Dashain is the biggest and most important festival of Nepal.
It generally falls in late September and mid October. Dashain is celebrated for
ten days. This year, the first day of Dashain is on September 25th
and the tenth day is on October 3rd . This holiday symbolizes the victory of good over evil. During Dashain, goddess Durga, who saved the earth from the demons, is worshiped. The first nine days signify the battle between
goddess Durga and the demon Mahisasaur. The tenth day is the most important day
which commemorates the victory of goddess Durga over the demons.
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| Goddess Durga (www.wikipedia.com) |
On the first day of Dashain (Ghatasthapana), people
start growing jamara (sacred yellow grass). Everyday during Dashain, people
visit many different temples of the goddess Durga and seek for her blessings.
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| Tika and jamara (www.wikipedia.com) |
On the
tenth day, people take tika (mixture of raw rice, red powder, sugar and yogurt)
on the forehead from elders. They also take jamara and receive blessings. Dashain is also
important in the sense that brings the family members and relatives close
together as they travel to receive blessings from their
elders.
Written by: Kamal T., a Nepali interpreter for LAMP
