Introduction
Nepal has one of the richest festival calendars in the world — a year-round cycle of Hindu, Buddhist, and indigenous celebrations that mark the seasons, honour the gods, and bring families and communities together. For the 100,000+ Nepalis living in the UK, maintaining these festival traditions is a way of preserving culture, passing values to the next generation, and staying connected to home.
This guide covers the major Nepali festivals celebrated in the UK — when they fall, what they mean, how they are celebrated, and how to source the right food and supplies to celebrate authentically.
The Major Nepali Festivals
1. Dashain — The Biggest Festival of the Year
When: September–October (15 days; main day — Vijaya Dashami — falls on the 10th day of the bright fortnight of Ashwin). Dashain 2026: 21 October.
Dashain (दशैं) is the most important festival in the Nepali Hindu calendar — a 15-day celebration of the victory of good over evil, centred on the goddess Durga. It is the festival of tika (the red mark placed on the forehead by elders), jamara (germinated barley grass), family gatherings, feasting, and kite flying.
Key Days:
- Ghatasthapana (Day 1): The festival begins. Jamara (barley seeds) are planted in a clay pot and kept in the puja room for 10 days until they germinate into golden grass. In the UK, Nepali families plant jamara at home — it is available from specialist Nepali grocers in late September.
- Fulpati (Day 7): Sacred flowers, leaves, and shoots are brought into the home.
- Maha Ashtami (Day 8): Worship of Durga; animal sacrifice in Nepal (not practised in the UK).
- Maha Navami (Day 9): Continued puja; the eve of the main celebration.
- Vijaya Dashami (Day 10): The main day. Elders apply tika — a mixture of red vermilion (sindur), yoghurt, and rice — to the foreheads of younger family members, accompanied by jamara. A blessing of long life, health, and prosperity. The most emotional and meaningful moment of the Nepali year.
- Days 11–15: Continued celebration; visiting extended family and receiving tika from more distant relatives and elders.
How Nepalis Celebrate Dashain in the UK:
- Planting jamara at home from mid-September
- Gathering family for the Vijaya Dashami tika ceremony
- Cooking a full Dashain feast: khasi ko masu (goat curry), sel roti, chiura, various achhars, and kheer
- Wearing new clothes (especially children)
- Kite flying where space allows
- Video calling family in Nepal for tika if unable to travel
- Attending community Dashain events organised by Nepali associations across the UK
Dashain Food Essentials:
Goat meat (khasi ko masu) — the centrepiece; sel roti; chiura (beaten rice); achar (tomato, sesame); kheer; raksi (rice spirit) or tongba for adults.
2. Tihar — The Festival of Lights
When: October–November (5 days). Tihar 2026: 28 October – 1 November.
Tihar (तिहार) is Nepal’s festival of lights — a 5-day celebration that is Nepal’s equivalent of Diwali, though with its own distinct traditions and days. Each of the five days honours a different being.
The Five Days of Tihar:
- Day 1 — Kaag Tihar: Crows are worshipped as messengers of Yama (the god of death); food is offered to crows at dawn.
- Day 2 — Kukur Tihar: Dogs are honoured with garlands of marigolds, tika, and special food — one of the most distinctive and beloved days of the Nepali calendar. Every dog is treated as sacred.
- Day 3 — Laxmi Puja / Gai Tihar: The main night — cows are worshipped in the morning; homes are decorated with oil lamps and marigold garlands; Lakshmi (goddess of wealth) is welcomed into the home. The night of Tihar diyas, rangoli, and sel roti.
- Day 4 — Gobardhan Puja / Mha Puja: Govardhan hill is worshipped; the Newari community celebrates Mha Puja (self-worship) — an introspective ceremony that marks the Newari New Year.
- Day 5 — Bhai Tika: The most important day for families. Sisters apply a seven-colour tika to their brothers’ foreheads and pray for their long life and health. Brothers give gifts to their sisters in return. A deeply meaningful celebration of the bond between siblings.
How Nepalis Celebrate Tihar in the UK:
- Decorating homes with diyas, candles, and marigold garlands
- Making sel roti — the essential Tihar bread
- Garlanding and feeding the family dog on Kukur Tihar
- Laxmi Puja at home on Day 3 with oil lamps and rangoli
- Bhai Tika ceremony on Day 5 with the full seven-colour tika ritual, gifts, and a feast
- Deusi-Bhailo — groups of young people go house-to-house singing traditional Tihar songs; increasingly organised by Nepali student societies at UK universities
Tihar Food Essentials:
Sel roti (essential); kheer; halwa; various mithai; achar; chiura. For Bhai Tika: a full feast of dal bhat, meat curry, sel roti, and sweets.
3. Chhath Puja
When: October–November (4 days; 6 days after Diwali). Chhath 2026: 26–29 October.
Chhath (छठ पूजा) is a Hindu festival devoted to the sun god Surya and his sister Chhathi Maiya — one of the most rigorous and deeply devotional festivals in the South Asian calendar. Particularly associated with communities from Bihar, eastern Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, and the Terai region of Nepal.
The festival involves fasting, standing in water at sunset and sunrise, and offering arghya (offerings of fruits, sweets, and sugarcane) to the setting and rising sun. In the UK, Chhath communities gather at rivers, lakes, and reservoirs for the sunset and sunrise rituals — a remarkable sight in British public spaces.
4. Maghe Sankranti
When: January 14–15 each year.
The Nepali winter solstice festival — marking the end of the inauspicious month of Poush and the beginning of the warmer half of the year. Families gather to eat sesame seeds (til), jaggery (chaku), sweet potato, and yam. Bathing in sacred rivers at dawn is traditional in Nepal.
In the UK, Maghe Sankranti is marked with family gatherings and traditional foods — particularly chaku (a hard molasses candy) and til ladoo (sesame seed sweets).
5. Holi
When: February–March. Holi 2027: approximately March 3.
The festival of colours — celebrated with joyful abandon across South Asia. In Nepal, Holi is celebrated with coloured powder (abir/gulal), water balloons, and dancing. The Terai region of Nepal celebrates on the same day as India; the Hill and Kathmandu Valley celebrate one day later (Fagu Purnima).
In the UK, Holi events are increasingly popular — organised by university South Asian societies, community groups, and venues. Families celebrate at home with colour, music, and sweets including gujiya and thandai.
6. Krishna Janmashtami
When: August. The birth anniversary of Lord Krishna.
Celebrated with fasting, puja, bhajans (devotional songs), and midnight celebrations marking the hour of Krishna’s birth. Particularly significant in the Vaishnav community.
7. Teej
When: August–September. Teej 2026: 26 August.
Haritalika Teej is primarily a women’s festival — married women fast for the long life and health of their husbands; unmarried women pray for a good husband. Women dress in red, gather to sing and dance traditional Teej songs, and break their fast with a specific meal. A deeply communal celebration — Nepali women’s associations across the UK organise Teej programmes every year.
How to Source Festival Supplies in the UK
The key challenge for Nepalis in the UK is sourcing authentic festival ingredients — jamara seeds, sel roti rice flour, jimbu, timur, chiura, and specific achhars — that are not available in mainstream UK supermarkets.
MasalaMart stocks a wide range of authentic Nepali and South Asian festival groceries, delivered nationwide across the UK. Whether you are in Reading, Aldershot, London, Coventry, Manchester, or Edinburgh, you can have your festival essentials at your door.
Free delivery on orders over £50. Use code FESTIVAL10 for 10% off orders over £50.
Shop at masalamart.com.
Nepali Community Events in the UK
The Nepali diaspora in the UK is well-organised and community events are held across the country:
- British Gurkha Association — Dashain and Tihar events in Aldershot, Folkestone, and other garrison towns
- Non-Resident Nepali (NRN) UK — national-level Dashain and Tihar programmes
- University Nepali Societies — Dashain parties, Tihar deusi-bhailo, and Holi events at universities across the UK
- Local Nepali associations — in Reading, London, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Leeds, and many other cities with significant Nepali communities
Frequently Asked Questions
When is Dashain 2026?
Vijaya Dashami (the main day of Dashain) falls on Wednesday, 21 October 2026. Ghatasthapana (the first day) is on 7 October 2026.
When is Tihar 2026?
Tihar 2026 runs from 28 October to 1 November 2026. Bhai Tika (the 5th and final day) is on 1 November 2026.
How do Nepalis celebrate festivals in the UK without family in Nepal?
Video calls during tika ceremonies are now universal — families in Nepal apply tika to family members in the UK via video call. UK-based Nepali community events provide a surrogate family gathering. Many UK Nepalis also travel back to Nepal for Dashain when possible — it remains the most important homecoming of the year.
Where can I buy jamara seeds in the UK?
Jamara is germinated barley — you need barley seeds to grow it at home. Specialist Nepali grocery suppliers and some South Asian stores carry barley seeds in September. Plant 10–12 days before Vijaya Dashami in a clay pot with soil, keep in a dark place, and water daily.