Dashain

Dashain or Bada'dashain, also known as Vijaya Dashami in Sanskrit, is a Hindu religious festival in Nepal, Sikkim, West Bengal, Assam, South India, and Sri Lanka. It is also celebrated by other religions in Nepal and elsewhere, including the Lhotshampa of Bhutan and the Burmese Gurkhas of Myanmar. The festival is also known as Nauratha, derived from the Sanskrit word for the festival: Navaratri (Nine Nights).

The longest festival in the Bikram Sambat and Nepal Sambat annual calendars, it is celebrated by Nepali Hindus and their diaspora. In Nepal, the 15-day festival is the country's longest. People return from all parts of the world and different parts of the country to celebrate together. The festival falls in September or October, beginning on the Shukla Paksha (bright lunar night) of the month of Ashvin and ending on Purnima, the full moon. Of the fifteen days it is celebrated, the most celebrated are the first, seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth, eleventh, and fifteenth.

Etymology

''Vaḍādaśain̐'' () is a Nepali sandhi. ''Bbaḍā'' () means "important"; ''daśa͠i'' () means "tenth", implying the most-significant final day of the festival of Durga Puja and celebrating the dawn after Nauratha (nine nights). The word ''Dashain'' is derived from the Sanskrit word daśamī, denoting the 12th day of Kaula in this context.

Significance

For followers of Shaktism, Dashain represents the victory of Durga over Mahishasura (who had terrorised the devas and usurped their abode, Svarga). The festival's first nine days symbolize the battle between different manifestations of Durga and Mahishasura; on the tenth day, Durga is victorious. For other Hindus, it symbolizes the victory of Rama over Ravana (as told in the ''Ramayana'') and the triumph of good over evil.

Day 1: Ghatasthapana

Ghatasthapana (; "sowing ''jamara''") is celebrated by Jhijhiya folk dancing across Mithila in Madhesh Province as the beginning of Dashain. A kalasha (pot) symbolizes Durga. It is filled with holy water in which barley seeds are sown, and placed in the center of a rectangular sand block. The remaining bed of sand is also seeded with grains. A priest begins the '' puja'' by asking Durga to bless the vessel with her presence. The ritual is performed at an astrologically-determined time, and Durga is believed to reside in the vessel during Navaratri.

The ''puja'' room is known as the ''Dashain Ghar'', which is traditionally closed to outsiders. The kalasha is worshiped in the morning and evening, and is kept away from direct sunlight. By the tenth day, the seed will have sprouted to five- or six-inch-long yellow grass known as ''jamara''. The rituals continue until the seventh day.

Day 7: Phulpati

Phulpati () is celebrated on the seventh day of Dashain. ''Phulpati'' is made up of two words: ''phūl'' (flower) and ''pātī'' (leaf).

On this day the Phulpati (the kalasha, banana stalks, ''Jamara'', and sugar cane tied with red cloth) is brought by Magars from Gorkhaa three-day walk, about from the Kathmandu Valley. Hundreds of formally-dressed government officials gather on the Tundikhel ground for the event. The king observed the ceremony at Tundikhel, and the Phulpati parade marched towards the Hanuman Dhoka complex. The Nepali Army fires a 10- to 15-minute feu de joie and a 21-gun salute, followed by a military parade. The Phulpati is brought to the Hanuman Dhoka palace.

Since 2001,when the royal family was overthrown, the two-century-old tradition has changed and the Phulpati goes to the residence of the president. The president assumed the king's social and religious roles after the end of the monarchy, in addition to being commander-in-chief of the army. The Phulpati parade at Tundikhel is still held as a expression of army loyalty to Nepali traditions and culture.

In other cities and towns across Nepal and India, a Phulpati procession takes place. Flowers, fruit and holy symbols are tied in a red cloth, which is covered with a red shawl and carried on a decorated log. Townspeople offer flowers and fruit as the procession passes their houses, accompanied by traditional Naumati instruments.

Day 8: Maha Asthami

The eighth day is called ''Maha Asthami''. This is the day when the most fierce of Goddess Durga's manifestations, the Kali, is appeased through the sacrifice of buffaloes, goats, hens, and ducks in temples throughout the nation. Blood, symbolic of its fertility, is offered to the Goddesses. Appropriately enough, the night of this day is called Kal Ratri (Black Night), after the form of Durga worshipped on this day. It is also the norm for buffaloes to be sacrificed in the courtyards of all the land revenue offices in the country on this day. The old palace in Kathmandu Durbar Square, as well as the presidential palace, is active throughout the night with worship and sacrifices in almost every courtyard.

On midnight of the very day of the Dashain, a total of 54 buffaloes and 54 goats are sacrificed in observance of the rites. After the offering of the blood, the meat is taken home and cooked as " prasad", or food blessed by divinity. This food is offered in tiny leaf plates to the household gods, and then distributed amongst the family. Eating this food is thought to be auspicious. While the puja is being carried out, great feasts are held in the homes of common people. On this day the Newar People has an event called "Khadga Puja" where they do puja of their weapons. It is when they put on tika and get blessings from elders.

Day 9: Maha Navami

The ninth day of Dashain is called ''Maha Navami'', "the great ninth day". This is the last day of Navaratri. Ceremonies and rituals reach a peak on this day. On this day, official ritual sacrifices of the Nepal Armed Forces are held in both one of the Hanuman Dhoka royal palaces, the Kot courtyard grounds, and in the presidential palace yard. On this occasion, the state offers the sacrifices of buffaloes as a feu de joie and a 21-gun salute is fired in the background in the presence of the Army Staff in celebration of the holiday. This day is also known as the demon-hunting day because members of the defeated demon army try to save themselves by hiding in the bodies of animals and fowl.

On Maha Navami, Durga, the mother goddess Devi, is celebrated as it is believed that all the things that help people make a living should be kept happy. Artisans, craftsmen, traders, and mechanics worship and offer animal and fowl blood to their tools, equipment, and vehicles. Moreover, since it is believed that worshipping any and all forms of vehicles on this day avoids accidents for the year, all vehicles from bikes and cars to trucks, as well as the nation's few trains and even aircraft, are worshipped on this day and given appropriate respect.

The Taleju Temple gates are opened to the general public on only this day of the year. Thousands of devotees go and pay respect to the goddess this day. The temple is filled with devotees all day long.

In addition, the Army, Police and Armed Police all perform a blessing on weapons, armouries and vehicles on the day in garrisons and stations nationwide.

Day 10: Bijaya Dashami

The tenth day of the festival is the ' Bijaya dashami'. On this day, a mixture of rice, yogurt and vermilion is prepared. This preparation is known as "tika". Often Dashain tika time is different each year. Elders put this ''tika'' and ''jamara'' which is sown in the Ghatasthapana on the forehead of younger relatives to bless them with abundance in the coming years. Red also symbolizes the blood that ties the family and community together.

Elders give "Dakshina", or a small amount of money, to younger relatives at this time along with blessings as they visit. 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. This ritual of taking tika from all the elder relatives (even the distant relatives) helps in the renewal of the community ties greatly. This is one reason why the festival is celebrated with so much vigor and enthusiasm.

Day 11: Papakunsha Ekadashi

Ekadashi is the eleventh day of the lunar fortnight in Hindu calendar. Ekadashi is considered a very auspicious day and people usually fast on this day. The day after Bijaya Dashami is known as ''Papakunsha Ekadashi'' (). On this day, it is customary to wake up early in the morning and start fasting till evening, after washing and wearing clean clothes. It is also customary to listen to Papakunsha Ekadashi stories and to visit religious sites.While in some parts of the Nepal, the tika is only received on the day of Bijaya Dashami, in other parts of the country, people start visiting their extended family and relatives on this day till Kojagrat Purnima. One is supposed to eat only Sattvic diet during Ekadashis, but people continue their Dashain feasts on this day too, so this Ekadashi is also known as ''Gidde Ekadashi'' ( lit. Vulture–like–Ekadashi). By donating gold, sesame, barley, grain, soil, umbrellas, shoes, etc. on this day, it is believed that one will get to heaven after death.

Day 15: Kojagrat Purnima

The festival's last day, which lies on the full moon day, is called ''Kojagrat Purnima'' () or Sharad Purnima. The literal meaning of Kojagrat is 'who is awake'. On this day Goddess Lakshmi who is believed to be the goddess of wealth is worshipped as it is believed that Goddess Laxmi descends on earth and showers whoever is awake all night with wealth and prosperity. People enjoy the night by playing cards and much more.

Animal sacrifices are often the norm during this time, as the festival commemorates the bloody battles between the "divine" and "demonic" powers. The proponents of animal killing interpret this sacrificial act as the symbolic sacrifice of our animal qualities, but those who are opposed to animal sacrifice stress that the sacrificial act is nothing but an excuse to fulfill the appetite for food/meat.

Related traditions

Music

The Malshree dhoon is incorporated into mainstream Nepalese music as the music of Dashain. It is the tune that announces the Dashain has arrived. Malashree dhoon is one of the oldest surviving devotional music of Newa art form, with its origin in the 17th century. In due time and also the fact that Dashain happens to be celebrated not just by Newars but by all Nepalese, this dhoon caught up and now is part of the national culture and played during Dashain.

Mantra

While putting tika to the younger family members or relatives, the elder people usually recite special Sanskrit mantras as a blessing. There are two main mantras that are recited while putting tika on the Bijaya Dashami day, one for men and one for females.

In the mantra for male members, the qualities of various Hindu mythical heroes (Yudhishthira, Balarama, etc.) as well as antiheroes (Ashwatthama and Duryodhana) are blessed to the person.

In the mantra for the female members, they are worshipped as various form of goddess Durga.

Alongside these mantra, other blessings for good health and fortune are also given.

Games and carnivals

As Dashain approaches, kite flying becomes more and more common. Riding kites has been a very important part of celebrating Dashain in the country, as it is considered to be one way of reminding God not to send rain anymore. During the festival people of all ages fly kites from their roofs. Colourful kites and voices shouting out 'changā chet' (this phrase is usually used when one cuts the other person's kite string) fill the days during the festival.

Playing cards is another way of celebrating Dashain. While children are busy flying kites during Dashain, the older members of the family pass their time by getting together and playing cards with each other for money and fun.

Bamboo swings are constructed in many parts of the country as a way of celebration. Dashain swings are called 'ping' in Nepali. They present the best of local culture, tradition, community spirit, and fun. These swings are constructed by community members with traditional methods which use ropes made from tough grass, bamboo sticks and wood, etc. The swings are normally constructed a week before Ghatasthapana and dismantled only after the festival of Tihar which comes after Dashain. The height of some swings exceeds twenty feet. People of all ages enjoy the swings. They are especially famous with children.

Fairs and celebrations are organized during the festival. Usually, small fairs are organized in the villages with Ferris wheels for children and other entertainment for adults. However, in the city commercial fairs and celebrations are usually organized.

Shopping

Buying and wearing new clothes is an important part of the festival. As many people living in the villages are below the poverty line, for them it is often the case that new clothes come only with Dashain. Almost all the shops have festival offers and discounts. This makes shopping more attractive. Clothes have the highest sales during the festival.

Feasts

Thousands of animals including buffalo, ducks, and rams temples, are offered with thousands of sacrifices. Ashtami and Navami are the days when the sacrifices reach a peak. While thousands of animals are sacrificed to appease the goddesses, people also slaughter animals for feasts. Since many feasts and gatherings are organized throughout the fifteen days of the festival, the demand for meat goes up considerably. To meet the demand, the slaughtering of animals becomes considerably high and necessary.

Dasain abroad

Bhutan

Dashain was declared a national holiday in 1980 in Bhutan. It is celebrated by the Hindu community of Bhutan and is one of the major festival of Lhotshampa origin Bhutanese people. The King of Bhutan offers the Dashain Tika to the representatives of the Hindu Community at the Devi Panchayan Mandir in Thimphu every year. Tika and Royal blessings are sent to other ''dzongkhags'' across the country. The king also offers prayers to the goddess Durga at the Hindu temple. They use white Tika.

India

Dashain is celebrated by Nepali language speaking communities in Darjeeling, Sikkim and Assam. The Dashain and Tihar festival was given further importance after the Gorkhaland movement. Dashain festival used to have a political agenda and it used to have a cast based distinction. However, it has gradually being celebrated as a collective festival. There used to be white, yellow and red Tika in the past which has now been harmonized to use red Tika by all community. On the other hand, the Nepalese people from Nepal working in India, return en masse during festival causing congestion in border areas.

Myanmar

Myanmar has about 100,000 Nepali language speaking Burmese population. They celebrate dashain with the same spirit as in Nepal or Northeast India. Animal sacrifices are not done as much as they are in Nepal which is presumably due to the size of nepali population in the country.They offer Tika to ex-King of Burma as a tradition. Almost all traditions of Dashain followed in Nepal are done here as well. Although it is not very common to fly kites as a tradition.

Criticisms

The festival of Dashain is often criticized for its animal sacrifice. Many online petitions have been registered on Change.org, calling for a government action against mass slaughter. Driven by the belief that offerings of fresh blood will appease goddess Durga, scores of animals and birds are ritually slaughtered especially in the eighth and ninth day of the festival. Birds and animals that are traditionally eligible for sacrifice include goats, buffaloes, sheep, chickens, and ducks. Thousands of animals are being traded to sacrifice for meat. Some animal activists have called for the use of pumpkins and coconuts, as opposed to birds and animals.

Numerous national luminaries and animal rights activists alike have expressed their concerns over the issue of animal cruelty in the festival. On 3 October 2016, renowned Nepali comedian Hari Bansha Acharya wrote a satirical piece on ''Nepal Saptahik'' – entitled "''Euta Khasiko Aatmakatha''" (Autobiography of a Goat) – in light of "horrendous" exploitation inflicted upon animals during the festival.

Dashain has also become controversial in Nepal's current political climate as several indigenous groups (''adivasi janajati'') argue that festival has been imposed on them by the state. In an effort to resist what they view as the cultural domination by the Hindu elites that dominate the Nepali state, several organizations have organized a boycott of Dashain. So far those campaigns have had a limited effect across the country. Yet, Dashain and likewise other cultural celebrations are ingrained in Nepalese lifestyle.

See also

* Tihar

References

Books

*

External links

{{Nepal topics

Public holidays in Nepal
Festivals in Nepal
Culture of Nepal
Hindu festivals
Culture of Sikkim
Public holidays in Bhutan
Hindu festivals in Nepal
September observances
October observances

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