Tihar
Five-day festival of lights. Crows, dogs, cows and oxen are worshipped on separate days, and it ends with Bhai Tika.
21 Kartik 20837 Nov 2026tomorrow
Festivals
When each festival falls this year and next, what happens on each of its days, and what closes.
Chhath
Four-day festival in Kartik. Offerings are made at the riverbank to the setting sun and the rising sun.
29 Kartik 208315 Nov 2026in 9 days
Holi
Fagu Purnima: colour is played in the hills on the full moon and in the Tarai the day after.
7 Chaitra 208321 Mar 2027in 135 days
Nepali New Year
Baisakh 1: the Bikram Sambat year starts in mid-April.
1 Baisakh 208414 Apr 2027in 159 days
Dashain
Nepal's longest festival: fifteen days from Ghatasthapana to Kojagrat Purnima.
Teej
Haritalika Teej in Bhadra: women wear red and fast for the day, and Rishi Panchami follows two tithis later.
Upcoming public holidays
The next public holidays on the government holiday list, including festival days. Saturdays are not listed because they are the weekly day off.
| Events | BS Date | AD Date | Day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Laxmi Pooja / Kukur Tihar / Laxmi Prasad Devkota Janma Jayanti / Narak Chaturdashi / Sukha Ratri / World Radiography Day | 22 Kartik 2083 | 8 Nov 2026 | Sunday |
| Tihar Holiday / Gai Puja / World Freedom Day | 23 Kartik 2083 | 9 Nov 2026 | Monday |
| Gobardan Puja / Nepal Sambat 1147 Starts / Mha Puja / Hali Tihar / Goru Puja / World Science Day for Peace and Development | 24 Kartik 2083 | 10 Nov 2026 | Tuesday |
| Bhai Tika / Falgunanda Jayanti / Kija Pooja | 25 Kartik 2083 | 11 Nov 2026 | Wednesday |
| Tihar Holiday / World Pneumonia Day | 26 Kartik 2083 | 12 Nov 2026 | Thursday |
| Chhath Parva | 29 Kartik 2083 | 15 Nov 2026 | Sunday |
| Guru Nanak Jayanti / Kartik Snan Samapti / Chaturmas Vrata Samapti / Nimbarkacharya Jayanti / Sakimana Punhi | 8 Mangsir 2083 | 24 Nov 2026 | Tuesday |
| International Day of Disabled Persons | 17 Mangsir 2083 | 3 Dec 2026 | Thursday |
| Udhauli Parva / Dhanya Poornima / Yomari Punhi / Jyapu Diwas | 9 Poush 2083 | 24 Dec 2026 | Thursday |
| Christmas Day | 10 Poush 2083 | 25 Dec 2026 | Friday |
| Tamu Lhosar / Kavi Siromani Lekhnath Jayanti | 15 Poush 2083 | 30 Dec 2026 | Wednesday |
| Prithivi Jayanti / Rashtriya Ekata Diwas | 27 Poush 2083 | 11 Jan 2027 | Monday |
About Nepal's festival calendar
Which festivals are here
Six festivals have their own page: Dashain, Tihar, Teej, Chhath, Holi and Nepali New Year. These are the festivals people plan for: offices close, buses fill up, and families travel to be together. All other festivals and observances in the calendar are in the list on this page and on the holiday page.
Why the date is different every year
Almost every festival here falls on a lunar tithi, not a fixed calendar date. Dashain's tika day is Ashwin Shukla Dashami. Tihar's Laxmi Puja is Kartik Krishna Aunsi. Holi is on the Falgun full moon. Twelve lunar months are about eleven days shorter than the solar year, so a lunar festival comes earlier each year in both the BS and AD calendars. When a leap month is added, it moves later again. Nepali New Year is different: Baisakh 1 is a solar date, so it falls in mid-April every year.
How long each one actually runs
Dashain lasts fifteen days, from Ghatasthapana to Kojagrat Purnima. Most people take leave from Phulpati to Dashami. Tihar lasts five days, from Kaag Tihar to Bhai Tika. Chhath lasts four days. Its main day is when people offer arghya to the sun in the evening and the next morning. Teej is celebrated over three days, with the fast on the middle day. Holi is two days: the hills celebrate it on Purnima, and the Tarai celebrates it the next day. Nepali New Year is one day.
Not kept the same way everywhere
Festival dates are the same across Nepal, but customs differ by region. Chhath is one of the main festivals in the Tarai districts and is smaller in the hills. Holi falls on two different dates depending on where you are. In the Kathmandu Valley, the Newar calendar has its own festivals, such as Indra Jatra, Gai Jatra and Yomari Punhi, which other parts of the country do not celebrate. The Lhosar festivals belong to specific communities and fall on three different dates in winter.
Planning around them
Long-distance bus and flight fares from Kathmandu start rising two to three weeks before Dashain. Return fares after Bhai Tika are even higher. Government offices and banks close only on public holidays. Private offices set their own holidays. Schools usually close for a longer period covering both Dashain and Tihar. When booking travel or hotels, use the AD dates.
Nepali festivals: common questions
Which festival is the biggest in Nepal?
Dashain. It lasts fifteen days, Kathmandu empties out during it, and more people travel across the country for Dashain than for any other festival.
How many days is Dashain?
Fifteen days, from Ghatasthapana to Kojagrat Purnima. Public holidays are on Ghatasthapana and from Phulpati to Dwadashi. The remaining days are for visiting family, and offices are open.
Why do Dashain and Tihar move by about eleven days each year?
They follow lunar tithis. Twelve lunar months add up to about 354 days, while the solar year has 365. So the festivals come earlier each year. About once every three years a leap month (adhik mas) is added, and they move later again.
Is every festival day a public holiday?
No. A festival can last fifteen days but have public holidays on only about half of them. Rows marked as holidays are public holidays. On the other days, private offices may stay open.
Where do these dates come from?
From the Bikram Sambat calendar tables published for each year, the same tables printed patros use. The dates here match the patro on your wall.
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