Bikash
Tour Guide, Kathmandu, Nepal
| 2 mins read
Dashain (also pronounced as Dasain) is the longest and most celebrated festival in Nepal. Dashain has its different names. It is called Dasain, Vijaya Dashami and Dahsera. The way of celebration and name differs, but most Nepali celebrate it for about 15 days with same zeal and enthusiasm.Dashain is the celebration of victory of good over evil. This festival symbolize that good always prevail over bad.
Dashain has its own stories, importance and significance. It is regarded as victory of truth over the evil. Dashain is celebration of victory of good over bad. Dashain reminds us every year that the evil may be strong for a time; the truth and good will always prevail over it.Every year we all Nepali, remember the message “Good always wins over the evil”, with the celebration of the great festival of Bada Dashain.
Dashain is just after the season of harvest. All the farmers are happy and most households are filled with rice and gains. The season is called Sarad Ritu, which is the most pleasant time in the year. The season itself is a celebration. People have lots of rice in home this time of year. Therefore people in some places have culture of putting tika of rice on the forehead. Some mix it with abir and make it red. Some do it white only with curd.The rice and curd is used because, people have those things this season. To make it colorful, they mixed it with abir. That became tika.
Nepali people, wherever they live, they try to reach home to see their family in Dashain. Take blessings from their elders and enjoy being with family forgetting all the trouble and worries. That is why it is also called D ashahara, it is simply mean “take away ill fortune” (dasha=ill, furtune, hara=take away).
There is a tradition of getting new cloths and having big feast in this festival. Family gathering is the most loved part of this festival. Swings made up of bamboo and coconut rope is swinging all across the nation. There is a tradition to swing at least once in this festival. People say if you leave the ground swinging in Dashain, the swing will take away ill feelings and replace it with new and rejuvenation inside oneself. Kit flying is another attraction for youth.