Tihar festival in Nepal, otherwise called Deepawali and Sunti nakha in Nepal Bhasa, is the second-greatest festival after Dashain. It is a five-day-long festival for the most part celebrated by Hindus from one side of the planet to the other.
This festival falls in the long stretch of Kartik (October or November). Tihar festival isn’t just about individuals’ festivals yet is addition about how individuals honour specific creatures, including crows, dogs, cows, bulls, self-body, and so forth.
The Story behind the Tihar Festival in Nepal
There are numerous stories about why and how individuals began commending the Tihar festival. One of the popular stories about Tihar is connected with Yama, the Lord of Death, and his sister the Yamuna. Yamuna and Yama were remaining separated from one another for quite a while. Desperate to meet her sibling, Yamuna used to send messages through crow. She used to sit tight for her sibling’s news. At long last, she met her sibling. After meeting Yama, she worships him with five shaded tika and flowers.
The Yamuna additionally orbited Yama with mustard oil, flowers, and Dubo ko ghaas ( Cynodon Dactylon/) and asked Yamaraj not to leave till the oil, flowers, and Dubo gets dried. In this way, consistently, sisters follow a similar custom utilizing Makhamali flower, Mustard Oil, walnuts, and so on for the life span, and success of their sibling’s age and riches.
Five days Tihar festival in Nepal
Tihar festival in Nepal is also called the festival of lights. The five days of Tihar have their importance.
Day 1: Kaag Tihar
On the primary day of Tihar, Individuals worship crows otherwise called Kaag in Nepali. Crow is viewed as the “Messenger of Death” in Nepali society and individuals worship the crow by offering rice and desserts on the top of the house.
The cawing of the crow is said to represent the forecast of hearing some terrible news sooner rather than later. In this way, to forestall different serious things for the entire year, individuals feed crows on the principal day of the Tihar festival.
Day 2: Kukur Tihar
The second day of the Tihar festival is Kukur Tihar otherwise called Khicha puja. On this day, Nepali worship dogs for their dedication to people. Individuals put on Tika, and calendula garlands and deal great feasts at this khicha puja in Nepal. The kukur Tihar in Nepal is popular all over the planet, for the most part in western culture as this extends the regard and connection between dogs and people.
Nepal Police, also do similar sorts of functions on this day of the Tihar festival as dogs contribute a ton during the examination and carry security to our general public. On the opposite side, The dog(Kukur) Tihar is otherwise called Khicha Puja which is praised by Newars (Neighborhood individuals of Kathmandu Valley).
Day 3: Gai Tihar and Laxmi Puja
The third day of the Tihar festival is Gai (Cow) puja and Laxmi Puja. Individuals worship cows and Goddess Laxmi on this day. The cow is holy to Hindus and the national animal of Nepal.
Individuals can take loads of advantages from Cow as it helps in our routine. You can get great advantages from Cow milk, ghee, and so forth. Individuals worship cows by putting Tika, and calendula garlands, and offering their favourite grass. Additionally, on this day, individuals generally clean their homes and environmental elements, particularly the windows, and entryways are beautified with Marigold blossoms.
At night, Individuals worship Laxmi, The Goddess of Abundance by lighting the Oil Lights (Diyo) and Candles all around the house.
During the evening time, the young ladies from the nearby local area visit each house in the neighbourhood to play Bhailo (Social Program during the Tihar festival) the entire evening.
The house proprietor gives cash and desserts consequently. Also, after nearly completing the evening, the young ladies share cash and products got from individuals among themselves.
Day 4: Goru Tihar and Mha Puja
On the fourth day of Tihar, individuals celebrate three distinct pujas. Individuals all over Nepal primarily worship Bull otherwise called Goru Tihar. Individuals who are dedicated to Vaishnavism use cow compost to make goverdan mountains and worship it which is known as Govardhan Puja.
In the Newari people group today, it is standard to celebrate Mha puja and esteem self-presence. In the Newari language, there is a prevalence of little words like Mha, Mha implies self, and puja is worship. So, today is regarding self and recognizing the value of life. Now and again, I feel that this is perhaps the most logical and social culture, as today Newa individuals get some margin to esteem themselves and once again understand the benefit of the living.
Today is additionally the day to enlighten oneself and give the impression of enthusiasm. Assuming we analyze the utilization and history of the word Mha in the Newari language, we observe that its utilization is broadly utilized in prefixes and postfixes in nonexclusive sentences.
Mha implies the word for body and awareness, Mha isn’t utilized in oblivious and lifeless things. Featuring this awareness and self-component, it is standard in the Newar people group to celebrate Mhapuja each year. In the Newari people group, revering and self-acknowledging self and the heavenly inside one’s own body is polished on this day. As per the conviction that there can be no harmony without harmony in the body, today an alluring mandapa representing Ashta Chiranjeevi and Ashta Aishwarya is adored and one feeds oneself by putting different food things on the mandap.
Additionally, around evening time, Young men gather to play Deusi by visiting the locals like Bhailo played by young ladies. Typically, a kid drones a few tales about the Tihar festival and sings a tune upheld by a gathering as a chorus. They visit every one of the houses locally for an entire evening and gather a few funds and split the asset between themselves or the gathered asset is utilized for some friendly government assistance.
Day 5: Bhai Tika
The last day of the five-day-long festival is called ‘Bhai Tika.’ On this day, sisters worship their siblings and pray to God for their long life, well-being, success, and prosperity to Yama (Lord of Death) and Yamuna (Sister of Yama). The ceremonies incorporate breaking a walnut suggesting she obliterated the difficulty that stands on the method of her sibling’s prosperity; putting on a laurel of ‘Makhamali’ flowers, mirroring the fantasy of her sibling’s sister life from Yama (Lord of Death), as she mentioned him to hang tight for the ‘Makhmali’ flower to shrink and pass on before he could take her sibling’s spirit.
Since the ‘Makhmali’ flower never shrivels or evaporates he needed to save the existence of her sibling and pass on them to live cheerfully ever later. Sisters likewise put seven unique shades of Tika (seven distinct vermillions) on the sibling’s temple wanting her sibling to be as strong as the sun (in a conviction Sun comes all over the place). The rainbow tone likewise represents a new beginning or freshness throughout everyday life. Siblings likewise respond to the customs and make a guarantee to safeguard their sisters until the final gasp of their life. The two trades gift that day to make it extraordinary and important.
