Tihar, the festival of lights, is one of the big festivals in Nepal. This beautiful festival falls in late October and early November. The Hindus in Nepal celebrate this festival for five days. It is an amazing cultural celebration that brings fun-filled days to the life of people. Tihar, also famous as Dipawali, is one of the main festivals celebrated in the country.
Traveling to Nepal during festivals gives you a wonderful opportunity to immerse yourself into the cultural beauty of the country. Tihar is one of those moments that give you a beautiful cultural experience of traveling in Nepal. The festival that goes for five days has each day dedicated to different rituals.
The first day of Tihar starts with the worship of the crow. Crow is considered the messenger to the Yama, the god of death. People feed the bird and worship it on the very first day of the festival. Different animals like dogs, cows, and ox are also worshipped on the second, third and fourth days of the festival. The fifth day of the festival is the most important day. Bhai Tika is the fifth day when sisters offer their brothers with colorful tika on the forehead; feed them with delicious foods and offer them gifts. They pray for the good health and protection of each other while offering Tika. Brothers offer sisters with cash and prayers.
Tihar the Festival of Lights
Tihar is also the festival of lights. People decorate their houses with colorful lights. The cities, towns and villages gleam in colorful lights during the festival. People appear in a joyful mood and are busy decorating their houses and preparing for the festival. It is an amazing experience to see the festival celebration.
Colorful geometric patterns famous as Rangoli are also part of the festival. People make beautiful rangoli at their home to invite all the positive energies and also to welcome goddess Laxmi, the goddess of wealth.
Deusi Bhailo – the cultural folk entertainment
Deusi Bhailo is also one of the major parts of celebrating Tihar. People, especially young boys, and girls form their groups and go from door to door singing and dancing Deusi and Bhailo songs. It is a cultural folk entertainment that makes the festival full of merriment.
They sing a traditional cultural song and call the landlord to witness their cultural programs. In the end, the landlord has to offer them money and in return, the deusi bhailo groups give them blessings of good health and prosperity.
The Tihar festival for this year starts today with the worship of the crow. And it will go for the next five days. If you are in Nepal during this festival period, you will certainly get to enjoy the cultural wonders of it. Even if you are not, you can plan it for next time. The entirety of the festival is all about the merriment, blessings, entertainment, prayers, and rituals. People of the Hindu faith take this festival with great priority and importance. It is certainly a beautiful time of the year in Nepal when you can see the happiness, beautiful flowers, entertainment, and celebration. Cultural tours during the festival time become even more wonderful travel experiences in Nepal.
Festival time is a perfect time to enjoy the cultural wonder of the country. It is not only the Tihar but also many other festivals that offer you a great opportunity to experience the Nepalese culture. If you are planning to travel to Nepal, you will have a better cultural experience if you plan it during festival time.
Let us know if you want to plan a beautiful holiday in Nepal.