MY TIHAR EXPERIENCE

Tihar

Tihar is a truly magical time in Kathmandu. I Imagine it’s comparable to Christmas in New York, though being from California, I wouldn’t really know. It’s colder here now at night and in the morning. The absence of street light is compensated by the houses decorated with exterior designs and flickering colors. Fireworks explode in the distance. Shop owners close their stores to spend time with their families and all around their is a certain atmosphere you can feel. Indian carolers sing songs outside of houses waiting for a tip, most are holding instruments. I would see them while rushing home to experience the new celebrations my family prepared every night. Without diving deep into the history of the Holiday, Id like to briefly detail what I came home to:

On the first day of Tihar my “aama” said to me, we are not celebrating Tihar this year. Their had been a death in the family and being a devout Tibetan Buddhist, she doesn’t believe in celebrating outwardly like the Hindu festivals encourage. With some convincing from my  sister ,my Nepali mom agreed to give me a taste of Tihar and struggled to make last minute arrangements.

On the second day of Tihar my family and I put a “tika” on our dog “Tantre”. In the words of my sister,”We spend all year kicking the dog and neglecting it. This is the day we give back to it and worship it’s every move.” The ceremony involved giving the dog a bath (which he didn’t like) and oil being flicked at him. When it came time to put the “tika” on his forehead he bit my  mom and ran away. This would have been a funny incident but the dog is an adopted street dog and my “aama” was worried about the possibility of rabies. She went to the clinic later to discover she couldn’t afford the rabies shot. She is fine now but the relationship between her and “Tantre” is still tense.

The third day of Tihar is Laxmi Puja. On this day i came home to a flower design where our front gate is. From the flower their was a streak of brown mud, which i later found out is diluted cow dung mixed with red clay. The streak ran through the house to the beautiful shrine room on the third floor. It is disrespectful to step over the mixture. My  mom brought me to the third floor where we ate sweet breads and fruit. Without explanation i realize this can sound complicated but I want to convey the constant state of confusion i was in while celebrating.

On the last day of Tihar I had an emotional ceremony exchanging “tika” with my  sister. The purposes is for long life and to physically act out the bond between brother and sister. It was similar to the procedure used for the dog. After the “puja” or worship we ate a ridiculous amount of sweets and food. My aama prepared a Nepali feast the likes of which I have never seen but felt like the early dinners Im used to during the holiday season. All together my experience with Tihar was very valuable. It really completed my Kathmandu experience seeing it in this light, and I am grateful to my instructors and my Nepali family for making it possible. I’ve included some pictures to show I am not crazy and most of this actually happened.