Nepalese lifestyle and culture
Nepal is divided into three regions i.e; hill, mountain and terai along with diversity in culture and lifestyle. below mentioned things you need to know about Nepal regarding their tropical season, culture and lifestyle.
Nepali Food
Nepal is famous for a variety of cuisines based upon ethnicity, culture regarding diverse geography. Nepelase ‘s traditional food is dhido, daal bhat, curry soup. Don’t forget to eat the variety of street momo, food especially when you are in Kathmandu.you can enjoy a varieties of cuisines with your choice and other like Chinese, Indian, Continental, Korean, Japanese, Thai, etc. you should carry a water bottle or you can buy it from shop while visiting places. Be aware of spices food if u have low Appetite You should know what to wear: wear cloth which make you feel comfortable but beware of Nepal's climate. Nepal has a varying climate with most hot in Terai region (except in winter), cold most of the time in Mountainous region and moderate climate throughout the year in hilly region.you have to carry the cloth as per changing season/regions.
Languages
Nepal is famous for diversity in the culture having 123 ethnic groups. According to the 2011 national census, Nepali speaking people percentage is about 44.6%.[3] Maithili is second with 11.67%.[4]. The Constitution of Nepal has declared all the spoken languages of Nepal are a native language. A huge chunk of the population is good at speaking English except for the rural population.
Air travel
Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu is an international airport in Nepal which has direct flights from Kathmandu to Amsterdam, London, Vienna., Moscow, Munich, Vienna, Abu Dhabi, Doha, Dubai, Karachi, Islamabad, New Delhi, Mumbai, Patna, Varanasi, Kolkata, Paro, Dhaka, Lhasa, Bankok, Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Osaka. Only Nepalese and Indians are allowed to pay in rupees for air passage between Nepal and India. others are requested to pay in foreign currency. flight tickets should be reconfirmed three days in advance to avoid obstacles. Overweight luggage charges are imposed in foreign exchange.
Travel Via Road
You can travel via road: Biratnagar, Birgunj, Kodari (on the Chinese border), Bhairahawa ( near Sunauli), and Kakarbhitta which connects Nepal with Sikkim, Darjeeling, and Siliguri. Birgunj is the most popular visitor regarding the entry point. In Nepal, vehicles are driven on the left side of the road and possess a license.
Domestic Air Service There is a large network of air services in Nepal. This air service facilitates flights from Kathmandu to Taplejung, Bhadrapur, Rajbiraj, Bhojpur, Phaplu, Lukla, Lamidanda, Tunmlingtar, Rumjatar, Biratnagar Simara, Janakpur, Ramechhap, Bharatpur, Meghauli, Pokhara, Surkhet, Dang, Dolpa, Jumla, Bajura, Baitadi, Dipayal, Darchula, Mahendranagar, Dhangadi, Tikapur, and Sanfebagar Surkhet, Dang, Dolpa. Apart from Nepal airline, there are also domestic airlines such as Buddha Air, Sita Air, Yeti Airways. Metered Taxi/car: you can easily get a taxi with number plates. A night car /taxi is available which you can rent from a travel agent or a car rental company. Hired Mountain Bike / Ordinary Bicycle: You can use a Mountain bikes and ordinary bicycles cheaply at Thamel, Rani Pokhari and Jhochhen.
Nepal is not only famous for tall mountains but also a land full of festivals. There are more than 50 festivals celebrated every year which are set by the astrologers following the lunar calendar at fixed dates.
It is known as” Navavarsha” which begins from the first date of the first month of Baisakhi. This date called a new beginning of life with new hopes This date falls in the second week of April.
Lhosar(Tibetan new year)
Lhosar is celebrated by Sherpa community.lhosar means a new year for them and falls during February. During this period the Buddhist monasteries, temples of the buddha are decorated by prayer flags. sherpa community welcomes the new year with the feast and family gatherings.
Saraswati Puja
Saraswati Puja “ Shree Panchami or Vasant Panchami” marks the start for the preparation of Holika Holi’. This festival is dedicated to goddess Saraswati. She symbolizes a goddess of love, energy, knowledge, language, music, and all arts.on this day, Small children are encouraged to worship and write their first word with their figure and write their name on the stones and slabs with chalks and pencils. People have faith that goodness will bless the couple so this is the best time for marriage.
Shivaratri (Maha Shivaratri)
This festival is marked as a day of shiva” Night of the lord shiva”.this day called as the remembrance of "overcoming darkness and ignorance" in life and the world .on this day, Hindu people visite Pashupatinath temple and does fasting, chanting prayers, meditating on ethics and virtues such as self-restraint, honesty, non-injury to others, forgiveness.as per the astrologers, this is the night when Shiva performs the heavenly dance Worshipers perform shiva tanda to worship shiva. This is our important culture where Nepalese high authority draws a flower on the peak of the temple via helicopter. it falls in every lunisolar month of the Nepali calendar.on this day, shiva blesses to enhance people’s power, happiness, love, kindness. Around 100,000 Hindu comes from India and Southeast Asia throng weeks ahead of the festival and gathers in and around Pashupatinath temple to pay their homage to Lord Shiva on his birthday.
Holi
This is the festival of color and water that falls between February/March is also known as “Phagu” it is also known as the "festival of spring", the "festival of colors", or the "festival of love". It symbolizes the victory of good over evil and the day of spreading happiness and love. The festival is also celebrated as payback for a good harvest.
Buddha Jayanti
Buddha's birth anniversary is celebrated as a buddha Jayanti every year where lord Prince Siddhartha (known as the Buddha) was born.on this day, people visit Swayambhunath temple to pay their homage to Lord Buddha. Buddhists as well as pilgrims from abroad, honor the Buddha. this day is celebrated as Buddho Purnima in Bangladesh.
Gai Jatra (Cow Festival)
This is the festival of cow celebrated in august/September every year. our national animal is a cow(goodness). As per the tradition, those family who has lost their member during one year must take a young cow in the street cause it will help to free the soul in heaven.
Krishna Janmashtami
Lord Sri Krishna's birth anniversary is celebrated as Krishna Janmashtami, believed to be the 8th incarnation of Lord Vishnu falls in August/September. On this day, people visit the ancient Patan Durbar Square to pay their homage to Lord Krishna.
Teej
This is the festival of colors for Hindu married women celebrated in august/september.women do fasting for the long life of their husband via wearing sarees, singing, dancing. People queue up in the multiple lines in Pashupatinath to worship Lord Shiva.
Indra Jatra
Indra is known as a God of Rain and also the King of Heaven.it is celebrated by both the Buddhists and Hindus in Nepal in August/September. This festival is celebrated up to eight daywith singing, mask dancing, and rejoicing. On the first day, the king pays homage to Goddess Kumari.
Tihar
This festival is celebrated for five days and worship Laxmi – the Goddess of Wealth. People cleaned and decorated their houses with the belief that Goddess Laxmi will enter the house and people lit candles, oil lamps, and other lights. During the five days, first crows, second dogs, third cows and forth Laxmi are worshipped. This festival ends with Bhai Tika (on this day, sisters are putting tika on their brother's forehead for their long and prosperous our life).
Dashain (Bijaya Dashami)
Dashain is the longest and national festival celebrated during the month of Kartik (late September and early October). this festival is celebrated by all caste and creed people. Goddess Durga in all her manifestation is worshipped. people celebrated this festival by buying new cloth, eating a variety of lavish dishes.
