Festival · Nepal
Sithi Nakha: Newar Festival of Wells and Water
A late-spring Newar festival honouring the serpent gods, when families clean wells and ponds and feast on traditional breads.
Sithi Nakha is a quietly important Newar festival of the Kathmandu Valley — a late-spring day that honours the deity Kumar and the Nag serpent gods, and that traditionally marks the time to clean the valley's wells, ponds and stone spouts before the monsoon arrives. Less a public spectacle than a family and community occasion, it pairs feasting on traditional fried breads with an old ethic of water conservation, and it opens the early-summer stretch of the Newari festivals and jatras of the Kathmandu Valley.
What Sithi Nakha celebrates
The festival marks the birthday of Kumar (also Kumara or Skanda), the warrior son of Shiva, and reveres the Nag serpent deities who, in Newar belief, guard springs and water sources. Because it falls just before the rains, Sithi Nakha has long been the day on which households and neighbourhoods clean and repair their wells, ponds and hiti (stone water spouts) — a ritual that doubles as practical pre-monsoon maintenance and has made the festival a symbol of water conservation in modern Nepal.
When it falls
Sithi Nakha is observed on Sasthi, the sixth day of the bright fortnight in the lunar month of Jestha, which usually means late May or June. As a lunar festival its exact Gregorian date changes each year — confirm before you travel and check our best time to visit Nepal guide, as this is the cusp of the monsoon season.
How and where it is celebrated
Sithi Nakha is a Newar festival centred on the Kathmandu Valley — Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur and their surrounding settlements. In the days around it, communities gather to clear silt and rubbish from wells, ponds and stone spouts, repairing and reconsecrating water sources. At home, families prepare and share traditional foods, and many also worship the Kul Deutas (lineage deities) on or near this day. Unlike the great chariot jatras, it is marked more by domestic feasting and local clean-up drives than by large street processions.
What travellers will see
Rather than crowds and chariots, expect a gentler scene: neighbours working together to clean centuries-old stone spouts and ponds, household shrines being honoured, and families gathering for a meal of Newar dishes. It is a window into the everyday spiritual and ecological life of the valley.
What is eaten
Sithi Nakha is associated with a spread of traditional Newar breads and snacks, especially:
- Woh (also bara) — savoury fried lentil patties.
- Chatamari — the thin rice-flour "Newari pizza".
- Other festive items shared among relatives at home.
Tips for visitors
- Don't expect a parade — this is a family and community day, best appreciated by wandering the old neighbourhoods.
- Look for restored stone spouts (hiti) and ponds being cleaned in Patan and Bhaktapur.
- Try Newar food around this time; our chatamari guide explains one classic dish.
- Be respectful at household shrines and water sources — see our Nepal culture and etiquette guide.
Sithi Nakha opens the early-summer festival season and shares the Newar calendar with the spring giant Rato Machindranath Jatra and the autumn cow festival Gai Jatra. See where it sits in the full festival calendar of Nepal.
Frequently asked questions
What does Sithi Nakha celebrate?+
Sithi Nakha marks the birthday of Kumar (Kumara/Skanda), the son of Shiva, and honours the Nag serpent deities. It is also a traditional day for cleaning the valley's wells, ponds and water sources before the monsoon rains arrive.
When is Sithi Nakha celebrated?+
Sithi Nakha falls on the sixth day (Sasthi) of the bright fortnight in the lunar month of Jestha, usually in late May or June, shortly before the monsoon. The Gregorian date shifts each year with the lunar calendar.
Why are wells cleaned on Sithi Nakha?+
Sithi Nakha traditionally signals the start of the monsoon, so Newar communities clean wells, stone spouts and ponds to clear them before the rains. The festival is closely linked to water conservation and to the Nag serpent gods believed to guard water sources.
What food is eaten on Sithi Nakha?+
Families prepare and share traditional fried breads — especially woh (lentil patties) and chatamari and bara — along with other Newar dishes. The day is known for feasting at home with relatives rather than for large street processions.
