Last week we celebrated Dashain. Now I am not a Nepalese so my understanding of this celebration is only as good as the next non Nepali. I tried asking M about the meaning and the reason why the Nepali celebrates Dashain, he was not sure either. So I am only going by what I learnt from the Internet. So here it is in a nutshell.
Dashain is celebrated to commemorate the triumph of good over evil. This festival lasts for 14 days and is the most auspicious celebration in the annual calendar. Most businesses and government offices are closed during the celebration. Wow. Can you imagine having that much time off for public holidays?
Like most auspicious celebrations, during Dashain, every Nepali household gets throughly cleaned and beautifully decorated. This is so that the Mother of all Godesses (Durga, I think) will come to your home bringing all the luck and good blessings for your family. Hmmm... I think I should have put more effort this year seeing that our family had a stroke of bad luck this year.
On the 10th day of Dashain, the Tika is prepared and then put on by the elder of the house to the younger ones. In this case, M put on Tika for the Lil' Tiger. The Tika is made out of yoghurt and rice. Prayers and blessings are said during the ceremony and at the end of it, gifts or money are usually exchanged.
I do hope one day, our little family will fully celebrate this fantastic holiday to it's full extent.
You can read more about Dashain HERE and HERE and of course Wikipedia. :) If you are a Nepali and you happen to read this, please let me know if I have made any mistakes. Like I said, I am still new and learning about the Nepali culture.
