It seems, the Christian festival Christmas is going mainstream in Hindu pre-dominant Nepal. After the country decided to go secular, the popularity of the foreign festivals are in increase. It is not only Christmas, other festivals like Halloween, are also getting popular these days.

A video report on the celebration of Christmas by Nepali artists:

Why is Christmas popular in Nepal?

Yes, Christmas is the celebration of the birthday of Christ or Jesus. Although it is a religious festival of Christians, non-christians are also adopting it for its fun aspects. The gift sharing and partying are two of the most important aspects of the festival that has made it popular.

The reason Nepali are adopting the festival can be summarized:

• Government holiday – The government has offered public holiday on the day. The people don’t have works to keep them busy. So, they prefer to celebrate the holiday.
• Christian Conversion – A lot of Hindu are converted to Christianity every day. So, the population of Christians in Nepal is also in the rise.
• Commercialization of the festival : As the festival is a business opportunity for the businesses, they try to promote it as much as they want. So, the shopping malls feature christmas decorations and they have special offers for the festival.
• Celebrities – A lot of people blindly follow their favourite celebrities. When they share Christmas photos on social media, others follow them.

So, whether you like it or not, Christmas is going to be a mainstream festival in Nepal.