Kathmandu, June 22:

A 19-member Festival Improvement National Task Force (FINTF) today handed over its report to the Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Prithvi Subba Gurung.

Pointing at the precession of equinoxes, the FINTF said that national festivals like Dashain and Tihar should be marked a month ahead of the usual time.

The report has also suggested that the Nepali people, from 2010 onwards, should celebrate the festivals a month earlier.

Hari Narayan Malla, member-secretary of the FINTF, presented the report to Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Prithvi Subba Gurung.

Pointing at the precession of equinoxes, the FINTF’s member-secretary said, “Timings of the festivals should be rescheduled. “The festivals and mantras will not serve their purposes otherwise.”

Malla said the people should not observe April 2010 as the Purushottam mahina (inter-calary month).

The FINTF also requested the minister to provide it with funds so that it can launch an awareness campaign about the rescheduling of festivals across the country.