Pwanhela (month)

Pwanhelā (Nepal Bhasa: 𑐥𑑂𑐰𑑃𑐴𑐾𑐮𑐵, प्वँहेला) is the third month in the Nepal Era calendar, the national lunar calendar of Nepal.[1] The month corresponds to Pausha (पौष) in the Hindu lunar calendar and roughly matches January in the Gregorian calendar.

Fasting devotees during the Swasthani festival at Sankhu.

Pwanhelā begins with the new moon and the full moon falls on the 15th of the lunar month. The month is divided into the bright and dark fortnights which are known as Pwanhelā Thwa (पोहेला थ्व) and Pwanhelā Gā (पोहेला गा) respectively.

The sacred bathing festival of White Machindranath, the Bodhisattva of Compassion, is held on the 8th day of the bright fortnight at the courtyard of Jana Baha in Kathmandu. On the full moon day known as Paush Purnimā, which is celebrated as Milā Punhi (मिला पुन्हि) in Nepal Mandala, the procession of the deity Changu Narayan is held in Kathmandu.

The month-long Swasthani sacred story reciting festival also starts on the full moon day. In Sankhu, a town 16 km to the east of Kathmandu, devotees fast and take daily holy dips in the Sali Nadi River throughout the month to mark the Swasthani festival.[2] In another event, unusable clay pots are collected at market squares and broken into pieces.[3]