The Light festival or the Festival of Flowers
Tihaar also known as Diwali (festival of flowers) or Jun Parmeswar (Moon god), is taking place in Nepal over five days. Tihaar begins one days after New Moon and every day is for a different subject. As already mentioned before you can picture it a little like New Year, except that it is much longer and more intensive. The biggest days of the festival time are held for the god of death called Yamraj and for the goodness of wealth and luck called Lakshmi.
Day 1:
Day of the crow
The first day of the festival is held for the crow, she is getting worth shipped with food in special leave bowls. She is known as the ambassador of Yamraj, and brings life or death to the people.
Day 2:
Day of the dog
In Nepal the dog represents Strengh, he is the protector of homes and the protector of the gates to death belonging to Yamraj. He is the god of strengthens Vairabh. On his day of celebration he is getting a bracelet made out of flowers around his neck and a Tika placed on his forehead, to give him good wishes as also to bless him.
Even the police dogs are having a special ceremony, it doesn’t matter if the dog is from the street or a poppy in a home, and they are accepted as a fully family member and treated really well. As mentioned before to picture it better, the housedog of my Nepali family is called Didi what means big sister and is also treated this way.

Day 3:
Day of the cow
On this day the most holy animal in Nepal is getting blessed, the cow. She is the symbol of Lakshmi and the soul leader of Yamira the lord of the underworld. Like the Dog she is also getting a neckless out of flowers and a tikka on her forehead. Because the cow is the symbol of Lakshmi this is the big day of the goodness. For her blessing and to give her a warm welcome, all the houses in whole Nepal are decorated with lights and candles, it is blinking and shining everywhere also in Kathmandu. Lakshmi the goodness of wealth and luck is living in the middle of every mandala, so from the early morning on, the streets are getting cleaned up and washed to place a mandala on them after woods. Everywhere around you see colourful Madlas in every size. When the darkness is falling into the land in the evening, Lakshmi will have the perfect welcome guided by lights and colour. Most of the time the Mandalas are placed directly in front of the main door, and the windows are shining bright from the lights, so she is able to find the entrance and bring luck and wealth to every single house. Even all the shops and streets are getting decorated with orange flowers, flags and glitter, in the evening big parades are taking place all over the city, with traditional dances, fireworks and groups that are singing traditional Tihaar songs.

*My Mandala
I had the big luck to create my own big Mandala in front of a bar of a friend, a beautiful and meditative experience. After over 3 hours exact and fine work it was finally ready. Thru this I got to explore even more traditions and rituals from another ethnic group the Ghorka.
They are placing small footsteps with colour on the ground that are leading into the house where the money used to get placed by the owners, so Lakshmi is able to find this places quicker. She has already enough to do on this evening so it’s better to lead her the way and make it as easy as possible for her. For musical surrounding we got visited by three groups of street musicians, most of the time kids that are singing special Tihaar songs. At the end of their promotion, you give them a few rupees to thank them and show the respect for their work. At the end of my third day of Tihaar, I found myself singing and dancing in the street over and over with mandala colour, singing with the kids from the orphanage home to get them small amounts of money. Thru my Nepalese friends, by now my small family, I had the chance to have this amazing and beautiful experience and be part of the real Tihaar, this made me incredible happy.

Day 4
Day of the Ochs, Mha Puja (Newari New Year)
The Ochs it’s the most strongest and powerful animal, he is the creator /maker and protector of all the herbs. He is also carrying you on the way to the Nirvana on his bag over the river you need to cross to get to it.
For the Newar this is a really special day, it is Newari New Year. Special rituals are taking place to worth ship yourself, to clean, thank as give respect to your soul, body and mind
Newari New Year
As I found out by now, in Nepal are existing 7 dates and celebrations for New Year, one of them is belonging to the Newar culture. Off course every New Year needs its own date and year, otherwise it would get boring, and at the moment I’m living in the year 2074. If you think about it, it seems to be quiet logical, it gives us the opportunity to travel in time so easily. This morning the city was filled with loud noises, Music, drums, horns and loud motorbike sounds. A not ending parade of pickups, scooters and motorcycles was blocking the main streets of Thamel for at least 2 to 3 hours. Off course every pick up and car had a music box on the roof and 10 tipsy Newar people in the back singing along with it. Thru that there was a crowd out of flag waving dancing and screaming people surrounding the parade. To say it like this I have never seen something like this in my in tired live time. Thru that this year the Newar New Year is on the same day as Halloween ,so in the evening time the city is a mix out of New year and Halloween celebrations, what looks kind of funny.
This evening I was invited to a special Newar New Year Ritual and dinner in a house of a friend, to worth ship myself, my body, soul and mind. For this first of all as many mandalas as people are getting placed on the ground in front of every seat. But this times they are really simple not like the ones the day before. The colours of the Newar are red and yellow, the mandala has six circles made out of red and yellow colours that are surrounding each other. To do so first of all you are painting the circles with oil on the ground so the powder can better stick to it. After that five small thingies out of corn, seeds, rice and herbs are getting placed on it, looks a little like a five on a dice. At the end for the topping fruits are getting placed on them
When the preparation of this is finished the ceremony can begin, first off all the Lunt’s of the candles are dipped in oil before they are giving to everybody and get fired to take place on the mandala. After your own mandala is set in the right light, the tikka is given to everybody. But before that you have to give a hand full off rice and water over your mandala as a sign of respect. After all guests got there Tikka on the forehead from the Landlady, plates with presents are given including Nuts, bread and fruits. After that a small bowl filled with an egg fish, meat and bread is following as also homemade Roxi. When you finished that you worship you small god of your inside, with small acts and a Namaste to the universe at the end, the mandalas that where created before are getting wiped away to wash your soul clean.

Day 5
Bhaai Tika, Day of brothers and sisters
This day is belonging to the Myth of Jamura, she got Yamraj the god of death to replace the date of her brother’s death. She gave Flowers, Fruits, Sweets and good blessings to his younger brothers Also this is maybe the only day Yamraj gets a little bit time for himself and can leave his office for a while. The Sisters are hanging there brothers flower bracelets around the neck, give them nuts and seeds. The brothers most off the time give money and flowers to present their thanks fullness and love.
*As I found out there is a special place for those who have no brothers or sisters, a temple surrounded by a big lake and it is just open for this special day. Sadly this temple got damaged by the earthquake and it is not possible to enter it at the moment.

*In the whole time of this festival not only people or animals are getting blessed, also the whole interior design as Tables chairs and so on are getting there special time. If you see it out of a different view everything was created out of something liveable before.

*Normally Tihaar is just lasting for 5 days, but this time the president of India decided to come over for a visit. So the government decided to give a 6th day of public holidays. Even so the people where not really happy about that to close their businesses longer.

My own individual special mandala party:

Off course all so my home was full with lights and shining like a star, I bought my first bling bling glitter tree of my live. He is pretty awesome^^. I created my own small version of Tihaar and my small big Nepali family is making it perfect as too a wonderful time. By know I really feel like I’m arrived at home. The culture and the life of the people around me show slowly but constantly what family means, they are there for each. There is no judging, no big fight, or talking ages about a mistake that you made, every day is a new day, and everybody does in his live once in a while smaller or bigger mistakes. But past is past and future is future. You can’t go back but forward and in the best caste together. The community, kindness and friendliness is letting me wonder and learning every day again. Your family is your family and you should respect all off them, they will be with you for your whole life if you want it or not, this are the people that always will (or should) forgive you. I got take in, in a community that is giving me this feeling, without hidden thoughts, without expecting something that is just there and loves me like I am.