Bisket Jatra

This ancient new year festival of Bhaktapur takes place at the new year of the Bikram Sambat calendar (April). A few days before the new year, the goddess ‘bhadrakali’ and the god ‘bhairab’ are enshrined in their raths, (chariots) and pulled through the narrow streets of Bhaktapur by crowds of young men.

Sithi Nakha

 Before there was modern water piping systems, wells and kuwas were the basis for the water supply in Bhaktapur. On this day, people clean the wells and worship Naag to wish for good rainfall in the monsoon. People celebrate by eating traditional Newar delicacies like bara and chatamari.

Gathamaga Charya

 Gathamaga is made from straw and symbolises a devil. Locals make gathamagas and then burn them on fires to purge their neighbourhood of evil. It is also said that mosquitoes lose a leg on this day.

Sa Paaru (Gai Jatra)

The celebration of Gai Jatra is followed in Kathmandu and Lalitpur around August or September. Tall bamboo poles wrapped in cloth and topped with a horn of straw, and an umbrella are carried around the town in memory of the dead.

Gunla

Gunla is the name of the tenth month of the Nepal Era calendar (August). It is a sacred month dedicated to Lord Buddha and is celebrated in Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur and is an important event in Newar Buddhism.

Pulu Kisi (Indra Jatra)

The son of Lord of Heaven is believed to have been kidnapped by a devil named Maisasur who then tied Indra’s son to a pole and killed him. Indra was shocked to hear of his son’s death and sent an elephant,

Yomari purnima

On this day in December, farmers of the Kathmandu Valley worship Annapurna, the goddess of grains for a good rice harvest.