Public holidays in Nepal

Last updated

Nepal uses three official calendar systems, including the Nepal Sambat as the main and national calendar, the Gregorian calendar for international events and holidays, and the Vikram Samvat for Hindu holidays.

Contents

Public offices and most private businesses in Nepal operate six days a week and only close on Saturdays. International organizations have their own rules and are normally closed on Saturdays and Sundays. Government holidays for the upcoming year are published in Nepal Gazette. Nepal celebrates a number of religious and non-religious holidays. On most of these holidays, most government offices and private institutions are closed, although is not mandatory for privately owned businesses to close and international organizations may operate their own calendar.

Some of these events are region, religion, or gender-specific. For example, a certain holiday in Nepal can only be for women.

The Government of Nepal has decided to grant a Nation-Wide holiday for a total of 31 days in the year 2079 B.S [1]

The longest consecutive public holiday in Nepal is during Vijaya Dashami. On this festival, holidays fall consecutively i.e. from Fulpati to Duwadashi for seven days. Ghatasthapana and Kojagrat Purnima holidays are part of this festival but are separate from the six-day holiday. These festival holidays do not fall on the same calendar date every year, as they are celebrated on the basis of Lunar dates also known as tithi. Holidays such as Loktantra Diwas (Democracy Day) and Republic day are celebrated on the basis of Bikram Sambat calendar dates.

Public holidays

The following is the list of holidays for the calendar year 2018 in Nepal.

DateHoliday NameHoliday TypeBrief Information
January 11 Prithvi Jayanti Non-ReligiousBirthday of Prithvi Narayan Shah.
January 15 Maghe Sankranti ReligiousThe first day of the month of Magh.
January 18Sonam LosarReligiousNew Year celebration by the Tamang community.
January 22 Saraswati Puja ReligiousEducational institution only.
January 30 Shahid Diwas Non-ReligiousMartyr's day in Nepal remembering the first four Martyrs of Nepal.
February 13 Maha Shivaratri ReligiousCelebrated in reverence of Lord Shiva.
February 16 Gyalpo Lhosar ReligiousNew Year of Tibetan Community.
February 19Prajatantra DiwasNon-ReligiousDemocracy day of Nepal.
March 1Fagu PurnimaReligiousAlso known as Holi, the festival of colors. In Terai region of Nepal, this festival is celebrated on the next day.
March 8Nari DiwasNon-Religious International Women's Day is celebrated on this day in Nepal.
April 14 Vaisakhi Non-ReligiousFirst day of Bikram Sambat calendar.
April 16Mata Tirtha AunsiReligiousAama ko mukh herne din.
April 25Ram NawamiReligiousBirth date of Lord Ram
May 1Majdur DiwasNon-religiousInternational labor day.
May 29Ganatantra DiwasNon-ReligiousRepublic day in Nepal.
May 31Buddha JayantiReligiousBirth date of Lord Gautam Buddha.
July 17Gai JatraReligiousGai Jatra (Kathmandu Valley Only)
August 26Janai Purnima and Raksha Bandhan ReligiousSacred thread festival, Janai Purnima marks the renewal of the sacred thread by Brahmins. Raksha Bandhan celebrates the holi bond between brothers and sisters.
Gaijatra ReligiousA day of commemoration for those who died in the past year. Holiday in Kathmandu Valley only.
September 2 Krishna Janmashtami ReligiousCelebrates the birth of Lord Krishna
Gaura ParwaReligiousCelebrated mostly in far western Nepal, this festival is observed in other parts as well.
Indra Jatra ReligiousCelebrated only in Kathmandu valley, commemorates the founding of Kathmandu.
September 19Sambidhaan DiwasNon-ReligiousConstitution Day in Nepal.
October 10GhatasthapanaReligiousThe beginning of Dashain.
October 16FulpatiReligiousSeventh day of Dashaini when jamara is brought from Gorkha palace to Kathmandu.
October 17Maha AsthamiReligiousThe day to appease Goddess Durga's manifestations, the blood-thirsty Kali.
October 18Maha NavamiReligiousMaha Navami is the last day of Navaratri.
October 19 Vijayadashami ReligiousThis day is very important day for Nepalese Hindu religion, On Bijaya Dashami mixture of rice, yogurt and vermilion is prepared and is known as Tika. Elders put Tika, Jamara and Kokha on the young ones and give them blessing.
October 20EkadashiReligiousEleventh day of Dashain where the celebration continues.
October 21DuwadashiReligiousThe final official consecutive holiday of Dashain celebration.
October 23Kojagrat PurnimaReligiousFinal full moon day after which Dashain officially ends.
November 7Laxmi PujaReligiousIn the morning cows are worshipped. Later, usually during the evenings, Laxmi, Goddess of wealth is worshipped.
November 8 Mha Puja and Govardhan Puja Religious Nepal Sambat new year.
November 9BhaitikaReligiousSisters and brothers wish for each other's safety and well-being. Gifts are exchanged between them.
November 13 Chhath Parwa ReligiousA festival dedicated to Hindu Sun God.
November 20Prophet Muhammad BirthdateReligious
Yomari Punhi and Jyapu DiwasReligiousA festival marking the end of the rice harvest.
December 25 Christmas Day ReligiousBirthday of Jesus Christ.
Poush 15 Tamu Lhosar ReligiousNew year celebrated by the Gurung Community.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holiday</span> Festive day set aside by custom or by law

A holiday is a day or other period of time set aside for festivals or recreation. Public holidays are set by public authorities and vary by state or region. Religious holidays are set by religious organisations for their members and are often also observed as public holidays in religious majority countries. Some religious holidays, such as Christmas, have become secularised by part or all of those who observe them. In addition to secularisation, many holidays have become commercialised due to the growth of industry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Year</span> Beginning of the calendar year

The New Year is the time or day at which a new calendar year begins and the calendar's year count increments by one. Many cultures celebrate the event in some manner. In the Gregorian calendar, the most widely used calendar system today, New Year occurs on January 1. This was also the first day of the year in the original Julian calendar and the Roman calendar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vesak</span> Buddhist festival marking the birth, enlightenment and death of the Buddha

Vesak, also known as Buddha Jayanti, Buddha Purnima, Buddha Day, is a holiday traditionally observed by Buddhists in South Asia and Southeast Asia, as well as Tibet and Mongolia. It is the most important Buddhist festival. The festival commemorates the birth, enlightenment (Nibbāna), and passing (Parinirvāna) of Gautama Buddha in Theravada, Tibetan Buddhism and Navayana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Year's Day</span> First day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 1 January

In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Day is the first day of the calendar year, 1 January. Most solar calendars begin the year regularly at or near the northern winter solstice, while cultures and religions that observe a lunisolar or lunar calendar celebrate their Lunar New Year at less fixed points relative to the solar year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Public holidays in the United States</span> Holidays in the United States of America

In the United States, public holidays are set by federal, state, and local governments and are often observed by closing government offices or giving government employees paid time off. The federal government does not require any private business to close or offer paid time off, as is the case for most state local governments, so employers determine which holidays to observe.

An academic term is a portion of an academic year during which an educational institution holds classes. The schedules adopted vary widely. Specific synonyms are commonly used to denote the duration or a term. In most countries, the academic year begins in late summer or early autumn and ends during the following spring or summer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Public holidays in Malaysia</span>

Public holidays in Malaysia are regulated at both federal and state levels, mainly based on a list of federal holidays observed nationwide plus a few additional holidays observed by each individual state and federal territory. The public holidays are a mix of secular holidays celebrating the nation and its history, and selected traditional holidays of the various ethnic and religious groups that make up the country.

Vikram Samvat, also known as the Vikrami calendar is a Hindu calendar historically used in the Indian subcontinent and still used in several states. It is a solar calendar, using twelve to thirteen lunar months each solar sidereal years. The year count of the Vikram Samvat calendar is usually 57 years ahead of the Gregorian calendar, except during January to April, when it is ahead by 56 years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Academic year</span> Period of time which schools, colleges and universities use to measure a quantity of study

An academic year is "the year during which students attend school or university". An academic year or school year is a period that schools, colleges and universities use to measure the quantity of study. During this period, students attend classes and do relevant exams and homework. It comprises school days and school holidays. Duration of school days, school year, and holidays vary across the world.

The weekdays and weekend are the complementary parts of the week devoted to labour and rest, respectively. The legal weekdays, or workweek, is the part of the seven-day week devoted to working. In most of the world, the workweek is from Monday to Friday and the weekend is Saturday and Sunday. A weekday or workday is any day of the working week. Other institutions often follow this pattern, such as places of education. The constituted weekend has varying definitions, based on determined calendar days, designated period of time, and/or regional definition of the working week. Sometimes the term "weekend" is expanded to include the time after work hours on the last workday of the week.

For exact dates in the Gregorian calendar see Jewish and Israeli holidays 2000–2050.

Public holidays are celebrated by the entire population of Egypt. Holidays in Egypt have many classifications. Some holidays are religious and others are secular, while some can be fixed holidays on the calendar while others are movable. There are four Islamic holidays and two Christian holidays. The National Day of Egypt is celebrated on July, 23 which coincides with the annual celebration of the Egyptian revolution of 1952 when the modern republic of Egypt was declared, ending the period of the Kingdom of Egypt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nepal Sambat</span> Nepalese Traditional Calendar

Nepal Sambat, also spelled as Nepala Sambata, is the lunar calendar used by Nepali of Nepal. The calendar era began on 20 October 879 CE, with 1143 in Nepal Sambat corresponding to the year 2022–2023 CE. Nepal Sambat appeared on coins, stone and copper plate inscriptions, royal decrees, chronicles, Hindu and Buddhist manuscripts, legal documents and correspondence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Public holidays in Botswana</span>

Public holidays in Botswana are largely controlled by government sector employers who are given paid time off. The government holiday schedule mainly benefits employees of government and government regulated businesses. At the discretion of the employer, other non-federal holidays such as Christmas Eve are common additions to the list of paid holidays.

Nepal is a secular state under the Constitution of Nepal 2015, where "secular" means religious, cultural freedoms, including protection of religion and culture handed down from time immemorial.

Ashwin, also known as Ashoj, is the sixth month in the Bikram Sambat, the official Nepali calendar. This month coincides with September 17 to October 17 of the Western Calendar and is 31 days long.

Public holidays in Bhutan consist of both national holidays and local festivals or tshechus. While national holidays are observed throughout Bhutan, tsechus are only observed in their areas. Bhutan uses its own calendar, a variant of the lunisolar Tibetan calendar. Because it is a lunisolar calendar, dates of some national holidays and most tshechus change from year to year. For example, the new year, Losar, generally falls between February and March.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kachhala (month)</span> First month of the Newa calendar

Kachhalā is the first month in the Nepal Era calendar, the national lunar calendar of Nepal. The month corresponds to Kārtik in the Hindu lunar calendar and roughly matches November in the Gregorian calendar.

References

  1. "List of public holidays in Nepal". Narayani Law Firm. 12 March 2022.