Chhath - Festival of praying sun

Chhath, the festival in which devotees worship the Sun God. During the four-day festival, celebrated especially by people from Mithila region, devotees worship and make offerings to the rising and setting sun wishing for prosperity, happiness and longevity of their family members.

During this festival, various delicacies are prepared. Likewise, purity and cleanliness are strictly maintained. The festival begins on Sunday marked by Nahai Khai,  Kharna, Sandhya Argha and Bihani Argha rituals respectively on the four following days before the festival concludes on Wednesday. The name of the festival symbolises its day of occurrence, as ‘Chhath’ refers to ‘sixth’.

There exist different myths as to how Chhath began, People started celebrating Chhath since ancient times, showing gratitude to the Sun God for sustaining life on Earth. Each activity of this festival represents a relationship between human life and nature. During Chhath, the sun is worshipped as the protector of life. Devotees worship first the setting sun and then the rising sun. Water has a special place in nature as well as in Chhath celebrations.

Cleaning up water sources also contribute to nature conservation and sustenance of healthy life. The festival also attempts to end caste discrimination and envisages bringing social harmony among peoples of different caste groups.

Likewise,Chhath gives priority to sand and bamboo-made materials, which reflect the main occupation of people with low economic status.

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Tihar- Festival of light

Tihar is one of the most important festivals for Hindus in Nepal. The festival of Tihar takes place in late autumn and lasts for five days. This festival is also called the festival of lights. It is a time when all the houses light oil lamps, and the city is full of lights and decorations. This festival is about worshipping different animals such as the crow, the dog, and the cow. During Tihar, the people also worship their brothers and sisters and the goddess of wealth, Laxmi.

On the first day of the festival, people worship crows. Every family cooks a delicious meal in the morning. Before they eat, each member of the family puts some food on a plate of leaves and places it outside for the crows to eat. People believe crows are the messenger of the Lord of Death. They worship crows to keep sadness away.

The second day, people worship dogs. They decorate dogs with garlands of flowers around their necks. They give dog’s delicious food and put a red tika (a special powder) on their foreheads. They even do this to stray dogs. It is a day to respect all dogs. They pray for the dogs to guard their homes. Dogs with garlands of flowers can be seen everywhere.

The third day is the most important day of the festival. Early in the morning, people start to worship the cow. The cow is the symbol of wealth and is the most holy animal for Hindus. They put tika on the cows’ foreheads and a garland of flowers around their necks. They give the cows nice things to eat. People place the cows’ manure in different parts of their houses. Later, in the evening, they worship the goddess Laxmi. If people please the goddess, she will give them wealth. People clean and decorate their houses. They put oil lamps in every door and window. A female member of the family performs a special ceremony or puja. She then puts a red mud footprint on the floor entering the home and makes a trail to the room where the family worships the goddess. In this room, there are pictures and an icon of the goddess. There is also a money box where each year the family puts money away for the goddess. In the evening, group of people go from door to door of their neighbors’ homes and sing songs of the goddess. They receive gifts in return.

The fourth day is a little different. The things people worship on this day depend on their cultural background. Most people worship the ox. They put tika on the oxen and a garland around their necks. They also give them delicious food. Other people make a small hill out of cow manure, put some grass on it, and perform a special ceremony, or puja, on it. Yet other people worship themselves.

The fifth day is the day of brothers and sisters. Sisters wish their brothers long life and prosperity. If you do not have a brother or sister, you can make one of your relatives or friends a brother or a sister. On this day, sisters will perform a puja and apply a special tika on their brothers. Then they put garlands around their brothers and give them special gifts of food. Brothers in return honor their sisters; they put garlands around their necks and give them gifts of clothes and money. This festival finally ends after five days of cooking, decorating, eating, singing, dancing, shopping, relaxing, gift giving, and worshipping. There is no doubt that Tihar is the most popular festival in Nepal.

Source: National Geographic learning

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Kukur (Dog) Tihar- Second day of Tihar

Tihar, one of the great celebrations in the Hindu calendar, is a five-day autumn festival generally known as the festival of lights. Each day has its own focus, and specific observances vary from one denomination of Hinduism to another. Regardless of regional and denominational differences, Tihar is a period of gift-giving, storytelling, and recognition of the relationships humans have with all things.

In Nepalese Hinduism, Kukur Tihar is a day devoted to the celebration of dogs. Similar to other Tihar observances, lamps are lit at night during Tihar. The festival of lights celebrates the triumph of light over darkness, of knowledge over ignorance, and the dissolution of barriers that separate humans from authentic experience of the world. Nepalese Hinduism is unique in dedicating the second day of Tihar, Kukur Tihar, to the worship of dogs.

Kukur Tihar, or Kukur Puja, is the second day of Tihar, during which dogs are honored. Dogs are especially important to Nepal’s Hindu practitioners. During day two of Tihar, Kukur Tihar, the role of dogs in human life and throughout history is celebrated. In the Rigveda, one of Hinduism’s most ancient texts, Samara — the mother of dogs — assists Indra, the ruler of heaven, in retrieving stolen cattle. Hindu tradition holds that a dog is the guardian and messenger of Yama, the lord and judge of the dead. A dog is also said to guard the gates of the afterlife.

Indra refuses to allow Yudhishthira's dog into heaven. Yudhishthira refuses to enter heaven without his dog. At the close of the Mahabharata, the king of righteousness, Yudhishthira, refuses to enter heaven without his devoted dog. The dog is revealed to represent the concept of dharma, the path of righteousness. During Tihar, each day is devoted to a honoring a different concept or entity: crows, dogs, cows, oxen, and fraternal relationships, respectively. On the second day, Kukur Tihar, all dogs are recognized, honored, and worshiped.

Tihar for dogs: the garland

During Kukur Tihar, the mythological and real relationships between humans and dogs constitute the day’s major focus. A garland of flowers is draped around the neck of every dog; not only those with homes, but strays as well. This beautiful dog wears a mala, or flower garland, around the neck during Kukur Tihar. This floral necklace, called a mala, is a mark of respect and dignity. It announces the wearer as important, and symbolizes the prayers that go with the dog.

Tihar for dogs: the tika

On Kukur Tihar, a red mark is applied to the forehead of each dog. In Nepal, this mark is called the tika, a paste made from abir — a red dye powder — along with rice and yogurt. The tika is applied in a single stroke on the forehead upward from the eyes. A dog in Nepal makes his way down the street with a tika on his forehead. Like the mala that garlands the neck, the red tika marks the dog as both a devotee of the righteous path and as an object of devotion. The tika imbues the dog with an air of sacredness and acts as a blessing to those who encounter the dog during Kukur Tihar.

Tihar for dogs: food offerings

Prayers and flowers are certainly nice, but as far as dogs are concerned, their favorite part of Kukur Tihar must be the food. On the first day of Tihar, Kaag Tihar, food is arrayed on the roofs of homes as offerings to crows. On the second day, food offerings are put out for dogs in the home, as well as for strays in the streets. These food offerings take a variety of forms. Depending on the celebrant, the dog’s treats may include milk, eggs, meat, or high-quality dog food. Some may even offer dogs a bit of sel roti, a deep-fried confection similar to a donut. This is a day when dogs have the best of everything.

This is a very general overview of Kukur Tihar. While its origins are traced to Nepalese Hinduism, variants of the day of the dog are celebrated by denominations of Hinduism and Buddhism across the world. Kukur Tihar honors dogs in all of their aspects: as guardians, companions, and friends.

Source: Dogster.com

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Kaag Tihar- First day of Tihar

The first day of Tihar is Kaag (crow) . Hindus believe crows to be messengers of good or bad news. With its croaking, it conveys messages like visitor coming to the house. It is also believed to be a messenger of Yamaraj, the God of death.

To avert grief and death in the family, Hindus worship crows during Kag Tihar offering it sweets and various dishes. In Nepal, once you leave offerings on the balcony, crow will come and eat the food.

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उज्यालो को पर्व दिपावलीका पाच दिन

प्रत्येक वर्ष कार्तिक कृष्ण त्रयोदशीदेखि कार्तिक शुक्ल द्वितीयासम्म मनाइने नेपालीको दोस्रो ठूलो चाड यमपञ्चक अर्थात् तिहार हो  । 

चान्द्रमासअनुसार कार्तिक कृष्ण त्रयोदशीदेखि शुक्ल द्वितीयासम्म पाँच दिन झिलीमिलीको पर्व तिहार मनाइन्छ । यस अवधिमा यमराजसमेत आफ्नी बहिनी यमुनाको निमन्त्रणामा बिदा लिएर बस्ने विश्वास गरिन्छ । यसैले यो पाँच दिनको अवधिलाई यमपञ्चक पनि भनिन्छ । 

यम यातनाबाट मुक्ति पाउन आजैदेखि घरघरमा परिवार सङ्ख्याका आधारमा यमदीप दान गर्ने विधि छ । यमदीप दान बेलुकी गर्ने प्रचलन रहेको छ । 

यमपञ्चकको पहिलो दिन कार्तिक कृष्ण त्रयोदशीमा काग तिहार मनाइन्छ । यस दिन कागलाई मीठा खानेकुरा दिएमा राम्रो समाचार लगिदिने विश्वास गरिन्छ । कागलाई यमदूतका रुपमा मान्ने शास्त्रीय परम्परा छ ।

तिहारको दोश्रो दिन  कुकुर तिहार र नरक चतुर्दशी मनाइन्छ । बिहानै उठेर तिलको तेल घसेर स्नान गरेमा यमराज प्रसन्न हुने जनविश्वास छ । स्नानपछि कुकुरलाई मीठा खानेकुरा खान दिइन्छ । काग र कुकुरलाई यमदूतका रुपमा मानिन्छ । 

तिहारको तेश्रो दिन  कार्तिक कृष्ण औँशीका दिन लक्ष्मी पूजा गरिन्छ । यसदिन बेलुकी दीपमालिका गरेपछि धनधान्यकी देवी लक्ष्मीको विधिपूर्वक आराधना गरिन्छ । यसैले तिहारलाई उज्यालोको पर्व पनि भनिन्छ । यसैदिन भलो होस् भनी भैलो खेल्ने चलन छ । 

कूल परम्पराअनुसार कसैले लक्ष्मीपूजाको दिन बिहान पनि गाईपूजा गर्ने गरेका छन् । गाईपूजा नगरी लक्ष्मीपूजा नगर्नेले कात्तिक कृष्ण औँशीकै दिन बिहान गाई पूजा गर्ने गरेका हुन् ।

कात्तिक शुक्ल प्रतिपदा तिहारको चौथो दिन गाई, गोरु तिहार, कृषक र गोवद्र्धन पूजा हुन्छ । यस दिन वर्षभर हलो जोत्ने हलीको समेत पूजा गर्ने संस्कृति छ । हलतिहारसमेत भनिने यसदिन बेलुकी देउसी खेलिन्छ । 

कात्तिक शुक्ल द्वितीयाका दिन भाइटीका वा तिहारको पाचौ तथा अन्तिम दिन हो । तिहारको मुख्य दिन दिदीबहिनीले दाजुभाइको दीर्घायु, सुख शान्तिको कामना गरी अष्ट चिरञ्जीवी, यमराज, यमुना एवं बलि राजाको पूजा गरी त्यसको प्रसाद लगाइदिने चलन छ । 

कात्तिक कृष्ण त्रयोदशीदेखि शुक्ल द्वितीयासम्म हिन्दूको दोस्रो ठूलो पर्वका रुपमा दीपावलीअर्थात् तिहार मनाउने गर्छन् । यी पाँच दिन पृथ्वीको शासन बलि राजाले गर्नुहुने पौराणिक मान्यता छ । बलि दानशील राजा थिए । वामन रुप लिई भगवान् विष्णुले तीन पाइला जमीन माग्दा पातालमा भासिनुपरेको कथा विभिन्न पुराणमा वर्णन गरिएको छ । 

 श्रोत : उज्यालो अनलाइन

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