Dashain Festival in Nepal

Dashain, a well-known Hindu holy holiday observed in Nepal as well as the Indian states of Sikkim, West Bengal, Assam, and Sri Lanka, is also known as Bada’dashain or Vijaya Dashami in Sanskrit.  Hindus celebrate it throughout Nepal and other parts of the world, including Bhutan’s Lhotshampa and Myanmar’s Burmese Gurkhas. The festival, which is celebrated by Nepali Hindus and their diaspora all over the world, is the longest and most auspicious of the Bikram Sambat and Nepal Sambat annual calendars. It is acknowledged as the longest national holiday in Nepal, lasting 15 days, as well as the country’s biggest celebration.

For Shaktism believers, the event is significant because it commemorates the goddess Durga’s victory over the monster Mahishasura. The first nine days of Dashain represent the battle between Durga’s various forms and Mahishasura, with the tenth day marking Durga’s ultimate victory over him. For some Hindus, Dashain represents Rama’s victory over Ravana, as told in the Ramayana.

In Nepal, the festival of Dashain is marked by lavish pujas (ceremonies), family get-togethers, and exchanging gifts and blessings. Goddess Durga, who represents bravery and strength, is revered and sacrificed to ensure her followers’ prosperity and advancement.

When is the Dashain festival observed?
The event occurs in the month of Ashwin, which falls between September and November on the Nepalese calendar. This time of year has beautiful, cool weather. The precise dates of the festival are not known. Every year, the dates are different. Every year, a council of priests called the Purbanga Samiti decides on the dates for the Dashain festival.

Ghatasthapana, Day 1

During the first and seventh days of Dashain, Jamara is sown, nine days are dedicated to growing grass in a dark room, and a ceremony known as the installation of a pot, or Kalasha, which represents Durga, is performed. Placed in the middle of a rectangular piece of sand, the Kalash is filled with holy water and stitched with barley seeds. Afterwards, based on the predictions of astrologers, the priest starts the puja by requesting Durga to bless the vessel with her presence.

The Phulpati festival, which takes place on the seventh day of Dashain, is a wonderful festivity. The two terms that make up Phulpati are Phul, which means flower, and Pati, which means Artemisia vulgaris. From the Gorkha Palace to Kathmandu Durbar Square, a holy procession of flowers and jamara was carried throughout the Shah era. Hundreds of official government officials gather to watch the event at the Tundikhel grounds.

Since 2008, the two-century-old practice has been modified such that Phulpati’s sacred sacrifice is delivered at the president’s mansion. A Phulpati procession is held in numerous cities and towns throughout Nepal and India, with flowers, fruits, and sacred symbols tied in a red cloth, covered with an auspicious red shawl, and carried throughout town on a carved wooden log. Traditional Naumati instruments are also used throughout the process.

On the eighth day of the Dashain celebration, known as Maha Asthami, temples all over Nepal sacrifice buffaloes, goats, hens, and ducks to placate the furious and bloodthirsty Kali, the violent form of Goddess Durga. Blood is given to the goddesses as a sign of their fecundity. This night is known as Kal Ratri, or “Black Night,” in honour of the Durga form worshipped on this day. Today, buffaloes are customarily killed in the courtyards of all land revenue offices around the nation.

To fulfil the rituals, 54 buffaloes and 54 goats are sacrificed at midnight on the day of Dashain itself. As “Prasad,” or food blessed by a deity, the meat is cooked at home following the blood offering. The family distributes this food, which is presented on little leaf plates to the home gods. This cuisine is considered lucky to eat. In the houses of regular people, large feasts are hosted during the puja. The people of Newar perform a ritual known as “Khadga Puja” on this day, during which they offer prayers for their armour.

Dashain’s ninth day is known as Maha Navami, or “the great ninth day.” Today is the last day of Navaratri. Rituals and rites reach their peak on this day. This day, the state offers buffalo sacrifices in front of the Army Staff; feu de joie and 21-gun salutes are fired in the background. This day is also known as “demon-hunting day” because defeated demon army members try to escape by hiding inside animal and poultry corpses.

Durga, the mother goddess Devi, is revered on Maha Navami because it is thought that everything that facilitates our ability to support ourselves should be kept joyful. Craftspeople, merchants, mechanics, and artisans worship their tools, machinery, and automobiles, offering them the blood of animals and fowl. This day of the year marks the opening of the Taleju Temple to the public, and thousands of devotees come to honour the goddess.

The eleventh day of the lunar fortnight in the Hindu calendar is known as Papakunsha Ekadashi, or Day 11. People typically fast on Ekadashi’s, which are seen to be particularly auspicious days. In certain regions of Nepal, tika is exclusively given on Bijaya Dashami, while in other parts of the nation, people begin travelling to see their relatives and extended family on this day and continue doing so until Kojagrat Purnima.

The final day of the festival, Kojagrat Purnima, falls on a full moon day on day 15. People worship Goddess Laxmi, who is thought to be the goddess of wealth, and spend the evenings playing cards and doing other activities.

The music of the Dashai

Dashain music incorporates the Malshree dhoon into mainstream Nepalese music. The melody serves as a signal that Dashain has come. Originating in the 17th century, Malashree Dhoon is one of the earliest devotional music forms still in existence within the Newa art form. With time and the fact that all Nepalese celebrate Dashain, not just Newars, this Dhoon made its way into national culture and is presently played during the holiday.

The elders typically recite certain Sanskrit mantras as a blessing when putting tika on the younger members of the family or relatives. On Bijaya Dashami day, there are two main mantras recited—one for men and one for women—while applying tika.

In the mantra for male members, the individual is bestowed with the attributes of several Hindu mythological heroes, such as Yudhishthira, Balarama, and others, as well as antiheroes, like Ashwatthama and Duryodhana.

Games & street fairs

As Dashain approaches, kite flying becomes more popular in Nepal, as it is thought to urge God not to bring rain anymore. People of various ages fly multicoloured kites from their roofs while yelling ‘Changa Chet’. Another way to celebrate Dashain is to play cards with older family members for money and fun.

In several regions of Nepal, people build bamboo swings, or “ping,” as a means of celebration. Usually built a week before Ghatasthapana and disassembled just after the festival of Tihar, these swings are made of ropes fashioned from strong grass, bamboo sticks, and wood. Some swings are almost twenty feet high, and swingers of all ages love them.

Throughout the festival, there are planned fairs and festivities, including larger commercial fairs and celebrations in cities, as well as smaller fairs in villages with rides for kids and other entertainment for adults.

Shopping

A significant aspect of the celebration is purchasing and dressing in new attire. Given the high percentage of impoverished residents in the villages, Dashain is frequently the only time they can afford new clothing. Festival discounts and offers are available at almost every store. Shopping becomes more alluring as a result. The festival is when sales of clothing are at their peak.

Feasts

Every year, thousands of animals, such as rams, ducks, and buffalo, are killed at Dashain. Since it is thought that these offerings placate the goddesses, it has been regarded as a significant ceremony. Numerous thousands of sacrifices are made at almost every temple, particularly the Durga and Kali temples. The greatest days for sacrifices are Ashtami and Navami. People kill animals for feasts in addition to offering thousands of animals as sacrifices to the deities. The demand for meat increases significantly throughout the fifteen days of the celebration due to the numerous feasts and parties that are planned. Animal killing increases significantly and becomes required to meet demand.

Discussion in Nepal

Dashain, a Nepali festival, is renowned for its ritualistic animal sacrifice, particularly on the eighth and ninth days. The festival is believed to appease goddess Durga by offering fresh blood.
Thousands of animals are traded for meat, and some animal activists advocate for the use of pumpkins and coconuts instead. National luminaries and animal rights activists have expressed concerns over the cruelty in the festival. In 2016, Nepali comedian Hari Bansha Acharya wrote a satirical piece on Nepal Saptahik, “Euta Khasiko Aatmakatha” (Autobiography of a Goat), highlighting the “horrendous” exploitation inflicted upon animals.
Dashain has also become controversial in Nepal’s political climate, with indigenous groups arguing that the festival has been imposed by the state. Despite these campaigns, Dashain and other cultural celebrations remain deeply ingrained in Nepalese lifestyles.