Nepal !! A country full of colors, festivals, smiles, rejoice, happiness. No adjectives are sufficient…

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.

WoodCrafts in Nepal

One of the reason tourists visits Kathmandu is the breathtaking architecture of medieval palaces and temples in three traditional Durbar squares located in three different cities Kathmandu, Bhaktapur, and Lalitpur. These three culturally distinctive piazzas contain wooden and brick temples, so delicately designed and elegantly morphed together.

Legend has it that the name of the city, Kathmandu is derived from the Kasthamandap, the oldest known wooden temple built during Lichhavi, which was then formed by two words, Kastha means wood (a chief material from which a temple is made) and mandon ( temple or an edifice).

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.