Fest Chaitra

The festival that celebrated in the month of "Chaitra", the last month of B.S. calender is the Chaite Dashain. It is celebrated for only one day. It is said that long before the main Dashain festival was celebrated in this month. But at that time people couldn't give their time for celebrating this great festival because of their all the time spending in harvesting crops. So, they shifted this festival in the month of Sept- Oct as they are almost free from farming works. People celebrate Chaite Dashain worshiping & sacrificing buffalo, goat, cock, duck to the goddess Durga throughout the country.

Chariot festival of White Machchendranath

Held annually, the main feature of this festival is a weeklong chariot procession of Seto (white) Machchhendranath, Buddhist deity of compassion locally known as Janma-dyo. The temple of Janma-dyo is located at, Jana Bahal in the heart of Kathmandu. The deity of compassion is enshrined in the temple courtyard and in the evening of the eighth day of bright lunar fortnight.

Other ceremonies continue for a week. The long chariot decorated with flowers and greenery, with the replica of the main deity, is taken out in procession through the streets of Kathmandu accompanied by musical bands. T he procession starts at Durbar Marg and winds through

the market squares to end at Lagan, to the southern end of the city where the shrine of the mother of this deity is located. At that place the chariot revolves for three times the shrine of Machchendranath's mother. Butter lamps are lighted in homage to the deity and he is taken back to his shrine on the last day of the festival.

The birth anniversary of Lord Ram, the seven incarnation of Lord Vishnu, the preserver is known as Ram Nawami. Lord Ram is the protagonist of great Hindu epic Ramayan. On this day flocks of devotees crowds the Ram shrines throughout the country. The most spectacular event can be seen in Janakpur,a historic and holy city in south eastern Nepal which is named after Ram's father in law, King Janak.

Ghode Jatra or the festival of horses is a yearly sports event. Legend has it that the thundering hooves of the horse keep the spirit of Tundi, a ferocious demon, buried under that very ground. The festival consists of colorful pageantry dominated by horses at Tundikhel, the parade ground at the central Kathmandu. Its root go back several hundred years, though, it is also associated with other older traditions. For example, at midnight at the parade grounds, the images of Bhadrakali and her sister goddess are carried from their respective temples and placed in the middle of the dark expanse. A third sister goddess is then brought from another locality and made to bow before the first two images.

The Royal Nepal army organizes this festival. Now a day, parachuting, aerobatics, bicycle races and other sports have been included which add to the thrills and stunts to the traditional horse races. Their majesties the King and Queen, dignitaries and other spectator who come from all over the valley as well as from distant part to witness the evening event. There is an official holiday for this day in Kathmandu Valley.

In Patan version of the Ghode Jatra festival, a horse is made to drink liquor and the townspeople chase the intoxicated animal through the city streets amidst much shouting and clapping.