Tihar
Also called Yamapanchak, Deepawali
Nepal's festival of lights, with a day for dogs
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What it is
October or November, the same week as Diwali
Tihar is Nepal's five-day festival of lights, and it lands the same week as Diwali. Each day honors something different, like crows, dogs, cows and oxen, and the last day is for brothers. The third night is Laxmi Puja, when families light up the house for the goddess Laxmi.
How people celebrate
On Kukur Tihar, dogs get a flower garland, a red tika on the forehead and a big meal.
Groups of kids and teens go house to house singing deusi and bhailo songs, and people give them treats and a little money.
Homes are covered in oil lamps and string lights for Laxmi Puja.
On Bhai Tika, sisters put a seven-color tika on their brothers' foreheads and pray for them to live a long life, and brothers give gifts back.
Sisters make garlands out of makhamali flowers, which stay fresh for a long time.
What people eat
- Sel roti
- A ring-shaped rice bread fried in oil, slightly sweet and a little crispy.
- Anarsa
- A fried sweet made from rice flour and sugar.
- Dried fruit and nuts
- Part of the plate sisters put together for their brothers on Bhai Tika.
Did you know?
Tihar is also called Yamapanchak, because the story goes that Yama, the god of death, visited his sister Yamuna during these five days.