Maghe Sankranti

Maghe or Makar Sankranti is one of the most significant festivals celebrated by Nepalese. Sankranti refers to the first day of every month. This is the reason why the festival is called Maghe Sankranti. This festival is celebrated to mark the end of month Poush - a month in which all religious ceremonies are forbidden. Apparently, it signifies the beginning of the holy season.

According to Mahabharat, Bhisma, who had the power to control his own death had chosen to die on the same day. So , it is believed that those who die on this day achieve Mokshya i.e. they will be free from the suffering of life, death and rebirth.

On this day, people take a holy bath on holy rivers early in the morning which is known as ' Makar Snan'. Sankranti fairs are held on banks of holy rivers like  Trishuli and kali Gandaki. The Kankai river as well as Devghat are famous for holy bath and pilgrims from places as far as India come to take a holy dip in these rivers.

Pic: Holy Bath in Gaighat, Source: ecs.com.np

The festival is referred to as Maghi in the Tharu community. This is one of their biggest festivals and lasts longer than in other communities. They have a huge feast starting from the end of Poush to 3rd of Magh. Newars on the other hand  refer this festival as Maghe Sangranti Ghyo Chaku Sanun.  On this day they massage their body and head with Sesame oil. 

Photo By: Amish Regmi

The festival is particularly special because of the varieties of food items that is prepared on this day. The main food item on this day is laddu made of teel (sesame seed fudge)  and bhuja (puffed rice),  sweet potatoes , yam and  chaku (molasys). These food are healthy and bring warmth to the body in the cold season.

Photo By: Bikalpa Gautam

Hope Maghe Sankranti not only brings a warm season this year but also warmth in the heart of all Nepalese.

Chhat Festival : Festival of God Sun

Chhath Parva is one of the important Hindu festivals specially celebrated by natives of Mithila region. This festival is dedicated to god Sun. The Sun is called Surya in Sanskrit and Chhath Parba is thanks giving to lord Surya for sustaining life on earth and to worship him to provide his continuous blessings to mankind.

Janakpur during Chatth Festival. Photo By: Sunit Shekhar

The Sun, source power of nature, considered the god of energy and lord of the life-force, is worshiped in Chhath to promote well-being, prosperity and progress. Hindu people believe sun helps to cure many illness and diseases. Sun is considered as source of healing too. Sun is also considered as token of stability and prosperity. Therefore, people worship sun to ensure the longevity and prosperity of family members, friends and beloved ones.

Rani Pokhari during Chatth Festival. Photo By: Sajan Maharjan

The rituals of the festival are rigorous and are observed over a period of four days. They include holy bathing, fasting and abstaining from drinking water (Vratta), standing in water for long periods of time, and offering prashad and arghya to the setting and rising sun.

Rani Pokhari during Chatth Festival. Photo By: Sajan Maharjan

Chhath Matra (छठ मन्त्र)

एष ब्रम्हा च विष्णुष्च शिव: स्कन्द: प्रजापती: ।

महेन्द्रोधनद: कालो यम: सोमो ह्यपाम्पति: ।।

एनमापत्सु क्रिच्छेषु कन्तारेषु भयेषु च ।

किर्तयन पुरुष्: कष्चिन्नवसिदती राघव ।।।

आदित्य्म सर्बकर्तंरं कलाद्वदाद्शम्युतमं ।

पद्महस्त्द्वयं वन्दे सर्वलोकैकभस्करमं ।।

Govardhan Puja | Mha Puja : 4th day of Tihar

The fourth day of Tihar is Goru Puja, Govardhan Puja, Mha Puja and Nepal Sambat. Govardhan Puja is celebrated as the day Krishna defeated Indra by lifting the Govardhan hill.

Nepal is mostly an agricultural country so oxen are considered important animals as they help in ploughing the fields. That is why on this day they are worshiped with tika, garland and offered nice food. Also this day small hillocks made out of cow dung is worshiped.

History
It is believed that once there was a drought in a village in Vridavan. The villagers were very worried and they wanted to perform a big Puja in honour of Lord Indra, the God of rain. But Lord Krishna convinced them that, they should not pray to Lord Indra since it was the Mount Govardhan that brought the rain and not Lord Indra. This made Lord Indra very angry and in his wrath he sent forth a big thunderstorm to flood the village. Lord Krishan lifted the Mount Govardhan as an umbrella above the village to protect the villagers and their cattle from the rain and flood.

Mha Puja
In newari language (Newa), “Mha” means body. On this day the Newa people worship their inner self in the evening by worshipping themselves. They believe that the soul never dies and our body is only a vehicle and so we need to understand and respect our body as it is the chosen vehicle for this incarnation. This Puja is believed to bring prosperity and physical well-being.

Kukur Tihar : 2nd Day of Tihar

Tihar is one of the biggest festivals of Nepal celebrated by the Hindus. This festival is celebrated for five days, focusing on the relationship of human with different creatures and God.
The second day of Tihar is an interesting one, the day in which dogs are worshiped and honored. Dogs are considered to be loyal friend of humans. But this is not the only reason why they are worshiped on this day. The reason behind worshiping dogs during Tihar has some historical reasons and significance too.

Source: Bhakti Rasayana

According to Rigveda, a sacred book on Hinduism, Samara (the mother of dogs) had assisted Indra ( The Lord of heaven) in retrieving stolen cattle.
According to another hindu mythology dogs are considered as the messenger of Lord Yamraj, the God of Death.  A dog is also said to guard the gates of the afterlife.

Source: theodysseyonline.com

On the day of Kukur Tihar, people offer mala (garland made of flowers) , tika (sacred colored powder) and delicious food to the dogs. People cherish the strong bond between humans and dogs on this day.

 

Not many would know the mythological reason behind celebrating this festival. However, these days people give more importance to this festival because of the relationship they have with their favorite pet.  Those who do not have a pet at home go in search of stray dogs and put garlands and tika to them. Even the dogs are excited when they are offered delicious food early in the morning but until the day end, they are so much pampered and obsessed with food that they don’t  give a glance even to their favorite food.

Via vegmagazine.net

So how are you pampering your dog today? And how are you celebrating this festival? Do share with us.

Happy Dashain 2072

दशैको पीङ जस्तै चन्चलता कायम रहोस्

चङ्गा झै उचाइ पुग्न पाओस

सदा देवीको आशीर्वाद रहुन

नीर्मल बनोस भावना

बीजया दशमी 2072 को यही छ मंगलमय शुभकामना !!!

Janai Purnima and Rakshya Bandhan

Rakshya Bandhan and Janai Purnima are observed on full moon ( purnima) day during Shrawan/ Bhadra. It is an important festival celebrated by Hindus all over the world.

Rakshya Bandhan
Rakhshya is a sacred colorful thread that is tied around wrists by senior member of the family or a priest and this sacred thread is believed to be symbol of protection. The following mantra is chanted while tying rakhsya around one’s wrist

"एन बद्धु बलि राजा दानबिन्द्रो महावल

तेन त्वं  बध नामी रक्षे मा चल मा चल"

Meaning: 
“I tie on you (the devotee) the raksha which was tied on Bali, the King of demons.
Therefore Oh Raksha! Do not ever fail to protect this devotee, do not ever fail.” (Bhavishyottara Puran : 137/20)

The same day sisters put Rakhi, which is also a sacred thread, around their brother’s wrist. The brothers on the other hand give gifts or Dakshina (cash gift) to their sisters. Rakhi is believed to strengthen the bond between brothers and sisters and also protects the brother from any kind of evil. Rakhi symbolizes the sister's love and prayers for her brother's well-being, and the brother's lifelong vow to protect her.

Janai Purnima
On this day, Hindu men, especially the Brahmins and Chettris perform their annual change of Janai and all who celebrate this festival put a scared thread around their left neck to the right armpits below. Janai is regarded as a symbol of body, speech and mind. Men usually go to sacred rivers and ponds to take a holy bath and change this thread or janai.

Source: www.fishtail.org

Another wonderful aspect of Janai Purnima/Rakshya Bandhan is preparation of Kwati. Kwati is a delicious soup of nine types of sprouted beans. Kwati is a special soup prepared on this particular day by all those who celebrate the festival. Kwati is a rich source of protein and its consumption is beneficial for health.

Source: dwitnews.com

Godawari Kunda Mela 2072

Godawari Kunda Entrance Gate on August 18 (Start Day)

Picture By: Subodh Maharjan | www.subodhmaharjan.com.np

प्रत्येक १२ बर्षमा सुर्य र ब्रेहस्पति सिंह राशिमा प्रवेश गरेको बेलामा भाद्र १ गते देखी एक महिनासम्म गोदावरीमा बिशेस मेला लाग्दछ । यस मेलामा गोदावरी स्नान गर्नाले सम्पूर्ण पापहरु पखालिन्छ र रोगहरु नास हुन्छ भन्ने बिस्वास रहिआएको हुँदा देश-बिदेश बाट पनि भक्ताजनाहरु आउने गरिन्छ ।

Godawari is considered as one of the sacred site due to Godawari Kunda (Godawari Spring Pond) Kathmandu Lalitpur. The temple of Siddheshwor Mahadev is beside the Inner Kunda. It is believed that water in the Kunda is originated from the sacred place in India also known as Godawari. There are five Dhunge Dhara (stone tap: popular ancient architecture) from where the pure kunda water flows to outer Kunda from the inner Kunda.

People from around Nepal come to take dip into the Kunda during Godawari Mela (festival). This Mela takes place in every 12 years in the autumn season and people from around the country participate in the fair. The festival runs for about month celebrating different kind of rituals.

History

The festival is said to date back at least 1,000 years to the Lichhavi period, and was later adopted by the Malla kings of the Valley. The crystal clear waters of the springs of Godavari below Phulchoki, the highest mountain on the Valley rim, are said to be linked to a river of the same name in southern India.

Godavari’s holy pond with five dhunge dhara (stone spouts) is believed to have been formed when the oceans were churned and one drop of amrit (nectar) that came out fell on Godavari.

Bahadev Baral, writer of Godavari Mela

Source: Nepali Times

Bahadev Baral, from Godavari has written a book on the Godavari Mela and quotes the legend that 

one of the seven saints of Hinduism, Gautam Rishi, was once grazing his cattle when one of his cows fell off a cliff and died. He asked Lord Shiva to help, and was told to pray to Ganga. That night the river goddess appeared in a dream and the next day the waters of the Ganga somehow came to Godavari, at a time of the auspicious conjunction of Jupiter with the Sun – which happens every 12 years. 

The saint is then supposed to have built the Siddheshwar Temple beside the pond at Godavari Kunda. From that day, the Godavari Mela occurs on this same day Ganga appeared to Rishi, every 12 years.

Photo By: Bikram Rai

Article by: Subodh Maharjan | www.subodhmaharjan.com.np

Reference: Nepali Times

6 Things Women Who Celebrate Teej Can Relate To

The country is going bright once again with women clad in their all time favorite color –Red. Haritalika teej or Teej is a festival celebrated by women to mark the union of goddess Parvati with Lord Shiva. This festival is observed for marital happiness and well being of family members. Though people from other cultural backgrounds think it’s really hard for women who celebrate teej because of the difficult fasting ritual the festival holds  , it is actually a festival women enjoy celebrating.

Listed are six things every woman who celebrates Teej loves about it.

Fun with Dar

Having Dar before the tough fasting day has its own charm. Moreover, meeting friends and relatives who are sharing similar experiences is what adds to the charm of the festival. We might have delicious food before and after, but Daar always has a special significance to women celebrating teej.

Buying and Gifting Accessories

Buying and exchanging accessories is another important part of teej. We love to embellish ourselves as well our experience sharers with beautiful accessories on this day. So our teej shopping starts a month before and sometimes even before that. After all, shopping is an art and women are masters in this art!

Unveiling the Best Traditional Look

This is the day we dress up in our best traditional attire. We might not step out of our houses but still we prefer to look our very best. Unmarried girls usually prefer red kurtas while most married women are seen in beautiful red sarees and a green tilhari that fully complements their attire.

Strict Fasting on Own Will

No matter what belief we have throughout the year about staying hungry, we love to fast on this day of the year. Some women fast without having a single drop of water while some spend the day with fruits and other pious edibles. We give up our meals for our family especially for the wellness of our husband and in return we get self satisfaction and peace of mind.

Visiting Temples 

Women queue up from midnight in Lord Shiva’s temples just to get a glimpse of Lord Shiva on this day. Most of the time women have to queue up for an entire day to keep their wishes in front of Lord Shiva. No matter how great the hardship, teej is never complete without visiting Shiva ji’s temples.

Dancing With Heart

No food to burn calories, no water to trench the thirst, yet we always have that unmatchable energy to dance our heart out on this day. This is the only day when even our mom and aunts dance like nobody’s watching and it gives us immense pleasure to watch them pour all their sorrows and happiness through their dances.

282nd Pritivi Jayanti

Original Photograph By: Nabin Malakar

‘The country is not built with any lesser hardwork of mine, it is a common garden of all communities, the palace is stronger when the people are stronger...’ are some immortal and wise sayings of His Late Majesty King Prithvi Narayan Shah the great, mentioned in the ‘Dibyopadesh’ messages, whose 282nd birth anniversary is being celebrated all over the kingdom, today.

Prithvi Narayan Shah, King of Nepal (1723–1775; Nepali: पृथ्वीनारायण शाह) was the first king of the unified Nepal. He is credited for starting the campaign for a unified Nepal, which had been divided and weakened under Malla confederacy.[4] He was the ninth generation descendant of Dravya Shah (1559–1570), the founder of the ruling house of Gorkha. Prithvi Narayan Shah succeeded his father, King Nara Bhupal Shah to the throne of the Gorkha Kingdom in 1743.

King Prithvi Narayan Shah's reign began with the defeat at Nuwakot, which lies between Kathmandu and Gorkha District. He won Nuwakot in the subsequent attempt in 1744. After Nuwakot, he took possession of strategic points in the hills surrounding the Kathmandu Valley. The valley's communications with the outside world were thus cut off. The occupation of the Kuti Pass in about 1756 stopped the valley's trade with Tibet. Also he had stopped the trade between the Newar people living in the Kathmandu Valley and the Muslim Mughal Empire in India.

After two humiliating defeats, King Prithvi Narayan Shah conquered Kirtipur on his third attempt. Finally, King Prithvi Narayan Shah entered the valley, after conquering Kirtipur. Consequently Jaya Prakash Malla of Kathmandu managed to escape with his wife and took asylum in Patan, Lalitpur. When the conquest was extended to Patan a few weeks later both Jaya Prakash Malla and the King of Patan, Tej Narsingh Malla, took refuge in Bhaktapur, which was also conquered after some time. Thus King Prithvi Narayan Shah conquered the Kathmandu Valley and made Kathmandu the capital of the Nepal in 1768. Once the foundation of the Kingdom of Nepal was thus laid, King Prithvi Narayan Shah turned his attention towards the east. The Sen Kingdom of Choudandi was conquered by 1773 and Vijaypur, another Sen Kingdom was annexed shortly after.

King Prithvi Narayaṇ Shah managed to unify small principalities into one nation, Nepal. The unification was crucial as the British colonial forces had already started colonizing small kingdoms that formed present India. King Prithivi Narayan Shah was convinced that the British forces would slowly come for Nepal and as the present day Nepal was divided into more than 50 small principalities it would be very easy for the British to colonize Nepal. His unification campaign was very ambitious, especially as he was the King of a small kingdom surrounded by strong and powerful neighbors. But King Prithivi Narayan Shah was able to unify Nepal and later the Nepali forces were able to fight against British colonial forces and prevent colonization of Nepal. He died before he could effectively organize the administration of his new country. He died in January, 1775 at the age of 52. Upon his death, Prithvi Narayaṇ Shah was succeeded by his son, Pratap Singh Shah and his unification campaign was continued by his younger son Bahadur Shah.

Happy Birthday, Late King Birendra Bir Bikram Shah

Poush 14, today is the birthday of our beloved Late King Birendra Bir Bikram Shah ...
Lets remember him on his birthday and pray for the eternal peace of the great soul and thank him for his service to Nepal & Nepali people.

Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev was the 11th King of Nepal and a South Asian statesman. The son of King Mahendra, whom he succeeded in 1972, he reigned until his death in the 2001 Nepalese royal massacre.

Born: December 28, 1945, Kathmandu (14th Poush 2002)
Parents: Mahendra of Nepal
Spouse: Aishwarya of Nepal (m. 1970)
Assassinated: June 1, 2001, Kathmandu
Siblings: Gyanendra of Nepal, Dhirendra of Nepal
Children: Dipendra of Nepal, Princess Shruti of Nepal, Prince Nirajan of Nepal

Yomari Punhi - Udhauli Puja

२ पौष २०७० - 17th December 2013

Happpy Yomari Punhi
Happy Udhauli Puja - Kirat Parba

http://www.flickr.com/photos/fascinatingnepal/11411698236/