Nepal

Well, I do… but the answer would fill pages and pages. Not because I’m so smart, but because Nepal has hundreds of holidays and festivals, and I’ve lived there and written several books about Nepal.

In addition to Dashain in the autumn (which is more than just the sacrifice of animals on one specific night of the ten-day festival, there is also Tihar (which is similar to the indian Diwali, festival of lights) and has different celebrations on different days. It comes one month after Dashain.

Another important festival is Shivaraatri ‘the night of the Lord Shiva’) in January/February, when sadhus and pilgrims from all the Hindu world gather at the shrine of Pashuptitnath in Kathmandu.

A little later comes Holi, a festival of colors (and stained clothin if you don’t dodge quickly enough).

There are countless other Hindu festivals, and then you have all the Buddhist festivals (like Buddha Jaya, celebrating the birth/enlightenment/death of the historical Buddha) usually in May). And the various New Year’s festivals for the different ethnic groups.

The Lonely Planet has good information on Nepal, both online and in the book Lonely Planet Nepal.

If there’s anything specific you’d like to ask about, please send me a funmail.