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Culture, festivals, arts and crafts
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The Nepali year is one of almost non-stop
festivals, the most important of which is Dashain,
ten days in October. Dashain is the time when Nepalis go
to their ancestral homes for the celebrations. Everyone
wears a red tika on their forehead and there are Hindu sacrifices
of animals preparatory to feasting.
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A few days after Dashain, Dipawali is the Festival of Lights,
when villages and cities are illuminated with thousands
of candles and lamps and singing and dancing are a wonderful
daytime or evening’s entertainment.
Hindu men receive the bright red tika on their foreheads,
given by their sisters, and some animals (dogs and cows
particularly) are also graced with tikas. A garland of marigolds,
given to men and animals alike, completes the ceremony.
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Not all festivals are held in all parts of Nepal, but Kathmandu
is noted for Dashain and Pokhara also has a delightful Dipawali.
Many of Nepal’s monasteries hold special dance festivals,
well worth seeing if you are in the right place at the right
time
One of the most fascinating things about Nepal is the ability
of Nepalis to share eachothers’ cultures and to be
hospitable to
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foreigners, especially refugees from Kashmir and Tibet,
who have brought their own arts and crafts to Nepal.
Kathmandu’s many shopping areas, festivals, temples,
and other fine buildings are world-famous. Another of our
favorite places to enjoy the wealth of Nepal’s diverse
cultures and arts and crafts is the very special {{Bhaktapur}},
another World Heritage Site in the Kathmandu Valley.
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