5 Festivals Celebrated in Himalayas of Nepal

What comes to your mind when you see or hear the appellation Himalaya? Of Course, mountain panorama of Everest, snow-tipped soaring height mountains, landscapes, glaciers lakes, and deep gorges. Right? What joy does the festival of the Himalayan region bring to the locals and travelers? No one has an idea about it.

There are over 55 major festivals for all communities throughout the whole country. But beyond the house of snow and soothing lakes, there are lots of exciting and unique festivals you can get to experience in the Himalayan region of Nepal. As you know, Nepal is rich in culture and tradition, the majority of the people celebrate different festivals and the people living in the Himalayan region celebrate differently.

The eccentric festivals celebrated in the Himalayan region of Nepal are alien to the people who live in other regions of Nepal.

Confused? Many festivals such as Dashain, Tihar, Holi, Shivaratri, etc. celebrated by a large number of people, have concealed the festivals of the Himalayan region. Take the time to continue the blog to keep your confusion aside and to get more information about the main festivals in the Himalayan region of Nepal.

5 Festivals celebrated in the Himalayan region of Nepal

The below-given points of this blog explain, to you the main festivals celebrated in the Himalayan region of Nepal which have been an attraction and a new taste for the visitors. If you are planning to visit Nepal sooner then choose the best festive season to grab much from your trek.

Tiji-Grandeur of Upper Mustang

The annually celebrated 3 days festival Tiji is an exciting festival celebrated in the mountain region of Nepal. Especially, it is celebrated in the Upper Mustang and Lo-Manthang region. Locals celebrate the Tiji festival in the memory of Dorji Sonam for victory over the demons and for bringing peace to the world.

The monks from different monasteries pray for positive power by chanting prayer lines. They also perform the mask dance and do the rituals to destroy the evil’s negative power. People here enjoy the Tiji Festival by wearing their traditional dresses while visiting the monasteries.

Locals ornament the monasteries with bright multi-colored flags which makes the surroundings more attractive and exciting. It will be the best time to visit the Mustang region to experience the rainbowish environment.

On the first day of the Tiji festival, the monks from Lo Manthang’s monastery perform a ‘Tsa Chaam’ ritual dance. Monks perform the Tsa Cham dance by chanting prayers.

The next day of the Tiji Festival you can get to witness the ‘Nga Chham’ dance performed by the monks. In this dance, they showcase the birth history of Dorji Sonam as a Devil’s son.

On the last day of the Tiji Festival, the monks perform the ‘Rha Chham’ dance. The monks perform the act of Dorjee Sonam defeating the demons and exiling them from Mustang.

Date to celebrate Tiji Festival

Teji festival is celebrated in May and has attracted lots of travelers to do the Upper Mustang Trek. This month brings the Spring season in Nepal and trekkers visit Nepal to explore the beautiful Himalayas panorama.

Mani Rimdu- A Charm of Everest region’s Tengboche Monastery

Mani Rimdu is among the most exciting and unique festivals celebrated in the Himalayan region of Nepal. This is the main festival celebrated by the Sherpa people at Tengboche Monastery which is the oldest monastery in the world. It is here at the Tengboche Monastery that one can see the best-ever celebration of the Mani Rimdu festivals.

From this largest monastery in Nepal, you can get to see the mind-blowing view of the Everest region, Ama Dablam, landscapes, and many other mountain panoramas.

Every year Sherpa people celebrate Mani Rimdu in their unique way. Sherpa people travel from miles away to celebrate this festival and to witness the Black hat twerking dances and mask dance. Though this festival is 19 days long, the mask dance practice and decoration works are prepared before the main day of Mani Rimdu. The public can get to enjoy the last 3 days only.

Trekkers can also get to witness the Mani Rimdu festival in Chiwang monastery and Thame monastery while going Everest Base Camp trek and Gokyo Lake trek.

Date to celebrate Mani Rimdu festival

People from Tibet and the Himalayan regions of Nepal follow the Tibetan Lunar Calendar. So, the celebration date of this Himalayan festival is based on the Lunar Calendar and determined by the head person of the monastery, Lama Gulu.

The main festival for the people in the Everest region of Nepal, Mani Rimdu falls during the months of late October and early November. These months are the busiest and the best time for trekking in Nepal.

Lhosar

Sherpa, Gurung, and Magar communities in the mountain region of Nepal celebrate the Lhosar festival as the New Year.  Not only in the Himalayan region people from Hilly and other different areas who follow Buddhism, celebrate Lhosar.

Every community has a different Lhosar type. Sherpa communities celebrate Gyalpo Lhosar, Tamu Lhosar by Tamang communities, and Sonam Lhosar by Gurung communities.

The Lhosar festival is celebrated based on the Lunatic calendar. The festival is 15 days long. The start 3 days of the festival is the main celebration day.

Buddhist people celebrate Lhosar by visiting their traditional monasteries to receive blessings from the monks. They paint their houses and change the old flags with new colorful flags, gather with their relatives, and enjoy the day performing their cultural dance and wearing unique pieces of jewelry and cultural dresses. In addition, they cook unique and delicious food during the Lhosar.

Date to celebrate Lhosar Festival

This Himalaya Festival namely, the Lhosar festival occurs during the month of late February or in the first week of March every year. The ending of the winter and beginning of the Spring season attracts lots of trekkers to witness the blossom of flowers, clear sky, and stunning view of the surroundings. People in the Himalayan region celebrate this festival as a New Year.

Dumji- Oldest Festivals Celebrated in the Himalayas of Nepal

Dumji festival is also one of the oldest festivals celebrated in the mountain region of Nepal. This Himalaya festival is famous as the birth anniversary of the Buddhist Guru Padmasambhava. He is also known as the second Buddha who introduced Tantric Buddhism in the land of Tibet. That is why it has been a special festival among the Sherpa people.

Sherpas from different communities of Helambu, Pakhding, Namche Bazar, Khumjung, and others come to Tengboche or the nearby monastery to celebrate this festival. They gather together in the monastery and enjoy the day dancing, drinking, and swapping greetings. These locals celebrate this festival for 4 days.

Especially during the Dumji festival monks perform the classical mask dance and fire dance. On the special occasion of the Dumji festival, locals adorn their hamlets with colorful flags. People from different hamlets serve food and drinks for all the people of the hamlet for the entire festival.

Date to celebrate Dumji Festival

Dumji festival has been an attraction to the trekkers who trek to the Everest region during June and July. This festival is celebrated in the Himalayas to alleviate the demon spirit.

Yartung Festival

Yartung is the main festival celebrated in the upper Mustang and Manang regions of Nepal. In Tibetan words, Yartung means the end of summer. Every year after finishing harvesting work locals here celebrate this festival for 3 days.

During this festival, people from Gurung and Thakali communities enjoy the first day of the Yartung festival by greeting and sending blessings to each other. On a coming day, they visit Monasteries and Gumbas and receive blessings from the Monks. On the last day of Yatrung, they celebrate the day by horse racing, archery competition, singing, dancing, drinking, and relaxing.

It is also known as the festival of horse riding and relaxing days. Local people from Manang and Mustang ride horses to the uphills and downhills of the Himalayas. Before that, there will be preparation to celebrate this festival. They take care and give training to the horses for the competition.

In Addition, Yartung is not only about relaxing and riding horses. People clean and color their houses and decorate the Monasteries and local gumbas with colorful flags and amazing paintings. Further, they also perform traditional dances in their cultural dresses. Being there during this festive occasion you will feel much gratified and refreshed.

Date to celebrate Yartung Festival

Explaining straightly, there is no fixed date to celebrate Yartung. The reason for this is the trend to fix the celebration date by the local people. The celebration of the Yartung Festival in the Upper Mustang region normally coincides with the festive day of Janai Purnima.

To conclude the Himalayan Festivals

Love the festive colors? If yes then joining the trek to the Himalayas during Himalayan festival celebrations rewards you with marvelous Himalayan hospitality. Participating in any of the festivals in the Himalayan regions of Nepal marks your travel as a lifetime experience.

In addition to these, you can also come and enjoy the festivals of the Hindus in the other parts of the country. If you have further queries regarding any of the festivals celebrated in the Himalayan region of Nepal, ask us freely.