The Holi Festival in Nepal is celebrated in the early morning and does not end until sundown. This colourful and most exciting, high-energy festival is celebrated all around Nepal for 2 days. In hilly areas such as Kathmandu and Pokhara, it’s celebrated on the first, and in Terai, such as Chitwan, Bardia, and Birjung, it's celebrated on the second day.
Locally, it’s known as Fagu and is celebrated on a full moon in the Falgun Month (Lunar Calendar) from mid-February to mid-May. The Holi festival welcomes the spring season and marks the closing of the winter season.
Mythical stories behind the Holi Festival
There are many mythical stories behind the Holi Festival, but it’s a victory of good over evil. The festival started with the Mahabharat, an Indian epic. King Hiranyakashipu didn’t allow people to worship God Vishnu, but his son Prahlad was a devotee of God Vishnu. Seeing his own son, a devotee of Vishnu, the king tried to kill him in a different way, but Vishnu was always there to save the prince. Once the king ordered his sister Holika to burn his son on the full moon night, Holika and Prahlad sat on fire. Holika was burned into ashes, but Prahlad was unscathed. People saw Prahlad walking out of the fire without anything, and they started cheering. It’s believed that from this time on, the festival of Holi started. Check out the other festivals that are celebrated in Kathmandu. Festivals of Kathmandu
