Christmas & New Year Celebration in Nepal: A Complete Guide
Ancient temples, The Himalayas, Spirituality, festivals of the various festivals associated with Hinduism and Buddhism are perhaps the most well-known characteristics of Nepal. However, when December comes around in Nepal, the country transforms into a beautiful place through its Christmas and New Year celebrations. We have become colourful, unaffiliated, and joyous events that reflect the development of the Nepalese lifestyle and harmony amongst the various cultures throughout Nepal today.
The unique characteristic of the Christmas and New Year in Nepal is not simply the decorations and parties associated with it. But it is the ability of people from various religions, cultures, and backgrounds to come together to celebrate as a whole. Locals, tourists, expatriates, students, and people in general all come together to celebrate. The festive spirit of the country is shown throughout various parts of Nepal from the busiest streets in Kathmandu to the tranquil monasteries of Lumbini to the snow-covered Himalaya trekking areas.
In this blog we will guide you to how Christmas and New Year are recognised in Nepal, where you can experience them, and what makes Christmas and New Year celebrations in Nepal something unique.
Understanding Christmas Celebration in Nepal
Christmas is celebrated in Nepal on December 25 by members of the local Christian community. Although Christianity has existed in Nepal for many years and churches across Nepal hold services such as prayer, mass, and community gathering at this time of year. Over the past few years the celebration of Christmas has also become a more comprehensive social and cultural event that is shared by many other people in Nepal, in addition to the Christian population.
In cities throughout Nepal at Christmas time many people celebrate Christmas with the values of Peace, Love, Kindness and Togetherness. These values are common within Nepali Culture and are very much part of the culture of Family and Community. Due to this aspect of Nepali culture, it has become common to see Christmas Celebrations organized not only in Churches but in Schools, Colleges, Businesses, and Social Clubs.
Christmas Services and Christmas Spirit are very common to many Church Congregations, and many Churches across Kathmandu Valley and especially those located in Lalitpur, Balaju, Koteshwor, and Baneshwor. You have an opportunity to have special Christmas services including Midnight Mass, Candle Light Services, Choir Performances, and Christmas Sermons. Additionally, Carols are sung in both English and Nepali, creating an inviting and emotional environment for those attending.
Another way to observe Christmas in Nepal is through charitable causes. Many churches hold food distribution, provide aid to orphanages, give assistance to the less fortunate, and demonstrate how humanitarianism is an essential value of Christmas in Nepal.
Christmas as a Social Festival.
For many people in Nepal, Christmas has turned into a time for families to celebrate together as one unit. Even people in Nepal who do not hold to Christianity as their religious belief now celebrate Christmas. What do these celebrations look like? Christians in Nepal who celebrate Christmas typically decorate their homes with Christmas trees, wear Santa hats; give and receive gifts, and have family meals together. All the schools and universities throughout Nepal have their own Christmas celebrations which include music, dancing, plays, and games. Christmas is very popular among young people in Nepal.
There is nothing commercialized about the celebration of Christmas in Nepal. The Christmas celebration expresses a simple and loving socializing atmosphere without the stress associated with purchasing items.
New Year's celebration in Nepal
The New Year's celebration in Nepal today continues with the contemporary values of the New Year's celebration in Nepal, while also being aligned with the many traditional values that are found within the culture of Nepal. All calendars that acknowledge the Pilgrimages of Nepal acknowledge the 'Nepalese Calendar' as either 'Bikram Sambat' or 'Nepal Sambat'.
The Gregorian Calendar (Celebrated primarily in Western Nations). Nepal has had its several New Year's celebrations for a long time, but the English New Year (January 1) is gaining popularity primarily because of the commercial aspects related to the celebrations taking place mainly in urban areas and Tourism Related centres.
The majority of people in Nepal participate actively on December 31 by engaging socially in music, food, drink and dance to ring in the New Year. January 1, a day after the New Year's Eve celebrations, is generally a time for Nepalese individuals to spiritually reflect on their past year and make a commitment (or resolutions) to change their behaviour for the better, for the upcoming year.
There is tremendous excitement and noise around the New Year celebration (December 31) in Urban Centres. Hotels, clubs, restaurants and other venues host large, live band events with many D.J.s, dancers and countdowns taking place. People dress up in fancy outfits and gather with family and friends to usher in the New Year.
The young people of Nepal are responsible for creating the more modern style of New Year celebrations, with International visitors and resident expatriates adding a global dimension to all of the events.
New Year’s Day: Spiritual and Family-Oriented
In the New Year, most Nepalis will make a visit to a temple, monastery, or stupa for prayers for their health, peace, and success for the next year after having celebrated with their families at a dinner on New Year's Eve. Before this New Year's dinner, families will come together as a unit; during the meal, an Elder family member will give you a blessing, encouraging you to consider what goals and responsibilities you have for the New Year.
Nepal has a unique combination of taking time to enjoy life and being conscious of what we are doing in our lives that distinguishes it from other cultures that are purely celebratory during New Year's.
Nepal's Christmas/New Year's Celebrations
The Kathmandu Valley is the hub of Christmas and New Year's Celebration in Nepal, with celebrations that go from the highest moment of excitement to some of the lowest spiritual moments in seconds. The Kathmandu Valley provides both the atmosphere to enjoy and experience the nightlife and the opportunity to pray for the future in a temple.
Thamel is the hub of the nightlife and celebration. In December, all the decorative lights are hung from each tree, and the streets are full of Christmas decorating. The bands are playing at the bars and cafés throughout the city, and every main street is crowded
Parting companies in Nepal celebrate the start of the New Year by gathering on streets or rooftops, throwing parties and live concerts where many people from all around the world come together as if to declare: “Welcome to this Brand New Year!” to one another. If you are planning to visit Nepal for Chritmas or New Year. You can know how it is celebrated in different places below and be a part of this.
Celebration In Kathamnadu
New Year's Day begins with many devotees visiting Pashupatinath, Swayambhunath and Boudhanath Buddhist Stupas in order to light butter lamps, pray, and receive blessings so they can enter into the New Year with strength and hope spiritually.
The first major New Year's festivities will start on Christmas Day or the day after. Approximately 90% of the people that will attend the New Year festivities at this time will be part of the slow-paced lifestyle and enjoy the views of the beautiful mountains.
The Christmas holiday season provides cultural events to celebrate in Lalitpur and Bhaktapur. The Christmas holiday is extremely important for the local Christian community and for the inhabitants of Lalitpur; in Lalitpur there are numerous churches providing programs for the community as well as holding daily prayer services for residents and employees that work in and around Lalitpur.
In Jhamsikhel, several young men and women gather together in restaurants and cafes to celebrate Christmas with their friends and family.
Celebration in Pokhara
Pokhara is still one of the best selections in Nepal because it is a vacation spot for the family and professional, providing a mix of festive events and an area of tranquillity. It is where the majority of expatriates and young Nepalis will celebrate the New Year by gathering at different cafés.
Celebration in Bhaktapur
The Heritage & Peace Celebration in Bhaktapur takes place on New Year’s Eve. It has built up over the years through years of positive development as a Site of 'World Heritage', and through the continued development of relationship between peace and tranquility within Bhaktapur as a result of gradual population growth. Because of this, with Bhaktapur being small in size and among the oldest historical sites in Nepal, there is not an overwhelming amount of noise or crowding, which allows people who want to celebrate New Year’s Eve in a peaceful manner to do so in an enjoyable, relaxed environment.
Celebration in Chitwan
Chitwan also has a great New Year’s Celebration. Many of the resorts that make up the Wildlife Economy of Chitwan National Park provide lots of ways to celebrate New Year’s Eve through the offerings of each resort providing a variety of forms of entertainment. The New Year is celebrated by many establishments located throughout the Chitwan region by offering various experiences for guests including large bonfires to give warmth and light during the cold. The highlight of these New Year's Eve events provides guests with the rare opportunity to witness and join in on traditional cultural dances (in particular) the Tharu Cultural Dance and enjoy a large variety of food that is not found anywhere else in the world.
Some guests will spend their New Year Eve at their accommodations while others may be lucky enough to enjoy activities like canoeing through the jungles or taking part in guided tours to explore the surrounding villages.
Celebration in Lumbini
While still others are looking for a more serene, introspective experience, Lumbini provides an option for guests to practice their own form of meditation and prayer. In Lumbini, guests can also visit the many Buddhist Monasteries and participate in spiritual activities such as chanting and experiencing the presence of prayer flags and Monks.
Traveling through the many Himalayan mountain ranges including Mt. Everest, Annapurna, Langtang and Manaslu provides many unique experiences during the holiday season.
Local tea houses decorate their dining areas with lights and small Christmas trees, and everyone including trekkers, guides and local inhabitants share meals and stories during these festivities.
Celebration in Bandipur and Nagarkot
Celebrating New Years' surrounded by those magnificent mountains, with a ceiling of stars is truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Bandipur & Nagarkot: Peaceful Locations for Celebration Bandipur and Nagarkot are excellent locations for those interested in celebrating quietly. They both offer scenic locations with quiet accommodations, including hotels and homestays, that organize modest New Year's celebratory dinners with wonderful views during the winter evenings.
Conclusion
In Nepal, Christmas and New Year are celebrated as Times of Life. While there are many religions and cultural differences, the importance of Christmas/New Year celebrations in Nepal is to bring everyone together to celebrate the New Year with hope and optimism by sharing meals and exchanging greetings.
During these times, Nature provides a peaceful backdrop with clear blue skies, and the influx of tourists has decreased. This allows for greater opportunity to experience Nepal.
To sum it up, Christmas/New Year celebrations demonstrate how far Nepal has come as a country while maintaining the core values of Peace, Love, Joy, Harmony and Respect towards All through offering gifts, holidays, temples and most importantly, Nature.
The Christmas and New Year celebrations in Nepal is not just checking off dates on a calendar, but rather, it is about relationship building with family, friends, culture.