Celebration of Janaipurnima festival culturally preferred for Thursday

Kathmandu, Aug 30: This year’s Janaipurnima, Rakshabandhan and Gaijatra festivals are religiously, culturally and traditionally preferred for observing on Thursday, Bhadau 14 (August 31), experts said. Nepal Panchanga Nirnayak Bikas Samiti (Nepal Calendar Fixation Development Committee) expresses its concern over what it said ‘misinformation’ regarding the Day designated for celebrating the festivals. In this context, the Committee held an interaction in participations of religious leaders and festival and cultural experts here today.

In the event, the scholars from the respective fields recommended that the festivals be observed on Thursday, according to Committee Pro Dr Shree Krishna Adhikari. Today is not astrologically suitable for Rakshabandhan celebration due to occurrence of the ‘Bhadra tithi’, a certain period of the day determined through astrological calculations based on lunar calendar considered astrologically inauspicious) today along with the Purnima.

The Bhadra is ending at 9:03 pm tonight and the Rakshabandhan is not observed in the night, the Committee said. To date, Rakshabandhan and Janaipurnima festivals are celebrated simultaneously. They have not been yet observed on separate days. The occurrence of the tithi’s position this year has also happened in the past, specifically in 1994, 2024, 2030, 2031, 2055, 2061, 2070, and 2079 BS, the Committee said.