Tihar is one of the biggest festivals celebrated in Nepal after Dashain. With the end of Dashain, we have Tihar just around the corner. Tihar is celebrated not only in Nepal but also in some states of India. It is also popularly known as Dipawali and even as the “Festival of Lights”. Dipawali is best known as Diwali in India.
Tihar is considered to be of great importance as it shows the contribution to not just the humans and the gods, but also to the animals like crows, cows, and dogs that maintain an intimate relationship with the humans. The main Goddess that is worshiped in this festival is Goddess Laxmi, also known as the goddess of wealth and luck.
Tihar falls right after Dashain. It falls in the month of Kartik (October to November in Solar Calendar) and continues for five days. This festival has its own unique ways of celebration. Each of the 5 days of this festival is for celebrating and worshipping different animals and gods. The first day of Tihar is known as Kaag puja (worship of crows).
In ancient mythology, Crows are known to be the “messenger of death”. And the first day of Tihar is their only day of rest. So to ensure they have proper rest, people feed crows and worship them lest to prevent any negative news to be informed which would bring a bad omen. People worship the crows to bring good luck to themselves.The second day of Tihar is known as Kukur Puja (Worship of dogs). It is to worship a mans’ best friend, dogs. On this day dogs are treated with delicious treats and hung garlands on their neck with tikas on their forehead. We can see many dogs roaming around the city with a tika and a garland on their necks on this day. It is believed that dogs can see incoming dangers and death and is the “gatekeeper of the underworld”. It would be for the best if every stray dog we see on the streets treated this way each and every day.
The third day of Tihar is Gai Puja – Laxmi Puja (worship of the cows and goddess Laxmi). This is a special day which has its own separate set of celebrations. In the mornings, the cows are worshipped and hung garland around their necks, with their body in red colors with holy strings tied onto their tails. In Hinduism, cows signify wealth and prosperity. The uses of cows have outstripped many domesticated animals. So on this day the cows are worshipped and fed the juiciest of grass as a sign of gratitude. In the afternoons, the entire house is cleaned and groomed. People may even put fancy lights on their rooms and outside their houses.
The fourth day is also known as Govardhan Puja. An ox is also an indispensable lifeline for a farmer, so on this day, farmers worship oxen. The fourth day of Tihar is also taken as the start of a new year for the Newar community and similarly, they celebrate “Mha Puja”. The night is lively with Deusi and Bhailo going on.The widely celebrated fifth day of Tihar is also known as Bhai tika. On this day brothers and sisters come together. Sisters apply multi-colored tikas (Saptarangi tika)on their brother’s forehead. It is to ensure the long and prosperous life of their brothers. According to Hindu mythology, Yamraj, the God of Death, visited his sister, Goddess Yamuna, on this day during which she applied the auspicious tika on his forehead, garlanded him, and fed him special dishes. Together, they ate sweets, talked, and enjoyed themselves to their hearts’ content.
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