BHAITIKA

The Bhaitika or Brother festival is observed on the fifth and final day of the Tihar festival.on this day the brother is worshiped decorated with arlands of different kinds of flowers including marigold and fed by his sister.Tihar is widely celebrated by hindus as a great festival.it falls on the month of karthik at the end of autumn.this celebration lasts for five days. since it is celebrated for five days it is also righted called panchak or distincty yama panchak. it is known as the festival of lights so it has got its name Deepawali during or diwali.The speciality of this festival is that the cow the dog the crow the bullock and the brother are worshipped during this period.

The first day is the crow festivals when  the crow is worship   and fed.similarly the second day  is the Dog festival and the third days the cow festivals. In the evening (of the cow festival) girls or women go to door to door and recite Bhailo.On the night of this third day,laxmi, goddess of weath, is worshiped.Different kinds of lights are lit illuminating every where.The fourth day is the bullock is worshiped and fed.The fifth and final day is the Brother festival when the sister worship,milk his forehead with different seven colours and put flower galandson his head and neck.After the bhaitika the tihar festival is over.People eat different delicious foods during this occasion.They keep their house neat and clean.cleanliness is the prominent feature of this festival.

HOLI

The color festival is called the Holi which falls on the full moon day of phalgun.According to mythology Holika, a demon women, was burnt to death. In pleasing memory of the burning of holila people celebrate it with pleasure.since it generally falls on the month of phalgun it has got its name as Phagu too. Hindu people go to the open fields and streets and scatter different colour over one another.people also enjoy pouring colorful water onto one another in their own homes as well.Children are seen to throw water-filled balloons at passers-by, which is not a good Behavior. That is why our government takes actions against those who scatter water or colour against somebody's will.

CHHAT

The festival CHHAT falls on the sixth days of the bright for night of karthik,4 days after the Bhaitika. It is particularly observed by Maithili people living in the Terai.However other people are also seen to observe it in the terai.This festival is observed by worshipping the sun. On the previous day that is on the fifth day of karthik shukla the devotees eat nothing and worship the setting sun and them eat.Ont he very day of Chhath, they go to a nearby river or pond early in the morning.They take their bath there and =worship the rising sun.After this performance all the family members join together and take different types of sweets.It is important to worship the sum-god with flower and burning lamps.It is Believed that after this festival people get remedy for skin disease sine they take Barth in very cold water at the time of sunrise.People believe that this festival gives them pleasure and prosperity in life.

GAIJATRA

There are a number of local festivals to be celebrated in our country Nepal.One of such local festivals is the GAIJATRA festival or the cow festival.On GAIJATRA every family from which someone has died recently must honour the soul of the dead.They send religious procession through the streets. They decorated a cow or a young boy colourfully.The procession consisrs of a family priest a group of musicians and a small boy decorated to represent as a holy man or yogi.people perform rituals at their homes early in the morning.Each of the procession groups starts to join other similar groups.These procession groups walks past temples, holy place and idols.each of such group must pass by the ancient royal -the Hanuman Dhoka in Kathmandu.When the cow processions return to their homes, they again perform religious ceremonies.This festival began during King pratap Mall's reign in the eighteenth century. His queen was very sad at the death of their son. In order to console her the king announced that he would give a good prize to anyone that could fill the queen with joy.people gathered in large groups in front of the place.they had worn absurd costumed. The queen who was watching the processions burst into laughing.

CHRISMAS:

The 25th of December is the day on which Christmas , a great festival among christion , falls every year.CHristians belive this day to christ's birthday.on this very occasion christian people exchange their best wishes and also gifts among themselves. They buy X-mas tree and tree and light colourful lights on the tree by illuminating it. they express their delight by singing and playing on musical instruments on this very occasion. Childern look happy since their parents buy them new clothes and plaything as well.they also send postcards to their friends and relatives who live abroad.

DASHAIN

DASHAIN as its name suggest it lasts ten days is the greatest national festival of the hindu. it generally falls on the month of ashwin(september-october).The first day is called Ghat-sthapana, that is,setting up a (water)-pitcher.On the day seeds of sesame, barley,maize etc are scattered on sand or earth put in a leaf-dish in order to leave them to grow into young plants.On the seven days people put phool pati(flowers and leaves)in worship room. on the eight and nine days,offerings are done by sacrifcing goats, cocks,ducks and buffalo bulls.On this occasion all things are seen to be neat and slean. Houses are whitewashed or coloured with paint and all dirt is swept away. new dresses and good food add more delight to childern. AS a whole Dashain is the combination of fine things.Throughout this festival, Goddess Durga is worshipped with different names for nine days.The tenth day is known as Vijaya Dashami, the symbole of victory of gods over demons, in days long gone by.Ekders offers blessing to youngers on the very day, marking their foreheads with holy prasad of the goddess.also it is said that the festival was, first of all, celebreated by Ram in the momory of his march for attacking Ravan.

SHIVARATRI

SHIVARATRI is a great festival for the hindu. on this day they worship lord shiva who is considered one of the three great gods : Brahma, Vishnu, and mahesh.Mahesh is also known as shiva.he is called the destroyer.at the same time he is well known for his generousity.shivaratri falls on phalgun krishna chaturdashi.people go to the temple of lord shia and woship him with holy water milk sweets flower and belpatra.many people fast.special arrangements are made for the pilgrims at the pashupati temple, kathmandu. thousands of shiva devotees from nepal and india go to this temple to offer prayer to lord shiva. many sages and saints are seen sitting around the temple burning wood.a big fair is here there. on the same day a special fanction of 'badhan' is oranized at army pavilion in tundikhel by the nepali army. president, prime minister and other dinitaries grace the function. it is not only in kathmandu that shivaratre fair is held. devotees throng at different shiva temple all over the country.

SHREEPANCHAMI

According to the nepali celender, shreepasnchsmi falls on Magh shukla pasnchami, that is the fifth day after the full moon day of magh every year.this fistival is also called basant panchami or saraswati pooja. this day marks the beining of the spring season.Educated people especilly student worship goddess saraswati,who is considered to be the goddess of education learning and music. so they do visit saraswati at the saraswati temple. student in the terai install the clay idol of saraswati at school and enthusiastically permorm the pooja.this is a day of merry making for students.they apply 'abir' to the ace of their friends.the buddhist celebrate this day as manju panchami.they consider manjushree as the god of learning.some people worship lord vishnu and some'Rati' and 'kamadev'. students worship their books exercise books pen, pencils ink pots etc. several children initiate their first learnin to read and write. farmers in the terai worship their ploughs to get good crops.students learning music sing'dhanear' and 'basant Ragas'on this day.

TEEJ:

Teej(Haritalika) whice is exclusively a woman's festival,falls on the bhadra shukla Tritiya(the third day after the full moon day of Bhadra).At this festival women obseve fast for the hole day the fulfilment of their wishes.They do not take even water.according to a legend, parvati, the daughter of Himalaya, observed this fast and performed the pooa to et mahadev as her husband.Her desire was fulfilled. since then this festival is celebrated by woman.Unmarried women also celebrate this festival for a suitable husbasnd and married woman perorm it for the loner life and prosperity of their husband and children.A night befor the fistival, women eat'dar' alond with the family members.it is a heavy meal of chicest dishes of sweets, curd, fruit etc.Married daughters are called in form their in law's house. if they are unable to come all these things alongwith other gifts are sent to their houses.in order to celebrete the fistival, women et up early in the mornin wash and wear ed bocade,clothes and a 'tilahari'.they
use cosmetis and deck themselves with ornaments. then they go to the siva temple and perform booja. those who are unable to go to the temple install a shivlinga at home.The pashupati temple in kathmandu is heavily crowded. there they sing dance and make merriment for the whole day.the tradition was not to take even a drop of water but these days some women have started takin milk or juice.After completin uttarang pooja they take food the other day or chauthi.Then comes rishi panchamion the fifth day the full moon day of bhadra. This day too is the fistival of the women. it is celebrated by the girls who have obtained puberty or after their first menstruation.they fast throughout the day and perform the pooja in the evening. Early that morning they visit different pilgrimaes smear cow dung and soil and then they bathe.they brush their theeth with 360'apamargs' or datiwans. They worship saptarishi along with arundhati, feed the priest and then take their own meal. they swarm to rishishwar mahadev. these twodays are holidays for women.

JANI POORMIMA

JANI POORMIMA is celebrated with great piety.In takes place on Shrawan shukla poornima(full moon day of shrawan month).On this day the people of the janai(sacred thred) wearing castes go to a nearby river,shrine or pilgrimage to perform religious rits.they smear urine and dung of cow ash and soil. then chanting mantras, they brush their teeth with kush(sacred gress) doobo(quitch) and apamarg(datiwan).all this is purification.then they bathe in the river and wear janai.This is followed by tying sacred yellow thred called raksha round their wrist by Brahmins priests sister's sons, son in low etc. they offer them some rice cereat hee money and food consisting of qwanti as "dakshina". There are nine kind of cereals in the qwanti.The cereals are dipped in ater for a few days so that they would germinaste. this festival is called Rakshabandan in the terai. the brother and the sister take a bah first.then the sister performs'aarati'(an act of moving a lighted lamp or camphor circularly round the idol, here brother) and ties 'raakhi' round the wrist of her brother.the brother in return gives her some money clothes and sweetmeats as a gift.Brahmins go to yajamans (those who et a festival performed) and tie(raakhi) and receive 'dakshina'.

Gorkha

Gorkha, situated at 140km west of Kathmandu at an altitude of 1,135 meter, is the ancestral hometown of the Nepal's ruling royal family. Gorkha is only 18 km up a paved road of the Pokhara-Kathmandu Highway. A brief visit on the way to or from Pokhara would provide more insights into Nepal than one is likely to get at lakeside in Pokhara.

Gorkha's small town is perhaps the most important historical town of Nepal. From its hilltop fortess, King Prithvi Narayan Shah, the ninth generation paternal ancestor of the present King, launched his lifelong attempt to unify the independent states of Nepal, a wildly ambitious project which succeeded due to his brilliance, and the effectiveness of his locally recruited troops. The British term "Gurkha" evolved from the name Gorkha, referring to the famed fighting soldiers of the region.

Gorkha's centerpiece is the magnificent Gorkha Durbar with a fort, a palace and a temple with excellent views of the surrounding valleys, and the Mansalu range.

MUSTANG

mustang is a place of nature beauty.it lies north of the two,8000 meter peaks Annapurna and Dhaulagiri. the arid place with snow capped mountains and barren hills reaches deep inside the vast Tibetan plateau.cold winds sweep through narrow canyons an over plains.erosion has left its mark in bizarre rock formations. upper mustang is ivied into two regions.northern part and southern part with completely istinct language cultures and traditions similar to those of Tibetan people.in this place we can fin the Nepal's oldest Buddhist monasteries ancient an island villages with picaresque white washed houses.