National Paddy Day (Nepali: राष्ट्रीय धानरोपाई दिवस, romanized: Rastriya Dhanropai Diwas), or simply known as Asar 15 (Nepali: असार पन्द्र) is an annual festival in Nepal which marks the beginning of the rice planting season.
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National Paddy Day (Nepali: राष्ट्रीय धानरोपाई दिवस, romanized: Rastriya Dhanropai Diwas), or simply known as Asar 15 (Nepali: असार पन्द्र) is an annual festival in Nepal which marks the beginning of the rice planting season.
01 · What it is
Living Tradition
Documented cultural tradition on record; family classification awaits an editor.
02 · Where & name
Nepal
Written in its own script on record as असार १५.
03 · How it is doing
□□□□ (Not yet assessed)
Documented in open cultural records, but no cited field assessment of its current vitality has been added here yet.
04 · Proof & reuse
2 cited sources
Every claim links to a public record below. Free to quote, teach, and share under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Chapter Takeaways
History and significanceAccording to the cultural norm, 15 Ashadh is "considered as the auspicious day to start rice planting for the year".
FoodsCurd and beaten rice are traditionally consumed on National Paddy Day.
Major developmentsA survey by The Himalayan Times in 2020 reported that in many remote areas of Nepal, children were not aware of the festival.
Common Questions Answered on Record
What is National Paddy Day in plain words?
National Paddy Day (Nepali: राष्ट्रीय धानरोपाई दिवस, romanized: Rastriya Dhanropai Diwas), or simply known as Asar 15 (Nepali: असार पन्द्र) is an annual festival in Nepal which marks the beginning of the rice planting season. In local script on record, it is written असार १५.
Where is National Paddy Day practised or documented?
Sources on this page place National Paddy Day in Nepal.
What is the current condition of National Paddy Day today?
□□□□ (Not yet assessed): Documented in open cultural records, but no cited field assessment of its current vitality has been added here yet.
How do I cite or share this National Paddy Day entry?
Cite as: "National Paddy Day." folkroom, https://folkroom.org/art-forms/national-paddy-day, text CC BY-SA, with attribution.
National Paddy Day (Nepali: राष्ट्रीय धानरोपाई दिवस, romanized: Rastriya Dhanropai Diwas), or simply known as Asar 15 (Nepali: असार पन्द्र) 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. It celebrates the fact that farmers have planted crops such as rice, lentils, and vegetables.
The festival usually starts with people parading through their villages before entering the rice fields. People wear Nepali traditional clothes. 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". Participants splash water at each other, play in the mud, plant rice seedlings, eat the traditional dish of curd and beaten rice, and sing folk songs. Some communities schedule related cultural programs.
The festival is also popular among tourists who visit Nepal, and hence this festival also forms a part of agrotourism. 1
History and significance
According to the cultural norm, 15 Ashadh is "considered as the auspicious day to start rice planting for the year". The date falls during the monsoon season, an optimal time for rice planting. On 14 December 2004, the Nepal Government officially declared Ashadh 15 as National Paddy Day. The celebration takes place under the theme of "Increase rice production for self-sufficiency and prosperity".
The Provincial Assembly of Karnali Province has declared Ashadh 15 to be a public holiday in Karnali Province except for the Jumla District; paddy planting starts on 25 March in Jumla.
Rice contributes to about 7 percent of Nepal's GDP. In 2018, it was estimated that Nepal imports about Rs 25 billion worth of rice. 1
Foods
Curd and beaten rice are traditionally consumed on National Paddy Day. Yogurt is also served. 1
Major developments
A survey by The Himalayan Times in 2020 reported that in many remote areas of Nepal, children were not aware of the festival. In 2020, it was reported that the festival celebration was stale because of the fear of the COVID-19 pandemic and locust infestation. 1
The text above is adapted from the Wikipedia article “National Paddy Day”, available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 licence. 1
National Paddy Day is festival of Nepal, according to the structured record cited below. This entry was generated automatically from that record and has not yet been reviewed by a person familiar with the tradition. 2
The source record links this tradition to 1 external register, which can be verified through the citation. 2