Dashain Festival in Nepal: The story of the Dashain celebration

Dashain in Nepal is the largest and most culturally significant among all the Nepali festivals. Dashain festival symbolizes the victory of good over evil in the triumph of Durga over Mahishasur. This article discusses the Dashain in Nepal, which is celebrated in Nepal. Goddess Durga is a symbol of the trumped and true. It usually falls in September or October.

Dashain in Nepal is one of the significant festivals for Nepalese, and it often features a gathering of family members, smiling faces, prayer, and a call for prosperity and richness. The Nepalese quote says that a folk season is the only time when people have to go to their ancestors’ houses. The environment of the festive season will be very joyful and festive. Dashain, considered one of the best festivals of Nepalese society, is a national festival of Nepal that reflects the culture and traditions of the Nepalese people. 

Homes are swept and decorated, tables and chairs are laid, and unique dishes are prepared to eat. ‘Tika’ and ‘Jamara’ are symbols of our identity, belief, and culture that can be applied by our elders or as a blessing on our heads. It’s a mix of several, like yogurt and rice. The members of the young generation seek their blessing and receive gifts from the older people more often.

Why is it celebrated? What is the importance of the Dashain festival in Nepal?

Nepalese people see Dashain as the triumph of the virtuous deity over the evil forces. The other case of the Hindu mythology that describes the same story in a varying way is also one of the factors. The festival of Dashain also comes in under the regular holidays as a symbolic triumph of the goddess Durga over Mahishasura, the demon. The Hindus narrate legends that Mahishasura was so swoonful of the other celestial divinities that he could not be defeated except by their joint efforts. 

After that, the gods were asked to create the goddess Durga, who could combat him. Devi completed Mahishasura’s nine days of war, thereby freeing the universe from an unending war. This legend is a case of opposing evils with truth and the idea that even the good can achieve the impossible because even in the most difficult times, divinity can prevail.

On the other hand, the Dashain festival of Nepal is known more to be the time of year when families reunite and people meet each other. Everybody finds a way to get in, no matter how vibrant they might be, and regardless of their culture, they coexist in an ordinary life. Moreover, the families built an atmosphere where they shared gifts, feasts, and beverages hand in hand, which made them feel like they were staying with their relatives. 

People to buy new clothes, gifts, and other stuff during that period. Creating another source of income for the business. Accordingly, the economic situation improves. Nepal’s Dashain festival has been continued throughout its past history as an old. It is alive celebration that bears the country’s spiritual, social, and economic vine. Nepalese Dashain suggests that the Nepalese carry a thread of rich hereditary and cultural heritage.

List of Significant days during the Dashain in Nepal Festival

During the 15-day Dashain festival in Nepal, each day holds significance and is celebrated with specific rituals and traditions. Here is a list of the main days of Dashain, along with their significance and customary practices:

1. Ghatasthapana (Day 1): This marks the beginning of Dashain. On this day, a sacred pot (kalash) is filled with holy water and sown with barley seeds. These are then covered with cow dung and kept in a dark room. This signifies the start of the festival and the worship of the goddess Durga.

2. Saptami (Day 7): On this day, the Kalash is opened, and the sprouted barley known as Jamara is removed. The Nepal Army performs a parade on this day, which is mainly held in all army camps in Nepal. 

3. Asthami (Day 8): This day is also known as Maha Asthami. It is considered one of the most important days of Dashain. Animal sacrifices, particularly of buffaloes, are performed in temples to honour the goddess Durga and seek her blessings.

4. Navami (Day 9): On this day, devotees visit temples dedicated to the goddess Durga and offer prayers and sacrifices. Homes are decorated, and families gather for feasting and cultural activities.

Bijaya Dashami

5. Bijaya Dashami (Day 10): Also known as Bijaya Dashami, this is the last day of Dashain and the most promising. On this day, elders apply Tika (a mixture of yogurt and rice) to the foreheads of younger relatives`. They bless them with prosperity and success. The elders also give the younger ones Dakshina (money or gifts) as a token of love and blessings. This day is also significant for the exchange of blessings among friends, relatives, and well-wishers.

6. Kojagrat Purnima (Day 15): This day marks the end of Dashain, also known as the full moon day. On this day, people stay up all night and participate in various cultural activities. Like singing, dancing, and playing games to mark the end of the festival.

Each day of the Dashain festival in Nepal has its significance and rituals. All of these combine to make Dashain one of Nepal’s most vibrant and important festivals.

How is Dashain celebrated in Nepal?

Nepal’s most important festival, Dashain, is celebrated with everyone’s enthusiasm, sacrifice, and devotion. It is a festivity that spans fifteen days. In which families become bonded, and it is also a way of praying for wealth and success. The Dashain festival preparations started weeks before the actual Dashain festival in Nepal. The homes being cleaned and decorated with wall hangings, beautiful flowers, and traditional symbols. Sending away the house and Durga ahead depicts that Durga’s graces are called during the celebration.

A substantial part of the community is interested in getting involved in the wide range of rituals and traditions during Dashian. Among the vital rituals, the preparation and presentation of tikka and jamara could be conceived as one. The older family members sprinkle a mixture of rice, yogurt, and vermilion paste called tika on the forehead of the younger members as a blessing. They also offer the recently sprouted barley (Jamara) in the holy pot, symbolizing abundance and prosperity. The ritual epitomizes the essence of love and joy of the ancestors. Through which people who are distant from each other become closer.

Dashain festival of Nepal is not only a cultural festival but also presents a great chance of entertainment. Some traditional cultural activities, such as dances, music, and drama, mainly go over the festival. The tradition brings together everyone, and people also get an opportunity to be part of the grand celebration of life. Additionally, the Dashain festival of Nepal is a feast and a time for ethnic individuals to taste delectable meals and strange delicacies. Delicacies such as goat meat, rice pudding, and desserts are prepared and shared with people with happy lives.

Which community celebrates Dashain and where?

The Hindu community in Nepal, which comprises the overwhelming majority of the people, celebrates the main festival of Dashain. Nevertheless, it is no longer confined to Nepal; it is celebrated in India, Bhutan, and other parts of Southeast Asia, with widespread Nepalese participation by Hindus worldwide. The Dashain festival in Nepal 2081 is on Asoj 26, 2081 BS.

Nepal’s festival, Dashain, is celebrated in all parts of Nepal by people from different tribes and is considered the country’s national festival. Festivals that are most conspicuously celebrated in cities like Kathmandu and Pokhara are also observed with similar enthusiasm in towns and villages nationwide. Whether a family lives in a village settlement or an urban apartment, the Nepal festival Dashain is when family members reunite to celebrate their cultural identity and seek blessings of prosperity and joy.

Where and how can tourist celebrate Dashain?

Tourists visiting Nepal during the Dashain festival can enjoy the richness of the unique culture of this country. Several cities and towns in Nepal, such as Kathmandu and Pokhara, particularly turn on to colorful decorations, lively markets, and vibrant ambience during the festival of Dashain. This festival brings happiness to every corner of the cities.

Guests can be part of this celebration by engaging in several cultural activities like street parades, traditional music and dances and kite flying competitions. Certain attraction of the Dashain for foreign visitors is the opportunity to be blessed by local people taking “Tika” and “Jamara.” Foreigners can visit local houses or temples in order to receive Tika and Jamara from Nepalese families who warmly receive them into their celebration as the honorable guests.