Janai Purnima, the thread festival, falls on the full moon day in the month of Bhadra (August/ September) and is celebrated with great gusto, devotion and splendor by Hindus all over the country.

Janai is sacred thread and purnima is full moon day, hence, Janai Purnima points to the change of the thread on the auspicious full moon day.  On this day, the Tagadharis (Hindu men wearing the sacred thread), especially the Brahmins and Chettris performing their annual change of Janai (sacred yellow cotton thread) slung from the shoulder and also tie Tago (sacred thread) sanctified by priests chanting the Gayatri Mantra as a symbol of protection. The janai is given to Hindu men in coming-of-age ceremony called Bratabandha that initiates them into manhood and commands them to faithfully follow the religion. It must be worn everyday of their lives from this day onwards. The triple cord of janai is a symbol of body, speech and mind, and when the knots are tied the wearer is supposed to gain complete control over each. After taking bath and making offerings to the Saptarishis (seven legendary Rishis or sages) and to their departed fathers and fore-fathers, the tagadharis put new janai with a belief of having absolute control over mind.

With the start of the holy month of Shrawan, Kathmandu’s streets are swarming with excited women and girls buying green and yellow bangles, materials to apply henna tattoo and beads. Devotees mark the sacred month by wearing special clothes and adorning their bodies, and sales of festival paraphernalia soar this time of the year. “We see the highest sales during the start of the festive season in Shrawan,” said Alsha Prajapati, a cosmetics shop owner at Asan. “More than 40 percent of our annual sales happen during the months of Shrawan, Bhadra and Ashwin.” According to Prajapati, prices of glass bangles range from Rs30 per dozen to Rs.300 per dozen while metal bangles cost from Rs.150 per dozen to Rs.1,000 per dozen.

Dashain- Festival celebrated in Nepal by whole country:

Dashain is undoubtedly the major festival in Nepal which is celebrated all over the country i.e. by almost all castes, creed. It is celebrated by Hindus to mark the victory of Rama ( mythical demigod also known as one of the many incarnation of Lord Vishnu) over Ravana ( cruel King of Lanka, present day Sri Lanka) and also victory of Durga ( fiercest Hindu goddess) over the demon. Suffice to say, Dashain is celebrated to signify the victory of good over evil.

Popularly known as Vijaya Dashami, a 10 days celebration which signifies the days taken by Durga to kill the demon and Rama, the Ravana, every days are celebrated in their unique way. Devotees visit different Durga temple to offer her with the gifts and extravaganzas while some others prefer fasting. Following are the important days of Dashain.

Thangka is a Silk painting with embroidery, usually showing a Buddhist god, famous scene, or a mandala. The Thangka is very different than regular oil or acrylic painting. It is a piece of picture which is painted or embroidered, over which a fabric is attached, and then over which is laid a cover, usually silk. Generally Thangkas last for a very long tenure. It is delicate and hence, should be stored in dry places. Moisture is not at all good for it. Thangka is also known as scroll- painting.