Nepal Public & National Holidays (2026)

Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is known for its Himalayan mountains and temples – Mt. Everest being the most prominent from the former. This landlocked country between India and China contains 8 of the 10 highest peaks in the world. Nepal has a diverse population of over 80 ethnic groups and while Nepali is the main language, only 44.6% of the population speak it.

Nepal has the densest concentration of UNESCO World Heritage sites. The Kathmandu Valley itself is home to 7 World Heritage sites. The population of Nepal is estimated at 28,737,742 while the land area of the country spans 147,181 km².

Public holidays in Nepal consist of religious and national holidays observed by Nepalis across the country.

When are public holidays in Nepal?

 Which are the public holidays in Nepal?

Maghe Sankranti
Maghe Sankranti is a Hindi festival that marks the start of the Spring season.

Sonam Losar
Sonam Losar is the Tibetan New Year that marks the start of the Tibetan new year based on the 12-month lunar calendar. It is the most important festival in the Tibetan calendar and its origins are traced back to the pre-Buddhist period and when the Bon religion was most likely to be celebrated.

Maha Shivratri
Maha Shivrati is A Hindu festival celebrated each year in reverence of Lord Shiva.

Nari Dibas
Nari Dibas, International Women’s Day in Nepal, celebrates, recognizes and remembers women in the country and worldwide.

Fagu Purnima
Fagu Purnima, more commonly known as Holi, is celebrated on the last full moon day of the Hindu lunisolar calendar month, and also commemorates a legend from Hindu mythology.

Ghode Jatra
A Horse parade in Kathmandu that takes place every year, Ghode Jatra takes place on the new moon of Chaitra Sukla Pakshya in the Eastern Lunar calendar.

Buddha Jayanti
Buddha Jayanti marks Buddha’s birthday, the enlightenment and his achievement of Nirvana. It is the most sacred day in the Buddhist Calendar.

Ramjan Edul Fikra
Ramjan Edul Fikra, commonly known as Eid-al-Fitr, marks the end of Ramadan. It is an important religious holiday celebrated by Muslims worldwide.

Edul Aajha
Widely known Eid-al-Adha, this day commemorates the sacrifice made by Prophet Abraham to God and is an important Muslim celebration.

Gaijatra
Gai Jatra is a Hindu festival that commemorates those who have died during the year and is celebrated on the first day of the dark fortnight of the month of Bhadra.

Gaura Festival
During this Hindu festival, women worship the Goddess Gauri, the wife of Lord Shiva, in order to ensure their husbands’ health and longevity.

Haritalika Teej
Haritalika Teej is celebrated in Nepal and India to welcome the monsoon season.

Indra Jatra
Indra Jatra is an 8 day-long festival of the Newari community that honors the recently deceased and additionally pays homage to the Hindu God Indra and his mother Dagini to ensure that they bless the coming harvest.

Nepali Constitution Day
The Nepali Constitution Day celebrates the adoption of the current constitution on this day in 2005.

Phulpati
Phulpati is the seventh day of the Bada Dashain festival, also known as Saptami.

Maha Ashtami
The festival of Maha Ashtami symbolizes the triumph of good over evil in the legend of Rama and Ravana.

Maha Navami
Maha Navami is the ninth day of the Durga Puja festival. It is the final day of worship before Vijaya Dashami, the end of Navratri.

Laxmi Puja
In Nepal, Lakshmi Puja is celebrated on the third day of Tihar, a five-day festival that culminates on Bhai Tika. The third day of Tihar is when Lakshmi the goddess of wealth is worshipped.

Gobardhan Puja
Gobardhan Puja is celebrated by Hindus as the day Lord Krishna defeated the god Indra, and is held the day after Diwali.

Bhai Tika
Bhai Tika celebrates a festival that is focused on siblings, honoring the brother-sister relationship.

Chaath Puja
Chaath Puja is an important Hindu festival that is dedicated to the worship of the Sun-god and his wife.

Guru Nanak’s Birthday
Guru Nanak’s birthday is celebrated all over Nepal, as well as India, to commemorate the birth of the founder of Sikhism. Also referred to as Baba Nanak, Guru Nanak was the first of the ten Sikh Gurus.

Christmas Day
Christmas Day in Nepal is celebrated by Christians, commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ.

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