Recreation, Holidays and Celebration
Several cinemas in Kathmandu show films from India, but films from
the United States are rare.Nowadays, few halls show English movies
from the United States too. Family-operated video
cinemas in both large cities and small towns show up to three films a
day. Nepal is a country of many festivals and celebrations during
which people sing and dance. Popular sports include soccer,
volleyball, and badminton. Many adults consider most games and sports
only for children.
Nowadays, nightlife is very rare in Kathmandu. Other cities have
hardly any nightlife to offer. After around 9 PM most of the shops
remain closed.
Nepal has its own solar calendar called Bikram Sambat, with the new
year occurring in mid-April. Dates for religious holidays and
festivals, however, are based on the phases of the moon. Dashain takes
place during two weeks in September or October and celebrates the
inevitable triumph of virtue over the forces of evil; it is a time of
gift giving, family gatherings, feasts, and rituals performed for the
Goddess of Victory. During Tihar, three days in October or November,
rows of lights are displayed on every building in worship of the
Goddess of Wealth. Teej is observed in August or September and is a
time for married women to go home to their parents, receive special
treatment, ritually purify themselves, and pray for sons. Sons are
prayed for because they stay near their mother—unlike daughters, who
are married off into other households—and can care for her in her old
age. Holi is a lively social event in February or March during which
people dance in the streets and throw colorful powders on each other.
Bhoto Jatra is a great festival celebrated in April or May and
attended by the king and queen. The birthdays of the king and queen are also celebrated. Christmas Day
(25 December) is an official holiday. On the full moon of the month
Baisakh—which falls sometime in April or May—the day Buddha was born,
the day he was enlightened, and the day he passed into nirvana are
commemorated.
For more information on the festivals celebrated in Nepal, see
the festivals page.
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