Category: Nepal

Nepal’s unique cultural history is becoming a distant afterthought Following the 2015 earthquakes in Nepal a huge humanitarian effort took place. Although over 9000 people lost their lives and thousands more were made homeless, a massive international program brought aid to the country. Priorities were in the right place. Amazingly as people looked to help …

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Bhai Tika in Nepal Day Five of the week long Tihar festival in Nepal is when brothers and sisters bless each other. It’s the day after the fourth day of Tihar which is filled with blessings and the lighting of candles or lights. Today’s celebrations surround the family. Bhai in Nepalese means (younger brother). The elder sister will …

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Mha Puja, Gobardhan Puja, OX festival and Newar New year! Day Four of the week long Tihar festival in Nepal comes after the cow festival and it’s when things get a little complicated. Essentially it’s the Ox festival, a celebration of oneself and when children come out in the evening asking, singing and dancing for money. Lights and rangoli are …

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The Cow Festival or Gai Puja & Laxmi Puja Day Three of the week long Tihar festival in Nepal is comes the day after the festival of dogs when things really kick off. It’s a day of multiple celebrations. It’s important to note that this is when traditions differ slightly. Hindus and Newar sometimes celebrate the cow festival on …

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The Dog Festival or Kukur Tihar Day two of the week long Tihar festival in Nepal and it’s much more colorful than the previous days crow festival. It’s the celebration of “man’s best friend” the dog. Known as Kukur Tihar (Nepalese) or Khichā Pujā (Newar) it’s celebrated all over the country by both Hindus, Newars and tourists …

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Tihar in Nepal is a festival of crows, dogs, cows, people and light Tihar is the second largest festival in Nepal, (the largest is Shivaratri) which consists of several smaller festivals. It is also known as Deepwali (India) or Swanti (Newari). It is an incredible festival of color, animals, lights and people. Over the next five …

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The Fourth Kumari While many people have heard of the Kumari Living Goddess in Nepal, few more know that there are three main Kumaris in the Kathmandu Valley. Located in Kathmandu city, Bhaktapur and in Patan. What many people may not know about the Kumari culture is that there is a fourth, main, Kumari. The …

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