Giving people a chance to relax, unwind and get together with family members to forget life’s sorrows for a few days, these festivals are occasions of joy and merriment. But they also promote social cohesion and national unity, experts say. “Our festivals play a great role in bringing people from different communities together,” said Dilli Ram Prasai, head of the Department of Anthropology at the Tribhuvan University’s Post Graduate Campus, Biratnagar.