Holi Festival in Nepal – Fagu Purnima

Have you seen those captivating photos of people covered neck to neck in vivid colored powders? Or viral videos of cheerful crowds getting drenched in water on the streets? Welcome to the Holi Festival in Nepal!

Holi is one of the nation’s most visually stunning and typically fun-filled festivals! Locally known as “Fagu Purnima,” this magical event outlines its roots back to Hindu mythology and ancient agricultural lifestyles.

Celebrated on the full moon day in the month of Falgun as per the Nepali calendar, it marks the transition from winter to spring. 

The timing seems almost symbolic – from the bone-chilling gloom to flowers blooming, from bare landscapes to fields grown for harvests, from darkness to hope-filled light. Doesn’t the bright Holi appear like a lived metaphor for this rejuvenation?

While the riotous rainbow of Gulal or colors steal the show, the sound of music and laughter is just as enchanting. As strangers become instant friends with a spirited spray of water and colors, you’ll discover why Holi has enduringly captured hearts worldwide as a festival that brings out humanity’s true colors!

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Historical Context of the Holi Festival in Nepal

The vibrant Holi festival has its roots deeply intertwined with legends of good prevailing over evil in Hindu mythology. The most popular story takes place in the kingdom of an arrogant demon king named Hiranyakashipu. 

The Evil King had a young son named Prahlad, who was a sincere devotee of Lord Vishnu, defying the king’s order to stop worshipping. Furious at his son’s rebellion, Hiranyakashipu plotted with his sister Holika to kill young Prahlad.

Holika had a boon granting her immunity to fire. She lured Prahlad to sit with her in a blazing fire, convinced that only she would survive while the boy burned. 

However, Prahlad appeared unharmed due to Lord Vishnu’s divine grace while Holika was burnt to ashes instead. The next day, people celebrated by smearing the ashes as a mark of victory of morality over wickedness.

Over time, in Nepal, the ashes were replaced by colored powder and water as a symbolic commemoration of that mythical event. 

Known as the “festival of colors,” Holi represents the arrival of spring, of love winning over hatred, and of living a moral life despite hardships – as presented by Prahlad’s unwavering devotion. 

The exhilarating celebrations with music, dance, colors, and delicacies have made Holi one of the most beloved holidays celebrated across Nepal.

Discovering Why Holi is Celebrated

The colorful Hindu festival of Holi marks the transition from winter to spring in Nepal. While playing with powders and spraying water may seem like pure fun today, the origins of Holi have deep cultural meanings tied to health and well-being.

According to ancient beliefs, the change of seasons naturally brought an increased risk of falling ill with diseases like skin infections and fever. 

To boost immunity during this precarious time, people traditionally made medicinal Holi colors from flowers like marigolds and herbs like neem, turmeric, henna, and vermillion. These natural plants worked as ayurvedic medicines when applied to the skin or consumed.

Additionally, the bonfires lit on Holi eve were thought to have purifying effects by cleaning the atmosphere of germs and warding off viruses carried in the winter winds. People would smear nutritious ash from ritually burnt wood and herbs over themselves as further protection. The vibrant celebration was thus considered an aid to public health.

Over the years, though, as chemical dyes replaced traditional formulas, the Ayurvedic element of Holi was unfortunately lost. 

But the origins showcase how Hindu festivals skillfully unified science and culture for community wellbeing – much like Holi bridging the change of seasons with color and cheer. For modern revelers, too, the festival spreads awareness of healthy social bonds beyond its symbolic meaning. 

Trek Dates for Holi Festival 2024

Mark your calendars! Our Holi Festival Trek is perfectly timed with arrival on 23rd March and celebrating Holi on 24th March before venturing on a trek.

Join the celebrations as the ethnic villages along the trek route explode in color.

Make the most of the Holi holidays in Nepal with our package at a reasonable rate. Limited slots!

Rituals and Traditions During Holi

The Holi celebrations in Nepal officially kick off with the hoisting of a colorful bamboo pole called “Lingo” in Kathmandu’s Basantapur Durbar Square. As a symbolic countdown, the pole is taken down before Holi.

Known as “Chir Dahan” or “Holika Dahan’, pyres are burnt across towns and rural villages on the night before, representing the end of the demoness Holika. The victory of good over evil must be commemorated before the festivals can begin. Locals dance around the crackling fire, some smearing the medicinal ashes on their skin as per ancient health traditions.

The highlights are spread over two glorious days – from the hilly districts on the first day to the southern plains on the next. Friends, families, and even strangers chase down the streets, joyously splashing colored water and powder at each other to their hearts’ content.

People dress up in white to fully embrace the rainbow makeover. Folk songs and dance adorns the spring air, with sweet and savory snack platters doing the rounds. From kids to the elderly, Nepalis spare no one in their uniquely unified yet chaotic line of fire!

As evening approaches, the multi-colored figures wash off the spots before paying festival visits to relatives near and far. Bonds are renewed among loved ones over delightful feasts where traditional delicacies are served along with customary drinks. 

With colorful connections, fond memories, and vibrant visions, Holi indicates the end of winter blues and promises brighter months ahead.

Preparations for Holi Festival

The air in Nepal buzzes with excitement weeks before the annual Holi spring festival. Shops crop up, selling vibrant powders in every coloring, water guns in imaginative shapes, little pichkaris, and miscellaneous water balloons!

In homes, delicious gujiyas and sweet kheers are prepared alongside papads and spicy chutneys to host an endless stream of guests. Streets are cleaned, repair works are wrapped up, and venues are prepped across cities as locals await to let their hair down.

Key hotspots in the Kathmandu valley like Thamel, Basantapur Durbar Square, Patan Durbar Square, Jhamsikhel or Lainchaur get colorful makeovers and cultural programs leading up to the big days. Hotels lure tourists with value packages including accommodation, amenities, meals, and, of course, colors to splurge!

Many offices declare Holi holidays beforehand so colleagues can band together. Some companies even throw office Holi parties for staff in advance. As the festival nears, parks start filling up with sellers of plastic pichkaris, herbal gulal, water balloons, and street food carts that tempt the taste buds.

When the iconic Chir finally goes up in flames, that is the ultimate signal across Nepal to get set for possibly the most fun, chaotic, and satisfying days of the year! 

Come join locals to feel the childlike euphoria, strengthen social bonds, and simply soak in the electrifying Holi spirit resonating everywhere.

Tip on Celebrating Holi Festival in Nepal

Here are some tips for celebrating Holi festival in Nepal:

• Wear old white clothes that you don’t mind getting stained. White cotton fabrics easily catch the color. You’ll end up with a vibrant rainbow look by the end! (You can buy inexpensive white T-shirts at around 200-250 NPR.)
• Avoid wearing costly jewelry items that can get lost or damaged in the revelry.
• Cover mobile phones and cameras in plastic beforehand so they don’t get wet and damaged.
• Use goggles to protect eyes from errant liquid color shots. Cotton in ears also helps save them from harm.
• Colored powder sold on streets may contain chemicals. Opt for herbal gulal instead for sensitive skin.
• If prone to color allergies or breathing issues, avoid participating in the color play altogether.
• Pick open venues like city squares, parks or wide roads for maximum splattering fun. Small alleys get crowded.
• Use goggles to protect eyes from errant liquid color shots. Cotton in ears also helps save them from harm.
• Play safe even while having fun. Avoid spraying colors forcefully on faces at close range.

Say “Happy Holi!” to every sprayer for good sportsmanship. Wish them a “Fagu Purnima” in Nepali for added cheer.

Holi Beyond Borders: Impact on Tourism

The Holi bug seems to be catching on across borders, with more and more tourists heading to Nepal, specifically during the spring celebration week. Drawn by travel blogs and vloggers painting a colorful picture, Holi is now a top reason for foreign footfall.

Kathmandu’s tourist areas like Thamel are packed in March with celebrants from Europe, America, Australia and beyond looking to immerse in the vivid festivities. 

Major hotels offer exclusive Holi packages tailored to visitor needs. These include accommodation, local sightseeing, transportation, gear for playing, cultural shows, Holi parties, food tours, and more.

The Holi season has boosted tourism earnings for Nepal’s struggling economy. From ramping up hotel occupancy to passengers for cab drivers and sales for local suppliers, tourist spending helps various businesses and jobs. 

Additionally, this surge exposes foreigners to Nepali culture first-hand. Many discover there is more to Nepal than the mountains alone. They are swept up by the joyous spirit amid fun celebrations, composing an image different from common disaster stereotypes.

In turn, their enthusiasm and social media shares inspire more people to hop over specifically for Holi. With the tourist appetite for Holi only growing worldwide, the celebrations paint Nepal as an exciting destination beyond the beaten path.

Final Thoughts

As the skies darken over Nepal, announcing the finale of yet another Holi, there is a brimming sense of happiness across faces smeared in vibrant colorings. 

For a few glorious hours, people from all walks of life came together to celebrate the universal ideals of good over evil, the victory of virtue, and the welcoming of new beginnings. 

Regardless of caste, creed, or status, people laugh and rejoice as one community bonded by the infectious joy of life’s simple pleasures. As the last pichkaris are emptied, the strewn gulal fades and the music wanes, the unleashed spirits carry forward the warmth and solidarity to color hopeful days ahead.

Let us know in the comments below if you enjoyed this sneak peek into Holi.

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