Tihar is the second most significant and most important festival of Nepalese people. Tihar begins about two weeks after Dashain. This festival is also known as Yama Panchak. And, Tihar is also known as Shubh Dipawali or Diwali. Different kinds of lights, flower decorations, rangoli, Sel Roti, Dhaka Topi, Sweets, Deusibhailo, and closeness between brothers and sisters are the main attractions of this festival. Similarly, the worship of animals, and birds, worshiping one's own self, worshiping wealth, etc. are the main features of the festival. Nepalese living all over the world celebrate this festival with joy.

Nepal's Tihar festival coincides with India's Diwali celebration. However, Tihar celebrated by Nepalis is different from Diwali celebrated in India. This festival is celebrated for five days. The first day of Tihar is also called Kaag Tihar (Crow Tihar). And its last day is called Bhai Tika. Animals such as crows, cows, oxs, dogs etc. are worshipped in Tihar with harmony. This is the main and wonderful feature of the Tihar festival in Nepal.

Tihar is one of the festivals. Every activity performed in this festival has a special meaning. It is a festival that gives importance to coexistence. People of every community, caste, language and religion living in Nepal celebrate this festival with great enthusiasm. So this is a festival of unity.

When is Tihar celebrated?

Every year in Nepal, the festival is celebrated from the day of Kartik Krishna Paksha Trayodashi to the second day of Kartik Shukla Paksha. Especially Tihar celebrates for five days. The first day is called Kaag Tihar. Similarly, dogs are worshipped on the second day and Gai Tihar and Lakshmi are worshipped on the third day. And, on the fourth day, Goru Tihar, Hal Tihar or Govardhan Puja is celebrated. On the fifth day, Bhai Tika is celebrated as the primary day of Tihar. Different communities of Nepal celebrate Tihar in different ways. And, other communities keep Bhai Tika a day earlier or later. In Tihar, the Newar community celebrates Nepal Samvat as a new year. Mha Puja is also performed during Tihar. It is also known as Dhanvantari Jayanti or Dhanteras as Lord Dhanvantari was born during the festival.

How does Tihar Celebrate?

People of all castes, religions, cultures, and beliefs in Nepal celebrate the Tihar festival with great enthusiasm. During the festival, which is celebrated for five days, worship is performed in different ways every day. During Tihar, houses are decorated with different types of lights and flowers. And, Rangoli is made in every house. Deusi Bhailo, Lakshmi Puja, Mha Puja, and Bhai Tika. are the main worship performed in Tihar. Dhanteras Jayanti is celebrated before the start of Tihar. On this day, people worship their wealth, ornaments, and rents in the house.

Five Days of Tihar Celebration

Day 1: Kag Tihar (Crow Tihar)

Tihar festival starts on the day of Kartik Krishna Paksha Trayodashi. Crow is worshipped on this day. On this day, every Nepali worships the crow bird with great joy. The crow is considered to be the pretext of Yamaraj. Since Tihar is celebrated as Yama Panchak, the crow is also worshipped especially. The main feature of the Tihar festival is worshipping animals and birds. On the day of Kag Tihar, people prepare sweet food feed the crow, and worship it.

Day 2: Kukur Tihar (Dog Tihar)

Kukur Tihar is the second day of Tihar. It is celebrated on the day of Kartik Krishna Chaturdashi. Nepalese worship all dogs, both indoors and outdoors, on this day because they are considered symbols of loyalty. Consequently, they fed and revered the dogs. This makes it a significant and special day for these faithful animals. People offer their prayers to dogs.

Day 3: Gai Tihar, Laxmi Puja (Cow & Wealth Worship)

The third day of Tihar is Gai Tihar or Lakshmi Puja. The cow is also the national animal of Nepal. The cow is considered to be the symbol of Lakshmi. Lakshmi is considered a symbol of wealth. On this day of Tihar, people worship cows and also worship all their wealth. Lakshmi Puja can be considered as one of the main days of Tihar. In the evening of this day, every person makes rangoli in their yard using different colours. It is customary to bring Lakshmi inside the house by lighting a candle or lamp in your yard. From this day people play Bhailo collectively. And especially from this day, every person cooks Sel roti in their house.

Day 4: Gowardhan Tihar (Mha Puja)

The fourth day of Tihar is Govardhan Puja. Ox is specially worshiped on this day. Similarly, this festival is also known as Hali Tihar. Cows are worshiped on the day of Govardhan Tihar. Similarly, farmers are worshiped with their tools such as their plows. People play Deusi from the evening of this day. Similarly, on this day also people perform puja in their homes.

On this day, the Newars living in the Kathmandu Valley perform Mha Puja. Mha puja means worshiping one's self. So on this day people worship their own body.

Day 5: Bhai Tika

Bhai Tika is the fifth and last day of Tihar. This is the main day of Tihar. Bhai Tika is celebrated on Kartik Shukla Dwitiya Tithi. On this day, especially brothers and sisters exchange affection with each other. Similarly, sisters wear sapta rangi tika on their brothers and brothers on their sisters. Before wearing tika, brothers and sisters worship each other. Sapta rangi tika, walnut, velvet garland, Sel Roti, sweets, fruits, Dhaka hat etc. are the charms of this day. Similarly, brothers give their sisters some money along with various gifts.

Read Also: Fagu Purnima / Holi Festival in Nepal

Legends related to Tihar festival

Tihar is a traditional festival. How did it start? People have different opinions about that. There are different stories or legends related to Tihar.
It is believed that the festival of Tihar started because Yamraj (God of Death) used to visit his sister Yamuna's house to take Bhai Tika, especially during Tihar. That is why Tihar is also called Yama Panchak.

Similarly, based on another religious legend, Lord Vishnu was impressed by Bali Raja's generosity and granted him the right to rule the earth for five days a year from Kartik Krishna Trayodashi to Kartik Shukla Ditiya. People celebrate Tihar during this time. That's why there is a tradition of saying "Bali Raja le Pathayako" when Deusi Bhailo is played during Tihar.

Read Also: Maha Shiva Ratri

Attractions of Tihar festival

Tihar festival is a festival of excitement and joy. Similarly, Tihar is a festival that connects humans, nature, animals, and birds. Tihar is a festival that is brightly decorated with different colors, flowers, and tihar lights. Tihar is also a reflective festival that teaches how to live human life. It has a separate and special importance. And, there is also a separate attraction. Following are some of the major attractions of the Tihar festival:

Worshiping animals and birds

Tihar is a festival where people worship the entire living world, including animals, birds, nature, and human beings. During Tihar, crows, dogs, cows, and other animals are honored. This festival conveys the message that the Earth belongs to the entire animal world, and all living beings have the right to inhabit it.

Playing Deusi Bhailo

Deusi Bhailo is a wonderful and original feature of Tihar festival. In this, people gather in one group and play Deusi and Bhailo in all the houses in the community. It is an important part of Tihar festival. Most of them play it for two days. However, in some places they play Deusi Bhailo for four to five days.

Makhamali (Globe Amaranth) & Marigold Flowers

Tihar is the festival of flowers. In this festival, especially Globe Amaranth (Makhamali) and Marigold flowers are consumed in large quantities. People use Sayapatri (Marigold) flowers to decorate their houses and perform worship. Similarly, the sisters use the Makhamali flower especially in Bhai Tika to put on their brothers.

There is also a special reason why sisters garland their brothers with velvet flowers. Globe Amaranth is a kind of flower which never dies. The Globe Amaranth flower is always alive. This means that the life of this flower is eternal. So sisters and brothers use it with the wish to have a life like the Globe Amaranth flower.

Apart from these, Tihar festival has many attractions. There are many values, cultures, beliefs. That is why this festival is timeless. This festival has made an important contribution to unite different religions, castes and communities in one place. This is the main beauty of Tihar.