When is National Paddy Day?
National Paddy Day (Dhan Diwas) is observed in Nepal on the 15th day in the month of Asar. This means it falls in either June or July in the western calendar. If you were thinking it was March 17th, you got your 'paddys' mixed up - this is about rice, not the Irish patron saint.
Traditions of National Paddy Day
Agriculture employs about 65% of the population and is a major contributor to Nepal's GDP. Rice is an important crop, especially since it can be grown on terrain unsuitable for other foods.
This holiday promotes the importance of cultivating rice as it marks the official beginning of the paddy field planting season.
On this day, the farmers splash mud on each other (in a friendly way - mud is associated with prosperity, so muddy water is used in the preparation of rice meals), planting rice seedlings, eating curd and beaten rice and singing folk songs.
Nepal has been marking Asar 15 as the National Paddy Day since 2004, which the United Nations declared to be International Paddy Year.
