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Christmas is a popular festival celebrated all over the World on 25th December which is observed as the birthday of Jesus Christ. Christmas Eve is celebrated on the 24th December where people decorate a pine tree called Christmas tree with candles, colorful papers, balloons, and flowers. The presents and cards given by friends and relatives are kept under this tree. They open them later to know who owns the most and best of them.

During the day, people go to the church and pray together. They pay for special caps and new clothes. 26th December is known as ‘Boxing Day’. Rio people give boxes of gift or money, food and clothes to the poor. They visit the friends and relatives on the occasion and have a lot of fun until 1st January.

How christmas is celebrated in Nepal?

Christmas in Nepal is celebrated more by Christians. However, non-Christians also participate in parties for the celebration. Christmas trees can be seen erected at homes & shopping malls with lots of decorations on it. Trees are decorated with bells, starts, gift boxes, and many other decorations. The Christmas trees are lit up with twinkling lights. Many Nepali Christians will go to uncommon church administrations at midnight on Christmas Eve and conceivably on Christmas Day. A large number of their Christmas customs are “foreign made” from the West. Christmas shopping begins up toward the beginning of December.

The occasion is marked by visiting churches and exchanging gifts with friends, colleagues and family members. Especially youngsters and youths regardless of their religions are known to organize and attend parties and other festive events to celebrate the festival. Night-long dance parties are very famous in Thamel and Pokhara during Christmas and New Year celebrations.

The Christmas fervor is noticed especially in Thamel, Durbar Marg, Basantapur, and Jawalakhel of Kathmandu Valley. Many cafes, restaurants, hotels and shopping malls could be seen decorated with Christmas trees and other festive embellishments to mark the occasion. Tourist-hub Pokhara of Kaski district, Biratnagar, Chitwan and Nepalgunj among other places are well known for Christmas celebrations.

Why is it celebrated?

The tradition of Christmas originates from the Bible’s new Testaments, which states that Jesus was born in Bethlehem based on the prophecies of the Messiah. The narrative begins when Mary & Joseph, the parents of Jesus traveled to Bethlehem for the census & couldn’t find a room. Hence, they were offered a stable where Jesus Christ was born. However, there was no mention of the month & date of Jesus’s birth. The date December 25th, which corresponds with the solstice in the Roman Calendar, was decided upon by the church during the early fourth century. But for most Christians, the exact date of birth is of no significance because the belief that God came into the World in the form of man to atone for their sins is the primary purpose of celebrating Christmas.

History of Christianity in Nepal

During the rule of Rana prime ministers, there were hundreds of Nepalese soldiers and Nepalese families living in India and the even United Kingdom. After the collapse of the Rana Regime, these families returned home to Nepal carrying the cultural diversity that they have learned in the foreign land. Different fellowship, membership agencies and other mission practice from various parts of the world that came to Nepal also influenced the growth and sustenance of Christianity in Nepal.

Christianity is an increasing trend in Nepal. With increasing globalization via access to the Internet and increasing longing towards ravishing western lifestyle and culture, Christmas has been popular even among non-Christians. Youth are more attracted towards the festival as they get a day more to celebrate happiness with their friends. They usually celebrate it by throwing a Christmas Eve party, traveling to snowy hills and lighting candles.

“Merry Christmas to we All.”

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Chhath Puja-The only festival that signifies the Sun

‘Chhath Puja’ is a famous festival of Hindus. It is celebrated in different parts of Terai in Nepal. It is also followed in West Bengal, Jharkhand, Odisha, Assam, Bihar & some other parts of India. It is celebrated principally among the Bhojpuri and Maithali talking individuals. Chhath Puja takes place during 6th day (Shasthi) lunar fortnight (Shukla Paksha) of Karthik month according to Hindu Calendar. It generally falls in the month of October-November. The festival lasts for four days.

Chhath Puja is otherwise called Dala Chhath. In this significant celebration setting Sun (day break) is worshiped. The celebration is seen with the confidence that the Sun God satisfies wishes if ‘araghya’ is offered with complete commitment and dedication. It is a celebration associated with purity, dedication to the Sun God who is considered as the source of life on this planet and is viewed as the god who satisfies every one of our desires. The festival is celebrated with the aim to express gratitude to Sun God for offering vitality to earth constantly empowering the earth reasonable for the individuals to live. Alongside the Sun God individuals adore ‘Chhathi Maiya’ on this day.

Why is Chhath celebrated?

Chhath Puja is a thanksgiving celebration dedicated to the Sun God Surya and his wife Usha. Individuals during Chhath Puja thank the Sun God for continuing and supporting life on Earth and look for his protection and blessings.In Hinduism, Sun is viewed as the God of vitality and master of the life-force. Sun is additionally considered as the source of healing too. Hindus accept that the sun fixes numerous sicknesses and infections, for example, leprosy, etc. Sun is likewise viewed as the symbol of stability and prosperity. Along these lines, individuals worship Sun God during Chhath Puja for life span and prosperity of families, relatives, friends, and beloved ones.

Why it is called Chhath Puja?

Chhath implies 6th in Nepali, Maithili and Bhojpuri language. Along these lines it is called Chhath because it is commended on the 6th day of the month of Kartika.

When is Chhath Puja celebrated?

According to the Hindu calendar, ‘Chhat Puja’ is celebrated on, Kartika Shukla Shashthi, which is the sixth day of the month of Kartika. It falls in the month of October or November in the Gregorian English Calendar.

Stories behind celebrating Chhath Puja

Some say that Chhath Puja is the oldest festival that may even go before the Ancient Vedas as the Rigveda contains hymns of worshipping the Sun and some similar rituals as followed in this festival. These rituals also additionally have a notice in the Mahabharata where Draupadi is portrayed performing similar rituals. On the advice of astute Dhaumya, the rituals of Chhath were followed by the Pandavas and Draupadi. This worshipping of the Sun solved many problems of Draupadi and later helped the Pandavas to regain their kingdom. The scientific or yogic history of this festival dates back to the Vedic times when the scholars or rishis of yore used this technique to remain without food as they used to absorb energy from the rays of the sun. This was known as Chhath Method. Some ancient also suggest that Lord Rama and Sita kept fast and offered puja to the sun in the Kartika month during the Shukla Paksha during their coronation after returning from the exile.

Rituals and Traditions of Chhath Puja

The rituals of the festival are observed over a period of four days. The rituals are: holy bathing, fasting and abstaining from drinking water called Vratta, standing in water for long periods of time, and offering Prasad (prayer offerings) and Arghya to the setting and rising sun.

On the first day, the devotees keep fast by eating clean and ‘pure’ food. Meat, garlic and onion are discarded. The second day is Kharna, which is observed to reduce wrongdoing committed by the devotees and the third and major celebration is known as Chhath when the puja is conducted.

No Idol Worship

This is the only Hindu festival or perhaps the only festival in the world that signifies the rising and the setting Sun. The most unique feature of this Chhath Puja is that there is no Murti Pujan or Idol Worshipping unlike most of the festivals of the Hindu religion. Some people simply opine that Sun is necessary for the life of possibly every creature on the earth and this festival is a way to pay tribute to it irrespective of caste, creed, gender, race, and social stigmas.

The significance of Chhath Puja

Now apart from the religious significance of thanking the Sun for providing us a good life, there is some science too attached to the rituals of this festivals. The rituals demand to pray at the river bank or standing at the river bank for long hours and there is an explanation to it. The ultraviolet rays of the sun are at their lowest during sunrise and sunset and that’s why the sun rays are most beneficial at these two times. These sun rays then help in detoxifying the mind, body, and soul by removing all negative energies.

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1. Highest peaks

Out of top 10 highest mountain of the world, 8 are from Nepal. Including the highest peak Mount Everest. More than 250 peaks over 20,000 ft. (6,096) meter above sea level are from Nepal.

2. Flag of Nepal

Every country’s flag is unique. However, Nepal wins the uniqueness award. it’s the only non-quadrilateral flag in the world. It’s fundamentally similar to two joint triangles, with the base triangle having its top cut off. The blue shading on the border symbolizes national solidarity of the nation, while the blood red represents the fortitude of the Nepalese individuals in general.The sun and the moon are there to symbolize bravery and peacefulness – these two are also there to say how Nepal will exist as long as the sun and the moon exist.

3.Nepal Was Never Under Any Foreign Invasion

Nepal doesnot have an independence day because nepal was never colonized.

4. Elephant Polo

Elephant Polo game was originated in Meghauli,Nepal. Tiger Tops in Nepal is the Headquarters of elephant polo.

5. Cultural  Diversity

Nepal has more than 100 local languages. In fact, the exact number is – 123. However, not all of these languages are official languages of the country.It would be completely insane if that were the situation. The official language of Nepal is Nepali, which was referred to in the past as Khaskura and Gorkhali. This language is really a relative of the ancient Sanskrit language. It’s spoken by around 17 million individuals.

6. Living Hindu Goddess of Nepal

Kumari is a Living Hindu Goddess of Nepal. It translates to ‘virgin’ in English and she is the only living goddess in the world. Nepalese celebrate Indra Jatra to worship her.

7. Nepal is the Birthplace of Lord Buddha

The Lord Buddha (Siddhartha Gautam) was born in Kapilvastu, Lumbini which lies in Nepal. Lumbini is Sacred places for Buddhist of all over the World.

8. World Heritage Sites

We all are familiar about world heritage sites listed by UNESCO.Kathmandu itself is home for seven such world legacy destinations under cultural categories. Inside the span of 15 kilometers of Kathmandu Valley, each one of those heritage sites are found. Three Durbar Squares in Kathmandu valley i.e Kathmandu Durbar Square, Patan Durbar Square & Bhaktapur Durbar Square once used to be a royal residence before unification of Nepal. Bouddhanath Stupa & Swoyambhunath Stupa are among the largest stupa in the world. Pashupatinath Temple- The temple dedicated to lord Shiva is one of the largest temple of Hindus & Changunarayan Temple is believed to be the oldest temple of Nepal that dates back to 5th century.

9. Yeti is said to be Spotted in Neplease Himalayas

There are many stories and local tale of the Mysterious creature of of the Himalaya “Yeti” which is said to be spotted in Neplease Himalaya. There’s a scalp of Yeti kept safe in Khumjung Monastry in Everest Region.

10. The Striking Altitude Variation

Nepal is the oly country with striking altitude variation. ranging from 59 meters to 8848meters. For such a small country it holds some intresting records like the deepest gorges (1200 meter) Kaligandaki gorge, the highest lake on earth Tilicho Lake (4800 Meters). 

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