Tihar (Nepali: तिहार) or Laxmi Puja or Deepawali (दीपावली), Yamapanchak (यमपञ्चक), or Diwali, Bhaitika, Kag Tihar, Kukur Tihar, Gai Tihar, Gobardhan Puja, Mha Puja, Bhaiya dooj, Bhai Dooj

Diyo

also known as Deepawali in Terai region of Nepal is a five-day long Hindu and Buddhist festival celebrated in Nepal which comes soon after Dashain

one day is celebrated for goddess Laxmi and the other one is celebrated to worship brothers for their long life

However, all ethnic groups celebrate this festival

The festival is celebrated from Trayodashi of Kartik Krishna to Kartik Shukla Dwitiya every year

name Tihar means the festival of lights, where many candles are lit both inside and outside the houses to make it bright at night

the five-day festival is considered to be of great importance as it shows reverence to not just the humans and the Gods, but also to the animals like the crow, cow, and dog, who maintain an intense relationship with the humans

Saraswati, Laxmi, and Ganesh

People make things outside of their house, called "Rangoli" in Nepali & Hindi, to make their Home look attractive & beautiful at night.

Kag Tihar

Crow eating in Kag Tihar

The first day of the festival is called Kag Tihar or Kag Puja (worship of the crows)

crows are worshiped by offerings of sweets and dishes on the roof of the houses

The cawing of the crows symbolizes sadness and grief in the Hindu mythology, so the devotees offer the crows food to avert grief and deaths in their homes

Tihar in Nepal and Diwali in India represent the divine attachment between Human and other animals and birds in our nature

We worship crow before having our meal

We feed the crow during this day as god

Kukur Tihar

Dog Being Worshiped In Kukur Tihar

The second day is called Kukur Tihar or Kukur Puja (worship of the dogs)
also called as Khicha Puja by the Newars
Dog, which is believed to be messenger of Lord Yamaraj, the God of death, is worshiped once a year on this day
People offer garlands, tika, and delicious food to the dogs, and acknowledge the cherished relationship between humans and the dogs
This day is also observed as Narka Chaturdashi.

Gai Tihar and Laxmi Puja

Garlanding Cow In Gai Tihar

The morning of the third day is Gai Tihar (worship of the cow)
In Hinduism, the cow is sign of prosperity and wealth
In ancient times people benefitted a lot from the cow
Its milk, dung even urine was used for different purposes like purification
Thus on this day people show their gratefulness to the cow by garlanding and feeding the cow with the best grass
Houses are cleaned and the doorways and windows are decorated with garlands made of marigolds and chrysanthemums

In the evening Laxmi, the goddess of wealth is thanked for all the benefits that were bestowed on the families by lighting oil lamps or candles on doorways and windows to welcome prosperity and well being

At night all the jewelry and some money and new utensil is placed in plate and worshipped. And in Madhesi culture hukka pati is played. Hukka pati is the collection of some dried jute sticks from which jute is removed, these sticks are collected and bent together and burnt in puja room and then finally in the field and then 5 small sticks are taken and rest is burnt to ash and five stick is kept in worship room through the year.

At night the girls enjoy dancing and visiting all the houses of the village with many musical instruments playing a historical game called Bhailo all night long. They collect money from all the houses by singing and dancing and share the sweets and money amongst themselves

From the third day onwards Tihar is especially famous for Deusi and Bhailo, light and fireworks

Deusi and Bhailo are the songs which have only been sung on those Tihar days

The Deusi is mostly sung by the boys while the Bhailo is sung by the girls
Social workers, young and children visit local homes to sing these songs, and in return, the homeowners give them money, fruit, rice, and Selroti (a special type of Nepali bread made by rice flour and sugar).

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Gobardhan Puja and Mha Puja

On the fourth day of Tihar, there are three different known pujas, depending on the people's specific cultural background

Most perform Goru Tihar or Goru Puja (worship of the oxen)

People who follow Krishna perform Gobardhan Puja, which is worship towards Cowdung

Cowdung is seen as very useful in Nepal, as in the olden days it was used for everything from light at night (Methane) to polish for the mud floors of traditional houses

The Newar community on the night of this day do Mha Puja (worship of self)
Because this period is also the beginning of Nepal Sambat, or the new year of Nepalese especially commemorated by Newars, it ensures prosperity for the new year

Bhai Tika

The fifth and last day of Tihar is Bhai Tika, a day where sisters put tika on foreheads of brothers, to ensure long life, and thank them for the protection they give
When the sisters give the tika, the brothers give gifts or money in return

special garland is made for the brothers out of a flower that wilts only after a couple of months, symbolizing the sister's prayer for her brother's long life

Brothers sit on a floor while sisters perform their puja

(in madheshi culture in aangan drawing is made by the mixture of rice powder and water and different color, it is made in a beautiful way and both brother and sister get ready for bhaitika after taking bath and then brother sits and sister puts tika on the forehead of brother in different colors and then put garland .And then puts sindur pithar (sindur and mixture of water and rice powder ) and then sister puts pan ko pat (5 leaves) and 5 suparis (nut) on the brother hand and sister makes stand and sit to brother holding his hand and finally if sister is younger then sister touches brother's foot and get blessed and finally sister gives sweets to brother and brother gives money or clothes or both to sister)

Puja involves following a traditional ritual in which sisters circle brothers three times dripping oil on the floor from a copper pitcher

Afterwards, sisters put oil in brother's ears and hairs, then give Tika

Also breaking of walnuts by sisters prior to giving Tika to brothers is also a common practice

Tika starts with placing a banana leave already cut into a line shape placed on brothers forehead held by one of the sister's hand, then applying tika base (made from rice paste) in the open space

Then sister dabs seven colors on top of the base using her fingers

Some may give tika with the help of a small stick or a brush without the using banana leaves. In this case, small stick is dipped into the tika base, then brushed vertically on the forehead, then using a different stick, the seven colors are applied on top of the base

After tika, flower garland is put around brother's neck

Then brothers give tika to sisters in the same fashion
Sisters also receive flower garland around their neck and brothers place their head over sisters feet and receive their blessings
This is practiced regardless of whether brother is younger or elder to the sister
Also, brothers give gifts such as clothes or money to sisters while sisters give a special gift known as Sagun (which is made of dried fruits, nuts, candies etc.), and a fantastic Tihar feast takes place

Those without a sister or brother, join relatives or friends for tika. Sisters pray for their brother's long life to Yamaraj, the Hindu God of death. This festival brings close relationship between brothers and sisters