Dashain: Nationwide celebrations of Phulpati
KATHMANDU: The Phulpati festival, a key part of Durga Paksha, is being celebrated across households today, where Phulpati—the symbol of auspiciousness—is traditionally brought into homes.
The offering includes banana stalks, jamara (sacred grass), belpatra (wood apple leaves), and sugarcane sticks, all wrapped in red cloth, along with a Kalash (sacred pot) filled with holy water. These items are carried in a ceremonial procession from Gorkha to Hanuman Dhoka in a decorated palanquin.
This cultural celebration features high-ranking public officials, Gurju’s battalion, traditional band music, Panche Baja, and cultural dances, which accompany the procession from Jamal to Hanuman Dhoka Durbar.
An annual military parade, organized by the Nepali Army at Tundikhel, marks this day, attended by the president and other leaders. All government offices will remain closed from Phulpati until Dwadashi, for five days.
The upcoming days include Maha Ashtami and Mahanawami, which will be celebrated tomorrow and the day after. Vijaya Dashami, the grand day of Dashain, will be observed on Oct12.
The Nepal Panchanga Nirnayak Samiti (Nepal Calendar Determination Committee) has declared that no special timing is required to bring Phulpati into homes. Although Dashain begins with Ghatasthapana, the festival gains further significance with the Phulpati ritual.
Today, government and private offices are closed, prompting people to return to their ancestral homes to receive blessings from Durga Bhawani and their elders. Many are also returning home to partake in traditional offerings and vaccinations, seen as blessings from the goddess.
