Dashain is Nepal’s grandest and most important Hindu festival, celebrated in the 6th month of the Nepalese calendar (September–October in the Gregorian calendar) each year.
The Dashain Festival originates from a Hindu myth: the wife of one of the three principal Hindu gods, Lord Shiva, Parvati, transformed into the warrior goddess Durga riding a lion to defeat the buffalo demon Mahishasura. Mahishasura would change his form every day, but Durga was always able to defeat him. After nine days of battle, on the tenth day, Mahishasura returned to his original form and was finally killed by Durga. To commemorate this victory on the tenth day, grand celebrations are held every year, praying for the goddess’s protection and hoping for peace in the country and harmony within families.
The goddess Durga symbolizes hope and strength, and people worship and offer their devotion to her. During the ten days leading up to the festival, pilgrims travel in groups to the confluences of rivers and temples to offer their prayers. The Dashain Festival lasts for a long time, and people celebrate in various ways, with certain activities particularly worth experiencing.
On the first day of Dashain, people plant holy grass, marking the official beginning of the festival.
Sowing the holy grass refers to filling a container called “kalasha” with holy water, placing barley, sesame, or other plant seeds inside, and giving it to a priest for prayers, hoping for blessings from Durga. The blessed container is then placed inside the house, and holy water is poured on it daily until seedlings sprout. These seedlings are called Jamara grass (holy grass), and people use them to pray for a bountiful harvest and family reunion.
On the seventh day of the Dashain festival, a grand celebration takes place, with the Prime Minister of Nepal coming to Kathmandu’s Durbar Square to host the event, celebrating this important holiday with the people and praying for peace and prosperity.
On the eighth day, the most gruesome ritual is performed to appease Durga’s most fearsome incarnation, Kali. After sunset, people hold sacrificial ceremonies in temples, where livestock is slaughtered as offerings to the goddess. The sacrificial meat is believed to bring good luck and is distributed to the citizens to take home and eat.
The Taleju Temple, which is usually closed to the public and located in the three ancient cities of Kathmandu, Patan, and Bhaktapur, opens to the public on the ninth day of Dashain. Devotees can visit the temple on this day to pay homage to the goddess and seek her blessings.
The tenth day marks the climax of the entire festival. In the morning, family and friends exchange greeting cards and gifts, and elders apply a red vermilion mark (Tika) on the foreheads of younger relatives as a blessing. In the evening, there are parades in the streets featuring mask dances depicting Durga’s victory over the demon Mahishasura.
On the fifteenth day, people believe that Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and fortune, descends to the earth and bestows blessings upon those who stay awake. As a result, many people stay up all night to gamble during this time.
During the festival, music is played in the streets to celebrate, and walking through the streets of Nepal during Dashain, one can easily feel the festive atmosphere. It’s a great opportunity to experience the traditional culture of Nepal.
