Dasain is one of the biggest and longest Festivals in Nepal and one of the reasons that just Saturday is the only free day during the week. As I said with over 100 Celebration and Festival days quiet understandable. Dasain to picture it better for you is a little like charismas at ours, accept that it takes place 15 days and is celebrated nearly by all culture groups and Religions. It is one of the longest festivals and pretty time consuming from New Moon to Full Moon. It is a really family attending celebration, including kite flying, long card playing nights, and happenings as get together. On one day there is a big Kite happening and competition in one of the holy temples “Swuyambu”, the kites are simple and out of paper and wood sticks, you can see them already crossing the beautiful blue sky days before. But the rope of the kites is everything else than normal, as better and sharper the rope as more chances to be the last one see your kite crossing the air. The pilots of the kites try to cross the way of the other kite, to cut the rope and bring him back to the ground. Already days before, there where small kitepartys taking place in the whole city, to be trained for the big day.
On the first day of Dasain, called „Ghatasthapana“, a seed “jamura” is getting planted in a “Kalash” (holy vessel). The seed, than already a small plant is getting removed on the 10th day of the festival and placed in the hair while the blessing ceremony is celebrated.
The first week of Dasain is more used to get prepared for the big upcoming days, the 9th, 10th and 11th day. That’s why by now normally the Dasain holiday time is cut down on 5 to 7days, not like up to 15 days as it was before. But the kids have one month school holidays in this period.
On the ninth day “Navami”, all kind of sacrifices are getting brought by. Most of the time this are gauds, that you can see already weeks before everywhere along the streets and houses. At Kathmandu Durba Square is a temple located, that is just opening it gates once a year for the sacrificing ceremonies. The blood of the animals is getting placed over all kind of vehicles, also on airplanes. The reason for that is that it is giving them strength and power, so they will carry and protect their owner forever. The Ritual itself is for giving honour to the killing of the daemons and the triumph from the good over the evil.
* My unkle (Host dad) already began weeks before the Dasain Festival, to make it to his duty and task, to go against this old sacrificing ritual. With a small punch of people out of his home temple, he created flyer and walked from temple to temple, to make the people aware of this non sense killing of animals as to stop it. In his opinion this principle of wild killing is overtaken in this time and world we live in by now, nobody needs to suffer hunger or something in this direction anymore. A hard and close to impossible task, because over here they are holding on heavily, strong and close to the old rituals. But I have the biggest respect in front of what he is doing, with how much energy and effort he is standing to his opinion and thoughts, even though the most people and priests are titling him as a stranger, it’s not really seen here positive and in a nice way if you start to go against this and when you doubt on the old traditions and rites.
The 10th day „Bijaya Dasain“, is celebrating Ramas triumph over the daemon Ravana. Ravana is somehow representing the devil. This day is a big Family day, the younger people are visiting the older ones and are getting blessings thru the Tika ritual as also thru the Jamura that was been planted on the first day, that is getting placed in the hair of the blessed one.
The Tika is existing out of rice mixed with red or yellow colour, she is giving from the older to the younger people as blessing and placed in the middle of the forehead. At the same time the grass is getting placed in the hair of the blessed person.
I was extremely lucky to be part of the Ceremony at a friend’s house together with his family and getting blessed all over, so that it should last now for a long time.
The Tika is always given from the older to the next younger Family member, we were ca. 30 people I guess. The persons that are already blessed are taking a seat next to the one that blessed them at the end and so on… So it takes a while until you passed the big circle with blessing people, especially if you belong to the younger generation and pass all the older ones before you get to be seated. As I was on the row to make my Tika blessing round, there were already a lot of people seated and waiting to put me the Tika on my forehead, sticking holy grass in the hair and give me so many good blessings as possible. In-between I felt quiet unwell, I didn’t know before that the girls and women are getting small amounts of money, the option not to take it would have been unbelievable respect less. Even the smallest ones that couldn’t even do one step by themselves, are giving money ( but the most of the time they are getting it back and in a magical way it’s getting more than it was before^^). The money is given for the later life and marriage, as also some of the blessings and wishes. To make fun of my costs, I got pretty taken up in-between the ceremony. Anyway I guess I’m definitely enough blesses now for lots of kids and a soon coming up marriage. ^^
After the ceremony is over, it’s eating time, time for talks and off course for playing cards. Where either you stuck up your Tika money or lose all what you have. At the end of the day I went home with the double blessing amount of money, what looks like I had a million in my hands by the size of the money.
After the visit at the parents’ house of the man is done, the visit of the house of the woman’s parents is following. Here also the guys are getting a little bit Tika money from the older ones. On the second stop of the day, ten people surprised and over rolled me at the same time with good blessings and wishes and putting more tikas on my already over full forehead filled with rice.
The next big festival is coming up soon, called „Tiha“ the light Festival, this is more comparable with new year I guess but it is lasting over 5 days. Everything will be covered with lights, so KTM will look like a huge blinking shooting star.
To be continued out of my full hard
Sincerely you’re over blessed Manija