Traditions of Kathmandu
A valley capital of temples and living goddesses, where festivals follow the lunar year almost without pause.
Kathmandu is the capital of Nepal and the largest city of the valley of the same name. The Newar people, whose language and arts shape the old town, keep a tradition of chariot festivals, masked dances and a living goddess called the Kumari. Hindu and Buddhist worship are woven together here in daily life.
Festivals of the valley
Indra Jatra in September honours the rain god with masked dancers and the chariot of the Kumari drawn through Durbar Square. Dashain, the longest festival, brings families home, with tika put on the forehead by elders. Tihar, the festival of lights, honours crows, dogs, cows and brothers on separate days.
At the table
A Nepali meal is dal bhat, lentils and rice with vegetables and pickle. Newar feasts are different: bara, choyela, and rice beer or aila. Momos are the city's snack, and sweet milk tea is sold at every street corner. At Dashain, goat meat and sel roti, a ring of rice flour dough, are shared.
Signature traditions of Kathmandu
A trail idea for Kathmandu
- Kathmandu Durbar Square See the old palace and its carved windows.
- Boudhanath Walk clockwise round the great white stupa.
- Pashupatinath Watch evening aarti across the Bagmati river.
Written by the EveryParampara desk with AI assistance. Opening hours, markets and festival dates change; check locally before travelling. Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.
🇳🇵 Kathmandu, NepalKumariकुमारी
A living goddess tradition in Nepal where a young girl embodies the divine feminine.Spiritual
🇮🇱 Jerusalem, IsraelPassover Sederסדר פסח
A ritual meal opening Passover, told over wine, matzah and symbolic foodsSpiritual · Feasts and festival meals
🇮🇳 Varanasi, India and 1 moreNaga Panchamiनागपञ्चमी (Nāgapañcamī)
A day of worship for serpent deities and cobras, observed by Hindus, Jains, and Buddhists across South Asia.Spiritual
🇮🇳 Varanasi, India and 1 moreChhath Pujaछठ पूजा
A four-day Hindu festival honouring the sun and Chhathi Maiya along riverbanksSpiritual · Fasting and breaking the fast
🇳🇵 Kathmandu, Nepal and 4 moreDashainबडादशैँ
A fifteen-day festival of family gatherings, blessings, and feasts across NepalFestival
🇳🇵 Kathmandu, NepalGai JatraSā Pāru (𑐳𑐵𑐥𑐵𑐬𑐸)
A Newar festival in the Kathmandu Valley to honor relatives who died that year through processions and satire.Festival
🇳🇵 Kathmandu, NepalIndra JatraYenyā Punhi
An eight-day street festival in Nepal featuring masked dances, chariot processions, and sacred pole ceremonies.Festival
🇺🇸 Spokane, United States and 5 moreFather's Day
A day to honour fathers and fatherhood, kept on many different dates worldwideFestival
🇳🇵 Kathmandu, NepalGunla Bajanगुंला बाजं
Devotional music the Newars carry through the streets during the holy month of GunlaPerformance
🇳🇵 Nepal and 1 moreDhaka topiढाका टोपी
A patterned cotton cap worn across Nepal as part of the national dressDress
🇳🇵 Kathmandu, NepalTraditional Newar clothingनेवार समुदायमा भएको संस्कृति पहिरन
The customary handwoven dress and ceremonial garments of Nepal's Newar peopleDress
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Chhath Puja: Steffen Gauger, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Naga Panchami: No machine-readable author provided. Krish Dulal assumed (based on cop, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Dashain: Unknown author, CC0, source
- Tihar: Sreekumar K. S., CC BY 2.0, source
- Gai Jatra: Krish Dulal, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Indra Jatra: Kamal Ratna Tuladhar, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Passover Seder: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Kumari: Nirmal Dulal, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Gunla Bajan: Kamal Ratna Tuladhar, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Father's Day: Jjsarto, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Dhaka topi: Sophie Graubert, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Traditional Newar clothing: Uray1130, CC BY-SA 4.0, source