Thimi welcomes Nepali New Year with vibrant Sindoor Jatra festival

Apr 16, 2025

symbolising prosperity and considered sacred in the age-old tradition as it celebrated the Sindoor Jatra, or Vermillion Festival, to mark the arrival of the Nepali New Year. The streets were painted red with vermillion powder as devotees carried 32 ceremonial palanquins hosting various deities around the Balkumari temple. Traditional drums and cymbals added to the festive atmosphere, encouraging revellers to join in. The festival brought the community together, with people smearing vermillion powder on each other's faces and celebrating with joy. The annual festival of Sindoor Jatra paints the town with vermillion. It is observed on the 2nd of Baisakh, the first month of the year as per the Lunar calendar. The Sindoor Jatra is an integral part of the Biska Jatra celebrations in the Bhaktapur area, attracting thousands of people each year. As Nepal entered the New Year 2082, the festival also marked the advent of the spring season. A day before the observance of Sindoor Jatra, the locals of Thimi perform "Gunsin Chhoyekegu," which means the firing of forest wood. The vermilion powder, which is smeared on each other and thrown up in the year, is a symbol of prosperity. The music and vermillion powder fill the area with vibrancy and joy as devotees make merry while revolving their community chariots.