The Mud Festival, or Rice Planting (in Nepali: Ropai Jatra), is a widely celebrated monsoon festival that marks the beginning of paddy plantations in Nepal.

In photo: Tourists and farmers plowing fields to celebrate the mud festival in Nepal. Photo Courtesy – Buddha Air.

The striking showers of the monsoon cover the fields with water, creating a favorable time for rice saplings to germinate. Thus, to enjoy the beginning, Ropain Jatra is widely celebrated in Nepal on the day of Ashar 15^th (around June 30th) of the lunar calendar.

Rice is the most popular cereal grain in Nepal. On average, rice is included in two meals a day for most Nepalese. Thus, the government has also declared the 15^th of the Nepali month of Ashar as the National Paddy Day (In Nepali: Dhan Divas).

Both farmers and non-farmers celebrate this mud festival. People get into the mud and splash each other with it while also singing and dancing to old folk songs called Ashare Bhaaka.

How is the Mud Festival in Nepal celebrated?

“Mud festival” is the new English name of the “Ropain Jatra”, which translates to “planting festival.” On this day, people gather in agricultural fields, play with the mud, sing and dance, and enjoy delicious traditional Nepalese cuisine afterward.

People dance in the mud on national paddy day. Photo Courtesy: Himalayan Smile.

First, people wear traditional ethnic dresses. Then they march together to the fields to transplant paddy. One member of each family is encouraged to take part in the event. This way, the significance of celebrating Ashad 15 doesn’t disappear.

The agricultural field is irrigated and then plowed to make the soil loose for the rice transplant. Mostly, men plow the fields while women transplant the rice. But these days, both men and women are involved in plowing and planting.

While in the fields, people enjoy mud fights, sing songs of joy and sorrow, gather together to sing and dance, and splash muddy water against each other.

After the mud fights, they enjoy a delicious Dahi Chiura, a combination of yogurt and bitten rice. Nowadays, this nostalgic meal is enjoyed with other fruits and homemade drinks.

In the end, farmers also worship their lands to get a good harvest of crops.

How can you take part in the rice planting festival?

The Ropain Jatra, or mud festival, is a unique festival in Nepal that fascinates domestic and international travelers. The celebration is also a good sign of respect for the soil and the source of our food, plants. Besides, it’s a festival that unites people of different cultures, traditions, and religions in the same field.

Several events take place throughout the country where visitors can experience rice planting in the field. Schools and colleges also take their students to the fields to participate in Ropain, which teaches them to respect the soil and the plant.

If you are in Kathmandu, you can visit the fields in Khokana, Kirtipur, Bhaktapur, and Lalitpur to engage in the event. Outside Kathmandu, the events take place almost everywhere where people grow rice.

Overall, the mud festival is a monsoon festival loved by every age group. And, engaging in the celebration is a good way to help the farmers.

Article by

sanjib adhikari

Sanjib is a seasoned adventurer and a tourism expert who has spent the past 6 years immersed in Nepal's vibrant travel industry. He has trekked through Nepal's iconic landscapes in the Everest, Manaslu, Annapurna, and Langtang regions. He now spends his time writing about different places in Nepal and helping others travel effortlessly.