National_Paddy_Day
National Paddy Day
Festival of Nepal
National Paddy Day (Nepali: राष्ट्रीय धानरोपाई दिवस, romanized: Rastriya Dhanropai Diwas) is an annual festival in Nepal which marks the beginning of the rice planting season. It is celebrated on the 15th of Ashadh (29 June) every year. The festival is also named Ropain Diwas, Dhan Diwas, and Ashadh Pandra.[1][2]
The festival usually starts with people making a parade in their village before entering the rice fields.[1] People wear Nepali traditional clothes.[1] According to OnlineKhabar, "Particular responsibilities are shared among men and women. Men plough the field, arrange drain water, level the fields and make fine mud slurry for the plantation".[1] The people splash each other and play in the mud, plant rice seedlings, eat the traditional dish of curd and beaten rice, and sing folk songs.[3] Some communities schedule related cultural programs.[4]
The festival is also popular among tourists who visit Nepal, and hence this festival also forms a part of agrotourism.[1]