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| Children Playing Kites |
During the month of ashwin (late September and early October) Nepali people celebrate their biggest festival. Bijaya dashami also known as Dashin in the most auspicious festival in Nepal’s calendar. And celebrated by the people of different caste and creed throughout the country. The festival is celebrated for 15 days, worshipping different manifestations of goodness Durga in the first nine days. The remaining days are used to receiving tika, jamara and blessing from elders. Dashin is celebrated to commemorate the victory of the good over evils. It is believed that goddess Durga fought with demon Maishasur with her nine manifestations and managed to defeat him in the tenth day. Bijaya Dashami literally means victory on the Tenth day.
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| Dashain Swing |
The festival begins with the ceremonial installation of a scared vase in the main worship room. The day is called ghatasthapana. The vase is installed in the middle of an altar where sand brought from streams or rivers spread and barely seeds are sowed. Verses of soptashati chandi, a sacred book dedicated to goddess Durga, are recited in the morning and evening for the next eight says. The seeds generate into yellow saplings called jamara that are used as offerings of Durga on the day of bijaya dashami. The first nine days of the festival is called NawaRatri, literally nine nights. During these days, a manifestation of Goddess Durga is worshipped every day.
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| Dashain Tika and Jamara |
The same ritual Is followed till the seventh day of the festival known as FulPati. On this day, people introduce bunch of banana stalks, ginger planet, sugarcane and flower to the main worship room amid a ceremony. The ‘Fulpati’ procession with a colorful palanquin from Gorkha Durbar- the ancestral seat of the deposed Shah dynasty –arrives at the Dashin Ghar at Hanuman Dhoka Durbar Square on the very day. On this day, the Nepal Army Pavilion in Tundikhel.
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| Durga Puja During Dashain Festival |
The eight say is called the Maha Asthami and is the day for mass sacrifice. People throughout the country, sacrifice thousands of goats, sheep, chickens, pigs and buffalos at temple devoted to different goddess and their homes. The night of Maha Asthami is call kaal Ratri, the dark night. Special rituals are held at the temple of different goddess almost throughout the night. Large amount of meat is consumed throughout the country and feast continues throughout the remainder of the festival.
Te ninth day of the festival is Maha Nawami. Animal sacrifice continues on this say as well. On this day, people worship their vehicles and machineries, praying the goddess Durga to spare them from any untoward incidents. The temple deity of the new deposed shah kings, in hanuman Dhoka Durbar area opens only once a year on this day.
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| Dashain Jamara |
The tenth say of the festival is Bijaya Dashami, The most important day of the festival. On this day, the is dismantled, and Tika and Jamara grown in the altar, is recived from elders as offerings of goddess durga. This is the day of great family reunion as friend and relatives staying in different parts of the country come to their ancestral home. The elders offer Tika – a paste of rice and red vermilion powder, Jamara and blessing to the younger ones. The day marks the victory of godessdurga over demon Maisasur after ten days of battle. The act of receiving continues for the last five days.
On the last day of festival, Kojagrat Purnima the remaining Tika, Jamara and sand are removed from the altar and flown in the nearby rivers or ponds.
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