Tihar

Five days, five guests

Tihar is Nepal's festival of lights, and each of its five days is given to someone else.

The first, Kaag Tihar, is for the crow: grain and sweets are put out on the roof or the wall for the birds that are held to be the messengers of Yama, the god of death. The second, Kukur Tihar, is for the dog. Every dog in the country — house dogs, working dogs, the dogs that live in the street — is given food, a red tika on the forehead and a garland of marigolds. The third belongs to the cow in the morning and to Lakshmi in the evening: the house is cleaned, a path of lamps and coloured patterns is laid from the doorway inward, and the goddess of wealth is invited in, since it is said she will not enter a dark house. The fourth is for the ox, and among the Newars it is Mha Puja, the worship of the self, when each member of the household is given a mandala of their own and the Nepal Sambat year begins.

The fifth is Bhai Tika. Sisters mark their brothers with tika of several colours, give them a garland of globe amaranth, which keeps its colour long after it is cut, and ask Yama to hold death back from them; the brothers give gifts in return. It is kept whatever the ages of the two.

Lamps, patterns and songs

Through all five evenings the houses carry rows of diyo, small oil lamps, on the window ledges and along the parapets, with electric strings among them now. On the floor at the threshold people lay rangoli — patterns in coloured rice, flour, sand or petals. And in the evenings groups of children and young people go from house to house singing Bhailo and Deusi, standing in the yard until they are given sweets, sel roti or a few rupees.

When it happens

Tihar is set by the lunar calendar and falls about a fortnight and a half after Dashain. In 2026 the public holidays are Laxmi Puja on Sunday 8 November, Gobardhan Puja and Mha Puja on Tuesday 10 November, and Bhai Tika on Wednesday 11 November; the crow and the dog are honoured on the two days before Laxmi Puja.