Goddess Laxmi’s Festival of Lights

Tihar is a five days long hindu festival, also known as Deepawali and are celebrated in October or early November. That glorious harvest moon season in Nepal when pathways, courtyards and village squares are expanses of golden unhusked rice and brilliant red chilli peppers drying in the sunshine, when crisp, clear nights forestallthe coming of winter. Tihar literally means ‘a crow of lamps’, and lighting displays are traditional, but this festival is actually a succession of significant holidays celebrated for a variety of reasons.Tihar in general signifies the festival of lights, where diyas are lit both inside and outside the houses to make it illuminate at night.

Tihar brings the worship of Laxmi, Goddess of wealth and a day to worship one’s body or self. Worshipped in turn are the  lowly dog and ill-omened crow,as well as the sacred crow, the family money box and the brothers of every home. The God of Death is propitiated and the Ancient New Year starts. Through out the land and avid and illicit five-day indulgence in that favourite Nepalese pastime- gambling with friends and family takes place.

Tihar is the second biggest Nepalese festival after Dashain.  People make patterns on the floor of living rooms or courtyards using materials such as colored rice, dry flour, colored sand or flower petals outside of their house, called Rangoli, which is meant to be a sacred welcoming area for the Gods and Goddesses of Hinduism mainly Goddess Laxmi.It 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 crows, cows, and dogs that maintain an intimate relationship with humans.

 Day 1 -Kaag Tihar

On the first day called Kag Bali, the Day of the Crow, this messenger of Yama is worshipped.  People set out the sweets and dishes for the sake of crow and ravens, which are placed on the roofs of houses.The cawing of crows and ravens symbolizes sadness and grief in Hinduism, so devotees offer crows and ravens food to avert grief and death in their homes.

 Day 2-Kukur Tihar (Day 2)

The second day of Tihar is for the worship of dogs, domestic as well as the scruffy pariahs that roam the streets.Dogs, which are believed to be messengers of Lord Yamaraj, the God of Death, are worshiped each year on this day.During Kukur Tihar, the mythological and real relationships between humans and dogs constitute the day’s major focus. A garland of flowers is draped around the neck of every dog; not only those with homes, but strays as well.

Day 3- Laxmi Pooja

The third day of Tihar, Laxmi Pooja, is of vital importance, for the sacred cow is worshipped in the morning and the goddess of wealth together with family treasures at night.In the evening, Goddess Laxmi, the goddess of wealth is thanked for all the benefits that were bestowed on the families by lighting oil lamps (Diyo) or candles on doorways and windows to welcome prosperity and well being. At night, the girls enjoy dancing and visiting all the houses of the neighborhood with musical instruments singing and dancing known as Bhaili all night long collecting money as tip from houses and share the bounty amongst themselves.

Day 4-Govardhan Puja

On the fourth day of Tihar, there are three different known pujas, depending on the people’s cultural background. It is observed as Goru Tihar or Goru Puja (worship of the oxen). People who follow Vaishnabism perform Govardhan Puja, which is worship towards Govardhan mountain. Cow dung is taken as representative of the mountain and is worshiped. Additionally, the majority of the Newar community on the night perform Mha Puja (worship of self). This day is seen as the beginning of the new Nepal Sambat calendar year.

Day 5-Bhai Tika

Bhai tika is the last, and the most important day of Tihar. In this day, the sisters apply Tika to their brothers’ forehead (and hence, given the name as ‘Bhai Tika’), thank them for the protection they give. The Tika is colourful, which consists of seven colors and called as ‘Saptarangi Tika’ in Nepali. Along with the Tika, the sisters offer garlands of Marigold and Chrysanthemum (nowadays the plastic readymade garlands are also used to some extent, in the case of scarcity of the flowers), sweets, and special dishes for them. The sisters pray for the brothers’ long lives, and have a talk with them, and enjoy the meal together.

Now every man and boy is impelled to receive his sister’s blessing on this day, after which the family celebrates with a sumptuous midday feast. Often the remainder of this final day of Tihar is spent in friendly family grambling games.