Dashain is the longest and the most important festival of

Nepal. Generally Dashain falls in late September to mid October, right

after the monsoon season in Nepal. Dashain gets many different nick
names as Dasara, Bada Dashain, i!aya Dashain, and D"rga
#"!a, all of $hich mean the same thing, Dashain, a day of ictory over
Demons. %he celebration marks the victory of good over evil $hen
Goddess D"rga killed demon &aisash"r, $ho had terrori'ed the $orld in
the g"ise of a br"tal $ater b"ffalo.
(ccording to the legend, the first nine days signify the nine
days of ferro"s battle bet$een goddess D"rga and the demon &ahisas"r.
%he tenth day is the day $hen &ahisas"r $as slain and the last five days
symboli'e the celebration of the victory $ith the blessing of the goddess.
Dashain is celebrated $ith great re!oice, and goddess D"rga is
$orshiped thro"gho"t the kingdom as the divine mother goddess. )"ge
amo"nt of animal sacrifices take place d"ring the festival in temples and
in home to please the Goddess D"rga. %he final day of the festival is
kno$n as *%ika+, a day on $hich the elder ones give *%ika+ to the
yo"nger ones and to other relatives $ho come for their blessings. ,n
preparation for Dashain every home is cleansed and bea"tif"lly
decorated, painted as an invitation to the mother goddess, so that she
may visit and bless the ho"se $ith good fort"ne. D"ring this time the
re"nion of distant and nearby relatives occ"rs in every ho"sehold. %he
market is filled $ith shoppers seeking ne$ clothing, gifts, l"-"ries and
enormo"s s"pplies of temple offering for the gods, as $ell as foodst"ffs
for the family feasting.
%he first day of Dashain is called Ghatasthapana, $hich
literally means pot establishing. On this day the kalash, .holy $ater
vessel/ symboli'ing goddess D"rga often $ith her image embossed on
the side is placed in the prayer room. %he kalash is filled $ith holy $ater
and covered $ith co$ d"ng on to $hich seeds are so$n. ( small
rectang"lar sand block is made and the kalash is p"t in the centre. %he
s"rro"nding bed of sand is also seeded $ith grains. %he Ghatasthapana
rit"al is performed at a certain a"spicio"s moment determined by the
astrologers. (t that partic"lar moment the priest intones a $elcome,
re0"esting goddess D"rga to bless the vessel $ith her presence. ( priest
or a ho"sehold man $orships the kalash everyday once in the morning
and then in the evening. %he kalash and the sand are sprinkled $ith holy
$ater everyday and it is shielded from direct s"nlight. By the tenth day,
the seed $ill have gro$n to five or si- inches long yello$ grass. %he
sacred yello$ grass is called +1amara+.
(s days passes by reg"lar rit"als are observed till the seventh
day. %he seventh day is called +2"lpati+. ,n f"lpati, the royal kalash filled
$ith holy $ater, banana stalks, 1amara and s"gar cane tied $ith red cloth
is carried by Brahmans on a decorated palan0"in "nder a gold tipped and
embroidered "mbrella. 3ith this the Dashain feasting starts.
%he eighth day is called the &aha (sthami. %he day of $orship
and sacrifice to D"rga and 4ali increases. Sacrifices are held in almost
every ho"se thro"gho"t the day. %he night of the eighth day is called
+4al 5atri+, the dark night. )"ndreds of goats, sheep and b"ffaloes are
sacrificed at the mother goddess temples. %he sacrifice contin"es till
da$n. 3hile the p"!a is being carried o"t great feasts are held in the
homes of common people $here large amo"nt of meat are cons"med.
%he ninth day is called Na$ami. %emples of mother goddess are
filled $ith people from da$n till d"sk. (nimals mostly black b"ffaloes
are sla"ghtered to honor D"rga the goddess of victory and might and to
seek her blessing. &ilitary bands play $ar t"nes, g"ns boom and officers
$ith bea"tif"lly decorated medals in f"ll "niform stand there. On this
very day the god ish$a 4arma, the God of creativity is also $orshiped.
(ll factories, vehicles, any machinery instr"ments and anything from
$hich $e make a living are $orshiped. 3e also give sacrifices to all
moving machinery like cars, tr"cks etc. to get the blessing from goddess
D"rga for protection for vehicles and their occ"pants against accidents
d"ring the year. %he entire day is colorf"l.
%he tenth day is the Dashami. On this day $e take %ika and
1amara from o"r elders and receive their blessing. 3e visit o"r elders in
their home and get tika from them $hile o"r yo"nger ones come to o"r
home to receive blessing from "s. %he importance of Dashain also lies in
the fact that on this day family members from far off and distant
relatives come for a visit as $ell as to receive tika from the head of the
family. %his f"nction contin"es for fo"r days. (fter fo"r days of r"shing
aro"nd and meeting yo"r relatives Dashain ends on the f"ll moon day,
the fifteenth day. ,n the last day people stay at home and rest. %he f"ll
moon day is also called +4o!agrata+ meaning +$ho is a$ake+. ,t is
believed that goddess D"rga only visit the ho"se $here people are
a$ake. So, all people remain a$ake that night.
6ike all festivals, Dashain brings family members together in a
mood of celebration. 4ite flying competitions are held among families+
neighborhoods. (ll the schools and b"sinesses are closed, allo$ing
people to p"t all their $orries aside and en!oy spare time $ith their loved
ones. 7elebrated by almost all the comm"nities of Nepal, Dashain binds
all the Nepalese together $ith a sacred thread of national "nity. ,n
several parts of Nepal, Dashain is the only time of the year $hen people
receive a set of ne$ clothing. 6ike$ise, in poorer families, the animal
sacrifice $as eagerly anticipated since it might be the only animal
protein the family $o"ld eat all year. %his may be tr"e in certain parts of
Nepal $here food is in lo$ s"pply, b"t is less so in the cities. ,n general,
the tradition of sacrifice is lessening $ith the easy availability of meat
for daily cons"mption, and $ith the infl"ences of aishnav )ind"s .$ho
are vegetarian/.(fter Dashain the nation settles back to normal. (fter
receiving the blessing of goddess D"rga, people are ready to $ork and
ac0"ire virt"e, po$er and $ealth. Dashain th"s is not only the longest
festival b"t also the most anticipated one among all the festivals of
Nepal.