Father’s Day in Nepal

The Father’s Day in Nepal is different from that in the Western World. The Nepali calendar is Lunar calendar so, the festival doesn’t fall on the same day on the calendar. It is also called Kushe Aaunshi.

The details of the festival is presented in the following video.

On the Father’s Day people feed their fathers with the foods the father likes the most. ON the day, sweets, cakes and other foods to the liking of the father are prepared and offered to the father. The day in Nepali language is called ‘Babuko Mukh Herna Din’. The day is celebrated to honour the effort and sacrifice one’s father does in up bringing his children.

Those who don’t have their father, they offer foods by doing Shradhha puja.

On the day, Nepali people bring in a holy grass named ‘Kush’, used in worshiping Hindu god. There is a religious belief that ‘kush’ grass cut by priests and anointed with sacred verses or mantras should be brought in house on the day. Such a practice is believed to brings well-being to the household. On 2018, the Father’s Day falls on Sunday, September 9, 2018.

Hindu people worship kush grass, Tulashi (Holy basil), peepal tree and shaligram (ammonite stone) as the symbols of Lord Bishnu.

On the day, Uttar Gaya, a place in Kathmandu is filled with a lot of people to worship lord Shiva. There are a lot of people who visit the place to remember their deceased fathers.

In Addition to Father’s day, the day also marks the birth anniversary of a well known poet Moti Ram Bhatta. Born on 1923 BS on Kushe Aunshi, Moti Ram also died on the same day in 1953 BS. He was only 30 years-old when he died. Although he lived a short life, he wrote a lot of literary works and he also identified and popularized the first poet of Nepal, Bhanubhakta Acharya. Before Moti Ram, nobody knew about Bhanu Bhakta. He made Bhanu Bhakta and his book ‘Ramayan’ popular among the Nepali people.

Motiram is named Yug Kavi (the poet of the current age).