The Hindu Festival - Dashain

By M H Ahssan

Dashain is the 15-day national religious festival. It is the longest and the most auspicious festival in the Nepalese annual calendar, celebrated by Nepalese of all caste and creed throughout the globe . The festival falls around September�October, starting from the bright lunar fortnight and ending on the day of full moon.

Throughout the country the goddess Durga in all her manifestations are worshiped with innumerable pujas, abundant offerings and thousands of animal sacrifices for the ritual of holy bathing. This festival is also known for its emphasis on the family gatherings, as well as on a renewal of community ties.According to the myths recounted in the DeviBhagavata Purana and Kalika Purana, one reason it is celebrated because lord Ramawas successfully able to defeat ravana a very powerful king of Lanka projected as the "demon King" in the mythic lores.

The first nine days of Dasain symbolizes the battle which took place between goddess Durga and the demon Mahishasura. The tenth day is the day when Durga finally defeated Mahishasura Ghatasthapana marks the beginning of Dasain. It literally means installing a pot which symbolizes Goddess. After Ghatasthapana, Fulpati is celebrated as one of the major days of dasain. The seventh day is known as �Fulpati� A parade is held in the Tundikhel ground in Kathmandu.

However, from the year since the monarchy system was removed from the country the tradition or the two-century old tradition is broken down and the holy offering of fulpati goes to the residence of Prime Minister. The eighth day is called the 'Maha Asthami'. This is the day when the most demonic of Goddess Durga�s manifestations, the blood-thirsty Kali,, is appeased through the sacrifice of hundreds of thousands of buffaloes, goats, pigeons and ducks in temples throughout the nation

The tenth day of the festival is the 'Dashami'. On this day, a mixture of rice, yogurt and vermillion will be prepared by the women. This preparation is known as "tika". Elders put this on the forehead of younger relatives to bless them abundance in the upcoming years. The red also symbolizes the blood that ties the family together. Elders will give "Dakshina", or a small amount of money, to younger relatives at this time.

This continues to be observed for five days till the full moon during which period families and relatives visit each other to exchange gifts and greetings In several parts of Nepal, Dashain is an important occasion for people to buy new clothes. Animal sacrifices are often the norms during this time, as the festival commemorates the mythical bloody battles between the "divine" and "demonic" powers.

Lastly, happy dashai to all the nepalese, indian, asian and all the people. happy dashai 2011 to you all.