Navavarsha : The Nepalese New Year's Day usually falls in the second week of April. i.e. the first day of Baisakh. The day is observed as a national holiday. The people celebrate it with a great pomp and show. On this occasion, Bisket Jatra is held in the city of Bhaktapur.

Baisakh Poornima : (April-May) As Nepal is the birthplace of Lord Buddha, the Light of Asia, the triple anniversary of the Buddha's birth, enlightenment and death is observed with many colourful ceremonies on this day. People celebrate the occasion with great veneration paying homage to Buddha at places like Swayambhunath and Lumbini.

Red Machchhendranath Rath Jatra : ( May -June ) This festivals is the biggest socio-cultural event of Patan. The wheeled chariot of a deity known as Bungdyo or red Matchhendranath is prepared at Pulchowk and dragged through the city of Patan in several stages till it reaches a prescribed destination (Lagankhel) . The grand finale of the festival is called the 'Bhoto Dekhaune'. ' . A similar kind of chariot festival of Machhendranath (White) is also held in Kathmandu city in the month of March-April.

Dumji : It is celebrated in all the Sherpasettlement in the month of July. The Sherpas of Khumbu and Helambu regions participates in dancing on this day .

Gaijatra ( Cow festival ) : ( July-August ) it is a carnival-type of festival lasting eight days. Dancing, singing comedy and anything that caused mirth and laughter are its highlights. Those people whose family members have died during the years send out persons dressed up as a cow to parade the main thorough selfares of the city on the first day of the festival.

Krishnastami : ( July-August ) It marks the birthday of Lord Krishna, one of the incarnations of Lord Vishnu. On this day, an impressive ceremony at the Krishna Temple in Patan and Changu Narayan take place.

Indrajatra : (August-September) The festival of Indra, the God of rain, is observed with great enthusiasm in Kathmandu Valley. The festival is celebrated in August-September lasting for eight days. The chariot of Kumari, the Living Goddess, is taken out in procession through the main streets of Kathmandu. The festival is specially noted for the echoes of drums and dancing feet of the masked dancers almost every evening.

Dashain or Durga Puja : (September October) The Dashain festival is the most important festival of the Nepalese. The entire country is entete at the time of the festival. It takes some time in the month of September-October.

Tihar (Deepawali) : (October-November) Known as the festival of lights 'Tihar' is celebrated for five days in October-November. On the occasion of houses are illuminated at night and the special sweets of diverse kinds are prepared.

Constitution Day : The new democratic consitution of the Kingdom of Nepal was promulgated on November 9, 1990. Since then, this day is observed as the Constitution Day.

Vivaha Panchami : (November-December) This is a famous festival of Janakpur in Dhanusa district in the eastern Terai. The occasion commemorates the marriage of Sita to Ram, one of the most venerated Hindu divinities. It attracts thousands of pilgrims from India.

Birthday of His Majesty the King : The auspicious birthday of His Majesty King Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev falls on December 28/29 (Poush 14th). This occasion is celebrated with great enthusiasm all over the kingdom.

Prithvi Jayanti : This festival is celebrated in honour of King Prithvi Narayan Shah, the founder of Modern Nepal, with a colourful ceremony in front of the Singh Durbar Gate in Kathmandu on January 10/11 (Poush 27 th).

Lhosar : This festival is the most impressively observed in the month of February by all the Tibetan speaking populations. They organize folk songs and dances on this occasion. These dances can be seen in Khumbu, Helambu and other northern regions of Nepal and also at Bouddhanath in Kathmandu.

National Democracy Day : This day is officially observed as Rastriya Prajatantra Divas or National Democracy Day (it generally falls on February 18th i.e. 7th of Phagun as a mark of respect to the people's revolution of 1950-51).

Maha Shivaratri : (Fabruary) Shivaratri or the night of Lord Shiva, is observed in February - March. It is celebrated in honour of Lord Shiva. A great religious fair takes place in the Pashupatinath Temple and thousands of people from all over Nepal and India visit the temple.

Ghodejatra : (March-April ) Known as the festival of horses, it is one of the most exciting festivals of the Kathmandu city. Horse race and other sports take place at Tundikhel on this day. In other parts of the city the various deities are carried shoulder-high on wheelless chariot (Khat) with the accompaniment of traditional music.

Other Information

Accommodations : Nepal has a wide variety of accommodations which ranges from five star hotels to budget hotels and lodges. In order to have an assured quality service visitors are advised to use only the facilities of government registered hotels and lodges.

Restaurant and Food : Almost every kind of food representing the culinary arts of many parts of the world, can be found in Kathmandu and Pokhara. Hotels may have several restaurants under one roof serving wide variety of dishes while individual restaurants cater several types of cuisine's like Chinese, Indian, Continental, Japanese, Tibetan, Nepalese etc.

Adventures : Nepal is a trekkers' paradise. One can trek along the beaten trails or virgin tracks. There is something for everyone- the magnificent tumble of great snow summits, the highest in the world, or great-ridges carpeted in alpine flowers, forests of rhododendron, isolated hamlets, villages, small mountain towns, birds, animals, temples, monasteries, many different people etc. Trekking can be done from October to May, however, the best seasons are October and November. To assure a quality service and safety purpose it is advisable to make the trekking programmes through a government recognized trekking agency.

Rafting : There are numerous fine rivers in Nepal which offer excellent rafting or canoeing. You can glide on calm jade water with a magnificence of scenery all bout or rush through roaring white rapids, in the care of expert river men employed by government authorized agencies. One can opt for a day of river running or more.

Permit for Trekking : Any foreigner intending to trek in any part of the kingdom of Nepal shall have to obtain a trekking permit from the Department of Immigration, Tridevi Marg and permits are issued for trekking in any part of the country except in areas restricted for the foreigners by government regulation.Some of the rules for trekking are as follows.

• Trekking may be undertaken for only one place or an area at a time.
• Trekkers should follow the route prescribed for them by the Department of Immigration.
• To trek along routes that are not prescribed may create serious problems regarding security, food and accommodation.
• It is advised to arrange trekking through the registered trekking agencies to prevent oneself from any unseen accident which may occur at any time during the trekking period.
• While trekking it is advisable to take only authorized guide and porter.
• Be careful with matches around wooded or grassy areas, forest and grass fires casuse serious damages.
• Be most economical with all fuel, specially regarding the local firewood use minimum fuel for hot showers and discourage camp-fire.
• Trekkers are strictly forbidden to cut any green forest resources and to kill any wildlife.
• Give preference to lodges and trekking companies that do not use firewood and encourage their efforts to conserve the environment.
• Use washing and toilet facilities provided or if none are available make sure you are at least 30 meters away from any water source. Bury excreta and toilet papers and use biodegradable toiletries. Avoide the use of non biodegradable items as much as possible.
• Support measures to reduce pollution and improve the environment.

Some other Important hints

• Beware of touts who claim to be the representative of companies and offer to take to bargain hunting.
• Use hotel safety boxes for your valuables. Do not leave cash and other valuable things Iying around in the room.
• Table manners in Nepal is quite different from those at home. In typical and traditional Nepali houses, plates, knives,forks and spoons may be absent fromthe dinner table. While eating, Nepalesepeople use their right hand. But this doesnot mean, however, that the guests are not to use forks and spoons.

Time : Nepal Time is 5 hours 45 minutes ahead of GMT and 15 minutes ahead of Indian Standard Time.

Official Holiday : Government and most other offices work six days a week. Saturday is the weekend in Nepal.

Working Hours : Government offices open from 10. A.M. to 17.00 P.M. in summer and till 16.00 P.M. in winter. On Fridays these offices are open till 5.00 P.M. only.

Electricity : 220 volts /50 cycles.

Hospitals and Drug Stores : The drug houses, dispensaries and pharmaceutical shops of Kathmandu sell all kinds of medicines, including those imported from overseas. The major general hospitals in Kathmandu Valley include:

1. Bir Hospital, (Emergency) Tel: 226963
2. Birendra Police Hospital, Maharajgunj, Tel: 412630, 412530
3. Infection Disease Hospital, Teku, Tel: 211 344
4. Kanti Hospital (Children), Maharajgunj, Tel: 41 1550, 414798
5. Maternity Hospital, Thapathali, Tel: 214205, 211243
6. Nepal Eye Hospital, Tripureshor, Tel: 21 3317, 215446
7. Teaching Hospital, Maharajgunj, Tel: 412303, 412808
8. Ayurbedic Hospital, Nardevi Tel :228182
9. Mental Hospital, Lagankhel, Tel: 521333, 521612.
10. Patan Hospital, Lagankhel, Tel: 522266, 521048
11. Bhaktapur Hospital, Doodh Pati, Tel: 610676

1. Veterinary Hospital, Tripureshor, Kathmandu. Tel: 214190
2. Veterinary Hospital, Lagankhel, Patan, Tel: 521469
3. Veterinary Hospital, Bhaktapur, Tel: 610022.

Radio - Radio Nepal broadcasts different programs in both short wave and medium wave transmissions through three session in a day from 6.00 A.M. to 11 P.M. FM radio program also broadcasts for entertainment. English news bulletins are broadcasted daily at 8 A.M. and 8 P.M.

Television : Nepal Television transmits from 7.00 A.M. to 8.00 A.M. and 6.00 P.M. to 10.30 P.M. On Saturday special entertaining programs are transmitted from 12 noon to 5 P.M.

Entertainment : There are many types of entertainments in the city of Kathmandu. These include theatrical shows including classical and light performances.

The cinema halls in Kathmandu screen Nepali, Indian and movies. There are private and NAFA galleries in Kathmandu which exhibit and sell all sorts of modern and traditional paintings.

Shopping : Shopping can be very rewarding and exciting in Kathmandu. There are numerous tourist shops on the main streets and in the arcades of hotels, bursting with tempting jewelleries, image, carpets, clothes and typical Nepalese crafts. In some of the small village shops (like Thimi) one can obtain attractive traditional makes and beautiful potteries. Antiques can be taken out of the country with special permission granted by the department of Archeology only. Traditional Craftmans's Colony in Patan is also a famous shopping center for Nepalese handicrafts.

Some do's and don'ts
The Nepalese people are friendly and hospitable by nature and the tourists in general will have no difficulty in adjustment. All The same, one may be confuse regarding some customs, traditions and manners as in coming into any unfamiliar society. Nepal like any other country, has its one way of regulating life thought it might be different in degrees to each individual visitors. We want the visitors to observe and see the way the Nepalese people live and share with them. It is in This spirit that we offer some practical guidelines that could help to make the stay delightfully, homely and rewarding.

The Religious way of Life : Religion is an integral and deep-rooted part of Nepalese life. Temples, images, sacred paintings are to be seen everywhere. Majority of the people are Hindus in Nepal, nevertheless, Buddhism has also important place in this country. Hinduism and Buddhism are closely connected in Nepal and it would take a life time's study to understand the complexities of country's religious life. Some hints regarding religious matters.

• Visitors to Hindu temple or Buddhist shrine are expected to be unshoed as a mark if respect. In fact, a pair of open sandals is more convenient and comfortable while visiting the temples and stupas.
• In come of the temples entrance may be prohibited for the non-Hindus.
• Leather articles are prohibited to be taken inside the temple precinct.
• It is better not to touch offerings or persons when they are on way to shrines.
• Beef is strictly prohibited among both the Hindus and Buddhist. No female animal is killed for food.
• Walking around temple or stupa is traditionally done clock wisely.
• Generally temples, stupas and monuments are permitted to be photographed but it is better to ask authorized persons to have permission before using the camera.

• It is better to be decently clad when visiting any place. Sun and beach wear is not the ideal when roaming around the city or village. Briefs, shorts, bare shoulders and backs may not be appreciated. One need not to be stiff and overdressed but just comfortably and decently covered.
• Do not take seriously if a Nepalese lady hesitates to shake hands. In Nepal, people and specially the ladies, do not normally shake hands when they greet one another, but instead press the palms together in a prayer-like gesture known as "Namaste".
• Public displays of affection between man and woman are frowned upon. Do not do something that is totally alien to our environment.
• We are hard on drug abuse, trafficking and possession of drugs are taken as serious offences.