Holi Celebrations in Kathmandu, 1974

THE Hindu spring festival of Holi has been frequently described, and recent works have included two descriptions of the festival as celebrated in Nepal.' However since Kathmandu itself, and the Nepalese people's attitude to Holi are undergoing rapid change, it seems that some record of the 1974 festival is worthy of preservation. In recent years Holi festivities seem to have made a diminishing impact on Kathmandu. Three main reasons can be given for this decline: the increase in motor traffic on Kathmandu's roads; the gradual adoption of European style clothing, particularly by men, and thirdly, hooliganism, a reason often given for the decline of so many customs. As the number of motor cycles and cars on Kathmandu's main roads increases, so street bazaars and other traditional aspects of Nepalese life are gradually becoming eroded away. European clothing, increasingly favoured by young men, is much less easy to wash and clean than the traditional Nepalese suit, which can be washed and dried within an afternoon. Wearers of European style jackets and trousers are unlikely to take kindly to having their clothing pelted with the vermillion powder and water which are essential ingredients of Holi revelry. The following is a summary of Holi celebrations as observed by the author in Kathmandu during the period 3-8 March 1974. Discussion of the legendary origin of Holi, and the traditional celebrations associated with the festival are beyond the scope of the present paper; adequate accounts of both can be found elsewhere.2

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