Dashain Festival: A Grand Hindu Cultural Celebration

Published On : 7th Oct, 2019 By Adventure

Happy Dashain to all! Dashain is the biggest Hindu festival that Nepal observes every year. It is a wonderful cultural celebration that allows people time to reunite and refresh. Dashain festival is a long celebration of fifteen days where different cultural rituals take place every day. The Nepalese society, especially the Hindu community, gives huge importance to the festival. People from all walks of life are busy and excited to make the Dashain festival a grand celebration. Right from day one to day fifteen, there are different rituals performed. This festival is the most exciting time of the year for most of the Nepalese. The entire atmosphere of life in Nepal goes slow and in celebration mode.

Table of Content

Ghatasthapana – the first day of the Dashain festival

The first day of the festival is Ghatasthapana which is a public holiday. This day marks the beginning of the fifteen-day festival. Temples of Hindu goddesses around the country observe special worshipping rituals. Likewise, every household also prepares for the festival with the plantation of Jamara at their home. Jamara is the mixed seedlings of rice, wheat, and maize that grow yellow in a dark room. Ghatasthapana is a grand celebration and preparation day of the festival. After the day, other days observe worshipping in temples and at homes.

Vijaya Dashami – The tenth day of the festival

Vijaya Dashami or Teeka is the most important and the main day of the festival. For the first nine days of the festival, people worship in the temples of goddesses and on the tenth day, the main celebration takes place. Older people offer Teeka and blessings with Jamara to the younger ones. This is the day when the older ones shower their blessings upon the younger ones with the red Teeka (a mixture of yogurt, rice, and red color powder) and Jamara. From the tenth day to the fifteenth day of the festival, people go to their relatives to receive Teeka and blessings. They celebrate the festival with delicious foods, families, relatives, and Teeka.

Gathering, Swing, Cards, and Fun

In addition to the cultural celebration, Teeka, and blessings, the Dashain festival is also about gathering and fun. As the festival has a long holiday in most of the workplaces, people have more time to be with their family and friends. They fully utilize the occasion to celebrate and have fun with their family, relatives, and friends. People enjoy the bamboo swing that’s built everywhere around the country for the festival. They also play cards to have fun with their family and friends. On the whole, the festival is also a great occasion to have fun; reunite and celebrate with the near and dear ones.

Religious Importance of the Festival

Dashain festival is purely a religious celebration. The festival is observed to celebrate the victory of good over the evils. As the religious story goes, there was a battle between the goddess and the devil for ten days and the goddess got victory over the devil on the tenth day. The first nine days of the festival are the Navaratri when the temples of goddesses around the country get animal sacrifice. The sacrifice stops on the ninth day. Sacrificing the animals is symbolic of the battle between the goddess and the devil. As the goddess comes victorious over the devil on the tenth day, the day is observed with great joy and happiness. The celebration of victory goes until the fifteenth day. Although the festival has rich cultural importance, it also has great religious importance. The Hindus in Nepal consider this festival as the most important religious occasion. Dashain festival is not only a celebration but also an occasion to bring people together. The Nepalese people living and working in different parts of the world and in the country return to their home in Dashain to be with their family. Dashain festival is also an occasion when you can also enjoy the cultural immersion as a traveler. It’s certainly a great chance to see and experience the Nepalese life and culture from close. Happy Dashain to all again!!