Holi Nepal’s own Festival
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Holi is without a doubt one of the most fun festivals in Nepal. People from all walks of life, from children to adults, come to the streets and splash water and smear powdered colors on people. The shy ones, throw water from their rooftops to passersby below. The streets come alive with revelers doing all that while also singing and dancing. It’s a very lively affair.
The festival always falls on the 11th month (Falgun) of the Nepali calendar. The month also marks the end of the winter and the start of spring. In many of the languages spoken in Nepal, the word ‘Fagu’ which means the beginning of the year derives from the word ‘Falgawa’, which means light yellowish color. Interestingly, that’s exactly the color of pollen Sal (Shorea Robusta) trees which grow in abundance at 150m to 1,500m above sea level in Nepal. The tree blossoms in spring and produces pollens. Traditionally, the Tharus, a tribe that lives in the plains of Nepal, call the color of ‘Falgawa’, Basanti, which in Nepali means spring season.
Different ethnicities have for centuries used the Sal tree for different purposes — Magars of Ramechhap in Central Nepal, Thamis, Maghis of Rautahat in Central Nepal, Botes and Tharus of Chitwan have for centuries used sal to make incense while worshipping their gods and goddesses. It is a ritual for Dura bride has to put a Tika on two Sal trees before getting married. For Newars of Kathmandu, Sal tree lumber is “Agrakath” in other words a top quality timber that is traditionally the first choice of wood to lay in the foundation of their houses.
And various other ethnic groups of Nepal had for centuries celebrated their own version of Holi, all marking the start of spring Holi. The festivals mostly had the word Falguni, which means the day the earth gets beautified by nature.
In the ancient Kingdom of Parbat in Western Nepal, it was celebrated by putting a branch of Mayal (PIres Paisiya) tree on the ground, and in the district of Taplejung in Eastern Nepal, it was celebrated as Rhododendron Festival. In the plains of Nepal, Tharus celebrate Fagu. Plains of Nepal being home to abundant Sal trees, the Tharus celebrate this festival when the flowers of sal tree starts budding and deep into the woods, they celebrate the festival by throwing each other, the pollen of sal trees. And hence the gesture of throwing colors at each other as a part of merry making.
What is today celebrated widely as Fagupurnima or Holi, once was a festival that revolved around Sal tree, marking the start of spring. The different iteration of the festival was celebrated across the country as far as 7,000 years ago, and is an ancient festival that has its roots in Nepal. The country’s different ethnic groups have now embraced Holi, making it a singular festival.
But regardless of that, the spirit with which the festival was once celebrated still remains the same. The earth, lush with greens and colorful flowers during the spring after months of winter, is at its most beautiful time and looks youthful too. Smitten by the earth’s beauty and youthfulness, the festival was celebrated. And even today the spirit remains the same. Apart from it, today, the festival is also a celebration of our stories, experiences, customs and rituals and to the least our very own rich and diverse culture.
Written by: Tsering Ngodup Lama and excerpts on Holi facts translated from Saurav, ‘Aparichit Rastriya Gaurav’, Asahamati, 2014, Orchid Books (सौरभ, अपरिचित राष्ट्रिय गौरव, असहमति, २०१४)
