On March 24, 2024, I participated in the unique Holi festival in Kathmandu, Nepal. Holi is a Hindu festival celebrating the arrival of spring in India and Nepal. Since it’s held on the day of the full moon, the date varies each year.
I visited Nepal this time completely unaware of this festival. By chance, the festival happened during my stay, so I took the opportunity to participate, and here is my report.
Holi: A Unique Hindu Festival Welcoming Spring in India and Nepal
Around late March, while walking through the streets of Kathmandu, I started seeing children splashing water on each other and throwing colored powder on their heads as I passed by schools. At that time, I thought it was just a school event, like a graduation celebration.
When I posted about it on social media, someone suggested it might be Holi. I did some research myself and learned that Holi was indeed a unique festival taking place, which made me look forward to it. However, I didn’t have specific information about where it would be held. I assumed I would find out something if I went to Durbar Square.
On the day itself, Sunday, March 24, I left my hotel in the Thamel area and walked to get my usual morning chai. I saw foreign tourists walking around with their clothes covered in colorful powder.
When I ventured a bit off the main streets of Thamel, I saw local families splashing water guns at people walking by and rubbing colored powder onto them. There were also street vendors selling this colored powder and special T-shirts for the festival.
Even though it’s a festival, some people might not want to be doused in colored powder, and foreign tourists, in particular, might not be aware of the festival, which could lead to trouble. Therefore, wearing a special T-shirt seems to be a way to express your willingness to actively participate in the festival and be okay with getting colored powder on you. This reassures others that they can safely apply powder to you.
Festivals Are More Fun to Participate In Than to Just Watch
I quickly changed into the special T-shirt and headed out into the city. Unsure where the center of the festival was, I just made my way towards Durbar Square. As expected, as I got closer to Durbar Square, there were many people covered in powder. To convey that I was okay with getting powder on me, I would say “Happy Holi” to passersby, which seemed to signal to them, “Please put powder on me.” This made them comfortable in applying the powder.
By the time I reached Durbar Square, my T-shirt, face, and head were gradually becoming more colorful. The square was filled with a large crowd of people, excitedly shouting and dancing. I also walked around among the crowd, saying “Happy Holi” and taking photos and videos.
After about two hours at the venue, I was very tired, so I returned to my hotel. My clothes, face, and head were covered in colored powder, but on that day, no one found my appearance strange; even the hotel staff just laughed. The next day, Monday, was back to normal as if nothing had happened.
This time, I traveled to Nepal without knowing anything about Holi, but the date of the festival is known in advance each year. So, if you happen to visit Nepal around March, I highly recommend actively participating and getting covered in colorful powder!
