Blissful Dashain Festival in Nepal
Nepal is also known as the country with many delighting festivals which has a religious bond with people from ancient mythology. Despite many diverse ethnicities, Nepal unites by festivals and the people celebrate with full of joy. Many of the festivals in Nepal is celebrated by the people who are religiously tied on it. But there are also some biggest festival i.e Dasain and Tihar which brings charm on people and get together with their relatives from around the world to celebrate it.
When autumn begins, it begins with festivals. Basically, Dashain is the biggest festival in Nepal which is celebrated by every people who believe in Hindu religion. Dashain is the festival which is celebrated for ten days in the victory of Goddess Durga’s over demon Mahisashur. It has the trend to gift goat, duck, pigeon, hen, buffalo and many more for Goddess Durga. The blessing is the biggest thing in this festival which is received by elders with Tika(a mixture of rice, red color, and yogurt) on the forehead.
In Hindu mythology, the demon Mahishasura had created terror in the devaloka (the world where gods live ) but Durga killed the rakshas(demon). The first nine days of Dashain symbolize the battle which took place between the different manifestations of Durga and Mahishasura. The tenth day is the day when Durga finally defeated him. For other Hindus, this festival symbolizes the victory of Ram over Ravan as recounted in the Ramayana.
Among ten days, the first day is called Ghatasthapana. Ghatasthapana is the day which marks the beginning of Dashain festival. On this day, kalasha or a pot is set, which symbolizes Durga. On this day the Kalash is filled with holy water and covered with cow dung and barley seeds. Kalash is then put in the center of a rectangular sand block. The priest then starts the puja by asking Durga to bless the vessel with her presence. This ritual is performed at a certain auspicious time which is determined by the astrologers. The goddess is believed to reside in the vessel during Navratri.
A male family member worships the Kalash twice every day i.e morning and night, women and outsiders are not allowed to enter into the room where Durga is worshiped. The Kalash 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.
Then on the seventh day, i.e “Phulpati” is the major celebration of Dashain festival. Traditionally, on this day, the royal Kalash, banana stalks, Jamara, and sugar cane tied with red cloth is brought by Brahmins. Hundreds of government officials gather together in the Tundikhel grounds in a conventional formal dress to witness the event. The king used to observe the ceremony in Tundikhel while the Phulpati parade was headed towards the Hanuman Dhoka royal palace. Nepalese Army displays celebratory firing of weapons that continues for ten to fifteen minutes honoring Phulpati.
The eighth day is called “Maha Asthami” which is the day when the most fierce of Goddess Durga’s manifestations, the bloodthirsty Kali, is appeased through the sacrifice of buffaloes, goats, hens, 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. The old palace in Basantapur Hanuman Dhoka is active throughout the night with worships and sacrifices in almost every courtyard.
The ninth day of dashain is called Mahanavami. This is the last day of Navaratri. Ceremonies and rituals reach the peak on this day. On this day, Vishvakarman, the god of creation, is worshiped as it believed that all the things which help us in making a living should be kept happy. Artisans, craftsmen, traders, and mechanics worship and offer animal and fowl blood to their tools, equipment, and vehicles. Moreover, since it is believed that worshipping the vehicles on this day avoids accidents for the year all the vehicles from bikes, cars to trucks are worshiped on this day.
The tenth day of the festival is the ‘Dashami’. On this day, a mixture of rice, yogurt, and the red color is prepared by the women. This preparation is known as “tika”. Often Dashain tika time differs every year. Elders put this tika and jamara on the forehead of younger relatives to bless them with abundance in the upcoming years. The red also symbolizes the blood that ties the family together. Elders give “Dakshina”(money), to younger relatives along with the blessings. This ritual of taking tika from all the elder relatives helps in the renewal of the community ties greatly. This is one reason why the Dashain is celebrated with so much verve.
Also, swings are made for the children so where they can enjoy more. Some say, once in this day you should have to leave the surface and play swing.
So in this way Dashain is celebrated with full of joy with relatives with varieties of food, sweets, fruits, and blessing.
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