Dashain festival begins in Nepal for 2018. Dashain is the biggest Hindu festival that occurs in the month of late September and early October each year. The goddess Durga (the goddess of power) is worshiped and thousands of male animals only are sacrificed in every of her temples on this festival. People paint their houses and clean as a preparation for the festival. This festival has also made a significant role in reunion of distant and nearby relatives. The first nine days of Dashain refers to as ‘nawa ratri’. The first day of Dashain is ‘Ghatasthapana’. A small rectangular sand block is made and seeded with barley grains. Day’s passes by regular rituals till the seventh day.
Likewise, the seventh day is ‘Fulpati’. Then the eighth day is ‘Maha Asthami’. Sacrificing of animals takes place in almost every house throughout the day. The night of the eighth day remarks as ‘Kal Ratri’ (the dark night). Hundreds of male goats, sheep and buffaloes are sacrificed at the goddess Durga’s temples. Puja continues and great feasts carry out in the houses of common people. They prepare many varieties of meat and eat together in the families. Similarly, the ninth day is ‘Maha Nawami’. The Taleju temple at Kathmandu Durbar Square remains open for the public once a year on this day only. Celebration in the factories, worshiping of vehicles and instruments from which we make our living takes place to get blessings from goddess Durga in the hope that she protects from accidents during the year.
10th day is the most important day
Finally, the tenth day is the ‘Dashami’ and also called ‘Vijaya Dashami’. On this day we take ‘Tika’ and ‘Jamara’ from our elders and receive their blessings. Younger visits the elders in their home and gets ‘Tika’ on forehead, ‘Jamara’ and blessings. Children are happy to wear new cloths and people wish a good luck to each other throughout the festival period. This function continues for four days. After four days, Dashain ends on the full moon day, the fifteenth day. In the last day people stay at home and relax from the rush. The full moon day is also refers to as ‘Kojagrata’ meaning ‘who is awake’. Worshiping of the Hindu goddess of wealth Laxmi takes place on this day. Devotees send an invitation to the goddess Laxmi to visit their houses.
