KATHMANDU: Deepawali, the festival of lights is festival celebrated by Nepali Hindus.
The festival is a basic festival for Hindus in which Goddess Lakshmi is worshipped as the goddess of wealth.
Her vehicle is the owl. Therefore, in the Hindu culture, owl is taken as a good symbol.
People also celebrate this festival for peace and prosperity.
It has different environmental factors as well. People clean their homes as well as the environment during this festival.
Every house is decorated with colorful lights as it is considered a festival of wealth and blessings.
The appearance of colorful lights add the rose smell in the environment of the festival.
This festival mainly marks love and bond between sisters and brothers. It is also celebrated to strengthen the bond of care between brothers and sisters, creating new love and lights.
Tihar or Deepawali is celebrated over the course of five consecutive days.
The first day is Kaag Tihar when crows are worshipped. Likewise, the second day is Kukur Tihar — worship of dogs.
The third day is Gai Tihar (worship of cows) and Laxmi Puja (worship of Laxmi, the Hindu goddess of wealth).
The fourth day is Goru Tihar (worship of oxen). And the fifth and final day is Bhai Tika when sisters put seven-colored tika on the brother’s forehead symbolizing love and affection.
After placing colorful tika on the foreheads of their brothers, sisters offer them a treat consisting varieties of sweets, walnut, spices and ‘Sel’, a special kind of bread cooked in oil. Brothers also offer their sisters tika in return, wish them happiness and good luck, and give them presents.
The occasion commemorates a legendary event in which a sister has won a boon from “Yama”, the deity of death that her brother would not die until the mustard oil is dried up and the garland of ‘Dubo’ and ‘Makhamali’ faded.
The Bhaitika tradition is so strong in Nepali society that even those who have no brothers or sisters of their own receive tika from others whom they regard as brothers and sisters.
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