi,[1] also known as Phagu Purnima, along with many other Hindu festivals, is celebrated in Nepal as a national festival. It is an important major Nepal-wide festival along with Dashain and Tihar (Dipawali).[2] It is celebrated in the Nepali month of Falgun (the Terai region celebrates on the same date as Indian Holi, while rest of the country celebrates it a day earlier), and signifies the legends of the Hindu god Krishna.[2] They worship Saraswati shrine in Vajrayogini temples and celebrate the festival with their Hindu friends.[3]

Events

Traditional concerts are held in most cities in Nepal, including Kathmandu, Narayangarh, Pokhara, Itahari, Hetauda, and Dharan, and are broadcast on television with various celebrity guests.

People walk through their neighbourhoods to celebrate Holi by exchanging colours and spraying coloured water on one another. A popular activity is the throwing of water balloons at one another, sometimes called lola (meaning water balloon).[4] Many people mix bhang (made from cannabis, milk and spices) in their drinks and food, as is also done during Shivaratri. It is believed that the combination of different colours at this festival takes all sorrow away and makes life itself more colourful.

  • Locals celebrating Holi in Kathmandu Durbar Square, Nepal
  • Preparing for Holika Dahan, Kathamandu, Nepal
  • Women celebrating Holi in Kathmandu, Nepal
  • Tourists celebrating Holi in Pokhara, Nepal (2012)

See also

References

  1. ^ "Holi in Nepal: Colours, crowds and cultural traditions". The Kathmandu Post. Kathmandu, Nepal. 13 March 2025. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
  2. ^ a b William Brook Northey; C. J. Morris (2001). The Gurkhas: Their Manners, Customs, and Country. Asian Educational Services. pp. 79–80. ISBN 978-81-206-1577-9.
  3. ^ Bal Gopal Shrestha (2012). The Sacred Town of Sankhu: The Anthropology of Newar Ritual, Religion and Society in Nepal. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. pp. 269, 240–241, 283–284. ISBN 978-1-4438-3825-2.
  4. ^ Happy Holi week Archived 23 January 2011 at the Wayback Machine. Nepali Times. Retrieved 21 March 2011.
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