DAVID MCARTHUR
Sindoor Jatra Festival, Thimi, NepalI love festivals and the Sindoor Jatra Festival
welcomes the Nepali New Year and celebrates the coming
of Spring. Festival goers begin early, often drinking alcohol
and throwing vermillion powder over each other and the crowd
that gather in the square to celebrate.
Drums and tambourine like instruments are voraciously
played and 32 chariots, each containing a god, are carried by
the men through the streets. There is an excitement and frenet-
ic energy that is amazing to experience let alone photograph.
The colour, the noise and the passion of the people will form
memories you will never forget.DON’T MISS
There is a tongue-piercing at Bode town near Thimi. One person
is required to pierce his tongue during the festival and he heads a
procession of his own. Legends have it that tongue-piercing signif ies
the conquest over demons and evil spirits, who were haunting com-
munities, taking away their children and killing them. A tongue
piercer should fast for three days beginning from the last day of the
Nepali month of Chaitra. The ritual ends with tongue piercing.BEST TIME TO VISIT
Dashain is a series of festivals over 15 days that occur during
the Nepali New Year. The Nepali New Year operates on a lunar
cycle, with the Nepali New Year on the 14th of April 2018 (our
Gregorian calendar).TRAVEL SPECIAL: THE DESTINATIONS
Nepal’s Sindoor Jatra Festival is a riot of colour. Just make sure you bring a bag to protect your camera.