Dashain Festival in Nepal: A Celebration of Tradition and Unity

Dashain or Bada Dashain, also popular as Bijaya Dashami is the main and longest Hindu festival in Nepal. It is a time of happiness, togetherness of family members once a year, and cultural richness for all the Nepalese people all around the world. This article will dig deep into the core of Dashain, explaining to you the history, traditions, importance, and grand and colorful celebrations that make it an outstanding event.

The History of Dashain

Dashain is a festival that dates back centuries and has one of the oldest histories. This festival honors the victory of the goddess Durga over the demon named Mahishasura, symbolizing the victory of good over evil.

The Importance of Dashain

Dashain holds massive cultural and religious importance in Nepal. This is the biggest festival with the longest government holiday, government offices, schools, businesses remain closed during this festival. And more importantly Nepalese from all around the world come back home just for this festival. It's a time when people come together to show respect and honor to their traditions and strengthen the bonds between family members and the community.

Preparations for Dashain

This is a 15-day long festival where each day has a significant ritual to be done. The preparations for Dashain begin weeks in advance, and each day is named differently with a unique meaning to the whole festival celebration. And among these 15 days of celebration; the 1st, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th and 15th are celebrated the most. 

Cleaning and Decorating

Homes are cleaned really deeply, literally without leaving any corners of the house. Then the whole house will be beautifully decorated with multi-colored rangoli and flowers and marigold garlands. This marigold flower is the symbol of this festival, people grow it in their houses just to celebrate Dashain. This symbolizes the arrival of the goddess Durga, for whom the house must be cleaned.

Shopping for New Clothes

This tradition of buying new clothes for yourself, family members, and your loved ones for Dashain is a way to welcome the festival with a new and fresh start with a rejoiced spirit.

Ghatasthapana and Fulpati

Ghatasthapana is the beginning of the festival, during this day they plant “Jamara”. Here a clay pot is filled with holy water and planted with barley seeds, and a priest prays to the Goddess Durga to bless that pot with her presence.

Fulpati, the seventh day of Dashain, this day is all about devotees bringing nine different types of flower and petal offerings to honor the goddesses inviting them to their houses. 

Tika and Jamara

On the 10th day of the festival “Bijaya Dashami”, the elders in the family putRed Tika (a mixture of yogurt, rice, and vermillion) on the younger ones, on their foreheads and place Jamara (barley grass) behind their ears. This is a symbol of protection and good luck to the members.

Animal Sacrifice

People sacrifice domestic animals to the goddess on this festival, particularly goats and buffaloes. This is one of the most debated topics of Dashain; the tradition of animal sacrifice. This is done as an offering to the goddess Durga.

Flying Kites

The most favorite and fun thing among youngsters during Dashain is flying kites together with family and friends. We can see the skies in Nepal filled with colorful kites and have fun playing kite fights. This kite flying tradition at this festival is the symbol of the victory of good over bad.

The Dashain Feast

Food is an essential part of celebrating the Dashain festival. All the family members get together at their old house and different members are allocated to different tasks. Some do the decoration, some do the traditional stuff, and some do the cooking. 

Mouthwatering Delicacies

The festival is known for its arrangement of mouth-watering dishes, including traditional sweets, meat, and various grain-based dishes. There are at least 5-6 varieties of foods in every household. 

Unity and Togetherness, Bringing People Together

Dashain is known as the time when we can be with our loved ones who live far away from us; Like a mother can see her kids who went abroad for studies or work. This festival is all about fostering unity and togetherness in society. Families and society meet during Dashain, which covers the differences and strengthens the bonds of love and respect.

An Expression of Culture

The festival not only shows our religious expect but also the cultural values that show Nepal's diverse heritage. This festival is also proof of Nepalese being able to save the tradition going on for decades. 

Dashain is the festival of victory, unity, color, flowers, and food. This is a time when Nepal comes alive with celebration and when people can have some break from their work life. It's a witness to the rich cultural heritage of this small but beautiful country. This festival mainly shows us the importance of family and togetherness.