The post Nepal’s Biggest Festival Season: Tihar, A Festival of Humans, Birds, Animals and Colors appeared first on Nepali Sansar.
]]>Also known by the names Deepawali and Yamapanchak, Tihar is the second biggest Nepalese festival after Dashain and usually falls in the month of October or November every year.
Yamapanchak, meaning the five days of Yama, honors Yama Raj, the God of Death.
Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and luck is also widely worshiped during this period.
The festivals brings together the key aspects of nature- people, animals and colors. As part of the festive rituals, cows, crows, dogs and ox are worshiped across the country symbolizing the manifestation of various gods.
Tihar festival begins with the worshiping of crow, which is considered as the messenger of death in Hindu tradition. Crows are considered to be the messengers of death and the belief is that by pleasing them, they would not bring any news of sorrow to the family.
On the day, Nepali Hindus offer different food items to crows early in the morning and pray for luck, as they believe crows bring in messages to houses at the start of the dawn.
The second day of the festival is dedicated to dogs and is celebrated as Kukur (dog) Tihar.
On the Kukur Tihar day, the entire Nepali Hindu community worships dogs owing to their religious significance as the guard of Lord Yama, the god of death. It is also believed that dogs can lead the souls of the dead to heaven.
Dogs are offered special prayers with tika, garland and delicious foods.
The third day of Tihar is called Gai Tihar and marks the worshiping of holy cows, which hold great significance in the Hindu tradition. On the day, cows and goddess Lakshmi are worshiped with great fervor as cows are considered to be a form of goddess Lakshmi.
People illuminate their homes with bright lights, candles & oil lamps and keep their doors and windows open to welcome prosperity. Additionally, people play cards and light fireworks.
The fourth day of Tihar witnesses the worshiping of oxen and is celebrated as Goru Puja. Apart from Goru Puja, this auspicious day also marks three different pujas including Govardhan Puja and Mha Puja.
On this auspicious day, Vaishnavism followers perform the Govardhan Puja, where believers worship a Govardhan Parvat made of cow dung.
After worshiping animals for three days, the fourth day justifies the concept of worshiping the soul, which is common in all beings. The Newari community performs the Mha Puja and worship their own souls.
This is the fifth and the concluding day of the 5-day long Tihar festival.
On this day, sisters adorn the foreheads of their brothers with Paanch Rangi Tika, a combination of five different colors including yellow, green, red, blue and white, wishing them a long life and prosperity.
While sisters offer Shaguns (wishing good luck) of dry fruits such as hazelnut (Katus), walnuts, sweets and fruits, brothers in return give them gifts and money along with blessings of protection assurance for the rest of their life.
Visitors to Nepal during this time can enjoy the grand Tihar festival in Kathmandu with colorful night lighting and many cultural and religious celebrations. Rani Pokhari temple, which is open to the public only on the fifth day of Tihar each year, is another attraction. The five days of the Tihar festival provide a wonderful opportunity to enjoy the Nepalese hospitality and leave with memories that last a lifetime.
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]]>Observed as a celebration of the victory of good over evil, the 15-day Dashain festival falls in the new moon and continues until the full moon in the Hindu month of Ashvin.
As per the Gregorian calendar, Dashain usually falls in the month of September or October and is the time when many Nepalese expatriates return to Nepal to observe the festival in their homeland. During Dashain, Nepal Government offices and many businesses remain closed for 7 days, making it easier for tourists to experience their joy in the country.
As the longest annual festival of Nepal, Dashain or Navaratri Parba or Bada Dashain marks the start of Nepal’s biggest festival season.
Marking the beginning of this Navaratri festival, devotees today worship Goddess Mahakali, Mahalaxmi and Mahasaraswati at the Dashain Ghar.
During Navaratri, thousands of devotees visit various shrines of Goddess Durga including Shobha Bhagawati, Naxal Bhagawati, Guheswori, Maitidevi, Bhadrakali, Sankata, among others across the country. Ghatasthapana, Fulpati, Maha Ashtami, Maha Nawami and Vijayadashami form the key events of nine-night Navaratri and for the entire festival.
The festival is also celebrated in remembrance of Lord Rama’s grand victory over demon-king Raavana. The fifteen days of celebration occurs during the bright lunar fortnight and ends on the Full Moon Day.
Celebrations in a Nutshell
On this auspicious day, people clean their homes and decorate them ornately as a gesture of invoking the divine mother to bless the family with fortune. Family members and relatives in different regions gather together for enjoying the reunion with their loved ones. Elders in the family mark the foreheads of the others with Tika, a combination of rice, red vermillion and yoghurt. Buying and wearing new clothes, flying kites, playing cards and playing on the swings and ferris wheels are some of the various customs indulged by kids and adults alike during this period.
Though Dashain is a very traditional Hindu festival, it is also observed by many Buddhists and people of other faiths. In comparative terms, Dashain festival is as significant to Nepalese as Christmas is to Westerners.
This period is also the peak tourist season, with clear skies and mild temperatures. By planning your trip to Nepal early, you can experience the great Nepalese culture and festivities with the local population.
Preparations on a Grand Scale
The 15 day-long Dashain is celebrated grandly across the country every year and a large number of Nepalese travel home during the festival time.
According to the transport department estimates, around 2-3 million people are expected to leave the Kathmandu Valley for the festival, annually. The Government has also planned big for the celebrations and announced Dashain receptions across the constituencies.
The festival welcomes high demand for animals such as goats and buffaloes that are slaughtered in huge numbers during the festival, as an offering to the goddess.
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]]>The post Nepal’s Biggest Festival Season 2018 appeared first on Nepali Sansar.
]]>Biggest Festival Season, as the name suggests, is the major celebration time for Nepal when it celebrates its biggest/longest festivals, usually the September-November period. The country receives huge traction globally during this period.
Nepal All Set for Its Major Festivals
Public & Transport
Arrangements by Government
High Rise Demand for Animals
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]]>The four-day Chhath Festival which began yesterday, is being celebrated by devotees across the country with great enthusiasm and fanfare. Part of Nepal’s biggest festival season and a cultural symbol of the Terai region, Chhath is dedicated to the Sun God and occurs during the four days from Shukla Chaturthi to Shukla Saptami in the month of Kartik.
During the festival period, prayers are offered to the rising and setting sun to receive blessings of well-being, progress and prosperity from the Sun God, who is considered as the god of life-force and energy. As part of the Chhath puja, devotees undertake rituals such as having a holy bath, fasting and later partaking in a feast with various delicacies.
Home-made products are majorly used during the Chhath celebrations, with a preference for sand and bamboo-made materials. The significance of water in the sustenance of healthy life is elucidated during the festival and efforts are made towards nature conservation by cleaning up the water sources.
Dhirendra Premarshi, renowned cultural expert and Academic Assembly member at the Nepal Academy said that, “People started celebrating Chhath since ancient times, showing gratitude to the Sun God for sustaining life on Earth. Each activity of this festival represents a relationship between human life and nature.”
This year’s Chhath Festival concludes on Friday, October 27.
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]]>Tihar is the second most important festival of the Nepal’s biggest festival season, after Dashain.
With the festival fast approaching, the government officials have already begun strict market monitoring activity to see that there is no malpractice in case of food items sold in the market.
The Department of Supplies Management (DoSM) and the Department of Food Technology and Quality Control (DFTQC) have already begun making special inspections in the market.
These departments have been sending across market monitoring teams to check adulteration in the Kathmandu Valley and across other parts of the country.
“We have focused mainly on shops selling ghee, sweets, cooking oil, apparels and footwear,” says DoSM Director General Kumar Prasad Dahal.
As part of their inspection rounds, the officials have so far destroyed a large quantity of food items and sweets that were found with expiry date.
On account of Tihar and Chhath festivals, the sales demand for earthenware products such as diyos (butter lamps) and jars made of clay and ceramic is on rise in the villages of Mahottari District.
The demand for these products has resulted in creation of a specific market that sells only these clay and ceramic products.
“More than 20 new such shops have sprouted in the major junction and local market of Bardibas,” says Bhawanath Khatiwada, General Secretary of Bardibas Trade Association.
This appears as a good opportunity for the communities that hold expertise in making such natural products.
The sale and purchase of earthenware in Mahottari bazaar, during the Tihar and Chhath festivals alone, makes up business worth Rs 2.5 million, says the Mahottari Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Owing to the rise in demand for flowers such as marigold, globe amaranth and chrysanthemum during Tihar, the flower market usually demands on imports to meet the domestic demand.
However, it’s not the case for this Tihar.
“Last year, we had met around 40 percent of demand for marigold during Tihar festival through imports. This year, import of marigold is expected to come down to almost 20 percent of the demand,” says Dilip Bade, senior vice president of Floriculture Association of Nepal (FAN).
Bade was confident about sufficient supply of such flowers during the festival. “We have already achieved self-sufficiency in chrysanthemum and globe amaranth,” he added.
The demand for dry fruits is usually at peaks during Tihar festival, as the Nepali Hindu women offer these delicious items to their brothers during the Bhai Tika festival.
Owing to the demand and to finish off the existing stock, not even an artificial price hike is expected in the market in terms of dry fruits sales.
“If dry fruits remain unsold, they will remain in stock of traders for a year. That is why I don’t think there will be artificial price hike. Customers will not have to pay more for dry fruits for the Bhai Tika festival,” says Devendra Bhakta Shrestha, Secretary, Nepal Chamber of Commerce (NCC).
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]]>The post Nepal’s Biggest Festival Season: Kojagrat Purnima Concludes Dashain, Welcomes Tihar appeared first on Nepali Sansar.
]]>Nepal’s longest festival Dashain concluded yesterday with the celebration of Kojagrat Purnima among the country’s Hindu community.
Vijaya Dashami is the tenth and most auspicious day of the festival and marks the celebration of goddess’ victory over the demon Mahisasura.
Following the 10th day, Nepalese continue the victory celebrations for the next five days and conclude the 15-long Dashain festival on the Kojagrat Purnima day.
This is also the final day for Nepalese receiving tika, jamara, prasad and blessings from their elders.
Jamara (barley sprouts), grown as part of the Dashain rituals, will be removed from the Dashain Ghar on this day and immersed in holy rivers.
Marking the Purnima night, the devotees remain awake throughout the night offering special prayers to Goddess Lakshmi for prosperity and wealth.
The Nepali Hindu community strongly believes that the Goddess Lakshmi roams around the earth on this special day and blesses those Ko-jagrat (meaning ‘who is awake’ in Nepali).
Concluding the 15-day long Dashain, the Kojagrat Purnima day also marks the beginning of preparations for the other two important festivals of the Nepal’s biggest festival season i.e. Tihar, the festival of lights, and Chhath.
Tihar falls two weeks after the concluding day of Dashain. This year, it is celebrated from October 19-21, 2017.
Chhath is another important festival of Nepal that is celebrated on October 25, 2017 in 2017.
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]]>The post Nepal’s Biggest Festival Season: Maha Astami, a Kalaratri Day Today appeared first on Nepali Sansar.
]]>Nepali Hindus are observing the eighth important day of the 15-day long Dashain festival called Maha Astami, today.
The Maha Astami festival marks the worshipping of one of the significant forms of Goddess Durga called Goddess Mahakali, and the night of this day is celebrated as Kalaratri.
Other key forms of the Goddess including Goddess Lakshmi and Goddess Saraswati are also worshipped on this occasion, considered as the day on which Goddess Durga attained power.
The fervor of worship that began from the first Dashain day and the sacrifice to Goddess Durga increases today.
Religious rituals are performed at Dashain Ghars and devotees visit various shrines of Goddess Durga to offer sacrifices of different animals such as goats, buffaloes and ducks.
Devotees also read the holy Durga Saptashati scriptures and also offer special worship to weapons, vehicles and machinery.
A special Kalaratri worship is performed at midnight at the Dashain Ghar of Hanumandhoka in Kathmandu.
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]]>The post Nepal’s Biggest Festival Season: Surge in Nepalese Returning Home for Celebrations appeared first on Nepali Sansar.
]]>The most-awaited Nepal’s biggest festival season has set in creating a joyful environment across the country.
The special season, which began with the arrival of the 15-day long Bada Dashain on September 21, 2017, and will be followed by Tihar and Chhath, started witnessing a large number of Nepalese traveling to and from Nepal for their festival celebrations.
“The number of people returning home usually goes up during the festive season. Nepalese living abroad, a majority of migrant workers, return home for Dashain and Tihar festivals. This is a normal trend almost every year,” says Prakash Neupane, a Senior Immigration Officer at Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA).
According to TIA’s Online Immigration Database, around 34,690 Nepalese returned home from various foreign destinations between September 17 and September 23, 2017, while 24,175 Nepalese left the country during the same period.
Around 4,921 Nepalese returned home on the very first day of Dashain on September 21, 2017. Surprisingly, the number increased to 15,626 by September 23, 2017 i.e. within two days after the festival beginning.
According to official data, 5,432 and 5,282 Nepalese passed through the TIA immigration office on September 22 and September 23, respectively.
Majority of these arrivals were seen from countries such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Malaysia and the United Arab of Emirates.
On the other side, the festival season is also witnessing a significant rise in the number of migrant workers leaving the country.
According to the Department of Foreign Employment (DoFE), 13,295 Nepali migrant workers applied for outbound travel between September 17 and September 24.
The data covering the last seven days shows that 3,687 migrant workers have applied for work permits in Qatar, followed by UAE (2,979), Malaysia (2,759), Saudi Arabia (2,352) and Kuwait (629).
“This drop during this time of the year is normal. The number will go up once the festival is over,” says DoFE Spokesperson Adhikari.
Meanwhile, the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) yesterday urged the Government of Nepal to ensure smooth delivery of services during the festivals.
CIAA directed the government officials and other consumer-based organisations to take possible measures in this regard.
Chief Deep Basnyat urged the officials to be alert with regard to issues concerning peace, security and food supply, and also suggested them to conduct regular market monitoring activity. He called on officials to work in coordination to address public grievances on time.
The Metropolitan Police Office, Ranipokhari, Kathmandu has prepared to deploy around 5,000 police personnel in the Kathmandu Valley, to ensure peace and security during the festival season covering Dashain, Tihar and Chhath.
Besides Nepali police help desks, special security forces have also been deployed at hotels, bus points, across the Valley.
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]]>After rounds of discussions with the Government of Nepal, the Nepali Federation of Nepalese National Transport Entrepreneurs (FNNTE) has finally opened ticket bookings for those travelling to their hometowns for celebrating the country’s biggest festival, Dashain.
Thousands of Nepali citizens started waiting in queues at various bus ticket counters since early hours to book their tickets. Unfortunately, most of them were shocked to hear that tickets were already sold out.
Rajesh Khetan (55), who reached Gongabu Bus Park early in the morning, was surprised to see a long queue at the ticket counter. Even after a seven hour of wait, Khetan had to return with empty hands as he was told all the tickets to his hometown were already sold out.
“Even though it was raining, I got here at 3:00 AM. At 10:00 AM when my turn finally came I was unable to get a single ticket,” says Khetan.
“Having learnt a bitter lesson last year, I had arrived here at 3:30 AM. But it was no different this year as well,” says Krishna Chaudhary (35), who arrived at another counter at 3.30 AM to book tickets for his hometown.
FNNTE General Secretary Saroj Sitoula expected that passengers would get bus tickets easily this time, compared to previous year. However, things were in contrast at the Gongabu Bus Park, the main station from where most of the outbound buses from Kathmandu Valley leave to other places.
According to Sitoula, around 3-4 million people are likely to leave the Valley to their hometowns for Dashain festival celebrations to be held from September 21-20, 2017.
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