- is the 15 days long national (religious) festival of Nepal, the most important days are the 1st, 7th, 8th, 9th and the 10th.
- the longest and the most auspicious festival in the Nepalese annual calendar
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| Goddess Durga |
- celebrated by Nepalese people throughout the globe
- not only the longest festival of the country but is also the one which is most anticipated
- the festival falls around October-November
- is also popularly referred to as Badadashain, Dashera, Vijaya Dashami etc.
- the goddess mother is worshiped in all her manifestations
- also known for its emphasis on the family gatherings, as well as on a renewal of community ties
- People return to their home from all parts of the world, as well as different parts of the country, to celebrate together
- All government offices, educational institutions, and other offices remain closed during the festival period
- commemorates the victories of the god and goddesses over the demons
- symbolizes the victory of the good over the evil
- Mahishasura, a demon, had created terror in the dev-lok (the world of gods)
- gods and saints prayed to kill Mahishasura
- Goddess Durga emerged and killed the demon thus saving everyone from terror
- first, nine days of Dashain symbolizes the battle which took place between the different manifestations of goddess Durga and the demon Mahishasura
- the tenth day is the day when Durga finally defeated Mahishasura
- Goddess Durga is worshipped throughout the country as divine mother goddess
- Throughout the festival, people pay homage to the various forms of the Supreme Goddess, Durga
- the festival is important since it reminds every one of the universal principles of truth, justice, and virtue that must prevail over deception, injustice, and wickedness
- It is believed that if she is worshiped properly and pleased then good luck is bound to happen
- if the goddess is angered by negligence then misfortunes are said to happen
- Dashain is the biggest festival for the Hindus
- followers of Shakta cult take it as the day of falling of demon Mahishasur by goddess Durga
- For non-Shakta Hindus, this festival symbolizes the victory of Rama over Ravana, the characters of the epic Ramayana
- In the Kathmandu Valley, among the Newars, the festival is known as Mohani, with slight differences in rituals and significance, thus more than often confused with the Dasain.
- Ghatasthapana marks the beginning of Dasain
- It literally means installing a pot which symbolizes Goddess of power (Shakti)
- It falls on Aswin Shukla Pratipada, the first day of the bright half of the lunar calendar in the month of Ashvin
- On this day the kalasha is filled with holy water which is then covered with cow dung and sewn with barley seeds
- Then, the kalasha is put in the center of a rectangular sand block
- The remaining bed of sand is also seeded with grains
- The priest then starts the puja by calling goddess Durga to bless the vessel with her presence
- This ritual is performed at a certain auspicious time which is determined by the astrologers
- Goddess Shakti is believed to reside in the Kalash vessel during the Navratri period
- room, where all this is done, is known as the ‘Dasain Ghar’
- Traditionally, outsiders and women are not allowed to enter the Dasain Ghar
- male family member worships the Kalasha twice every day, once in the morning and then in the evening
- Kalasha is kept away from direct sunlight, and holy water is offered to it every day so that by the tenth day of the festival the seed will have grown to five or six inches long yellow grass
- This sacred grass is known as ‘Jamara’. These rituals continue until the seventh day.
- major celebration occurring on the seventh day of Dasain
- the eighth day is called the 'Maha Asthami'
- is the day when the most demonic of Goddess Durga’s manifestations, the blood-thirsty Kali, is appeased by the sacrifice of hundreds of thousands of buffaloes, goats, pigeons and ducks in temples throughout the nation
- Blood, symbolic for its fertility, is offered to the Goddesses
- Appropriately enough, the night of this day is called Kal Ratri (Black Night)
- It is also the norm for buffaloes to be sacrificed in the courtyards of all the land revenue offices in the country on this day
- After the offering of the blood, the meat is taken home and cooked as "prasad", or food blessed by divinity
- the ninth day is called Maha-Navami which literally means the great ninth day
- is the last day of Navaratri
- Ceremonies and rituals reach the peak on this day
- the tenth day of the festival is the 'Dashami'
- In madheshi culture every member of family takes bath early morning and put tika of yogurt and rice and they all together goes out in search of bird named Neelkanth and then they pray that bird and wish for happy year ahead, and then they come back to home and eat beaten rice (chuda , chiura) and yogurt and sugar. And then further jamara and tika are put on the forehead by the elders.
- On this day, a mixture of rice, yogurt, and vermilion is prepared by the women
- This preparation is known as "tika"
- Elders put this tika and jamara which is sewn in the ghatasthapana on the forehead of younger relatives to bless them with abundance in the upcoming years
- red also symbolizes the blood that ties the family together
- Elders give "Dakshina", or a small amount of money, to younger relatives at this time along with the blessings.
- continues to be observed for five days till the full moon during which period families and relatives visit each other to exchange gifts and greetings
- This ritual of taking tika from all the elder relatives (even the distant relatives)helps in the renewal of the community ties greatly
- This is one reason why the festival is celebrated with so much of vigor and enthusiasm.
- In madheshi culture every member of family takes bath early morning and put tika of yogurt and rice and they all together goes out in search of bird named Neelkanth and then they pray that bird and wish for happy year ahead, and then they come back to home and eat beaten rice (chuda , chiura) and yogurt and sugar. And then further jamara and tika are put on the forehead by the elders.
- Dasain is around the corner when kites are seen all over the sky
- Flying kites has been a very important part of celebrating Dasain in the country as it is considered to be one way of reminding god not to send rain anymore
- people of all ages in their roofs fly kites
- Playing cards is another way of celebrating Dasain
- While children are busy flying kites during Dasain, the older members of the family pass their time by getting together and playing cards with each other for money and fun all day long
- Buying and wearing new clothes is an important part of the festival
- Clothes is the item which has the highest sales during the festival
- Bamboo swings are constructed in many parts of the country as a way of celebration
- bamboo swings is called 'ping' in Nepali
Children playing on traditional bamboo swings - Different kinds of fairs and celebration events are also organized during the festival
- Thousands of animals such as buffaloes, ducks, he-goats, etc. are slaughtered in Dasain every year
- It has been considered an important ritual since it is believed that the goddesses are pleased by such sacrifices
- Almost all the temples, especially the Durga and Kali temples of the country are offered with thousands of sacrifices
- Asthami and Navami are the days where the sacrifices reach the peak
- people also slaughter animals for the purpose of feasts
Significance
Celebration
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The tika (in red color) and jamara (green color)
used in Dashain
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Day 7: Fulpati
Day 8: Maha Asthami
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| sacrified animals |
Day 9: Maha Navami
Day 10: Dashami
Forms of celebration
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