Tihar
Also called	Deepawali (दीपावली), Yama Panchak (यम पञ्चक)
Observed by	Hindus worldwide (with various names and slight variations)
Type	Religious, Nepali
Date	New moon day of Kartika, celebrations begin two days prior and end two days after that date
2011 date	october 25-28
Celebrations	Decorating homes with lights, singing, dancing, gambling etc[citation needed]
Observances	Prayers and religious rituals

Tihar (तिहार) is a five-day Nepalese festival celebrated in late autumn, which comes soon after Dashain. Two of these days incorporates the Hindu festival Deepavali, where one day is celebrated for goddess Laxmi and the other one is celebrated to worship brothers for their long life.^[1] However, all ethnic groups celebrate this festival. The festival is celebrated from Trayodashi of Kartik Krishna to Katrik Shukla Dwitiya every year.The name Tihar means the festival of lights, where many candles are lit both inside and outside the houses to make it bright at night. The five-day festival is considered to be of great importance as it shows reverence to not just the humans and the Gods, but also to the animals like crow, cow and dog, who maintain an intense relationship with the humans.

Kag Puja[link]

The first day of the festival is called Kag Puja or Kag Parva - Worship of Crows.^[2] The crows are worshipped by offerings of sweets and dishes on the roof of the houses. The cawing of the crows symbolises sadness and grief in the Hindu mythology, so the devotees offer the crows food to avert grief and deaths in their homes.Tihar in Nepal and Diwali in India represent the divine attachment between Human and other animals and birds in our nature. To strengthen the worship of nature, all these rituals are introduced in Hinduism.

Kukur Puja[link]

A dog after being decorated in Kukur tihar festival in Nepal

The second day is called "Kukur Puja" or "Khicha Puja" ("worship of the dogs") by the Newars.^[3] Dog, which is believed to be messenger of Lord Yamaraj, the god of death, is worshiped once a year on this day.^[2] People offer garlands, teeka and delicious food to the dogs, and acknowledge the cherished relationship between humans and the dogs.

This day is also observed as Narak Chaturdashi.

Gai Puja and Laxmi Puja[link]

On the morning of the third day is Gai Puja - the cow is sign of prosperity and wealth. In ancient times people benefitted a lot from the cow like its milk, dung even its urine was used for kind of purification. Thus on this day people showed their gratefulness to the cow by garlanding and feeding the cow with the best grass. Houses are cleaned and the doorways and windows are decorated with garlands made of marigolds and chrysanthemums. In the evening Laxmi, the goddess of wealth is thanked for all the benefits that were bestowed on the families by lighting oil lamps or candles on doorways and windows to welcome prosperity and well being. At night the girls enjoy dancing and visiting all the houses of the village with many musical instruments playing a historical game called bhailini(vailini) all night long. They collect money from all the houses by singing and dancing and share the sweets and money amongst themselves.

Gobhardan Puja and Mha: Puja[link]

On the fourth day of Tihar, there are three different known pujas, depending on the people's specific cultural background.^[2] Most perform Goru Puja, or Worship of Oxen. People who follow Krishna perform Gobardhan Puja, which is worship towards Cowdung. Cowdung is seen as very useful in Nepal, as in the olden days it was used for everything from light at night (Methane) to polish for the mud floors of traditional houses. The Newar community on the night of this day do Mha: Puja, or Worship of Self. Because this period is also the beginning of Nepal Sambat, or the new year of Nepalese especially commemorated by Newars, it ensures prosperity for the new year.

The third and fourth day of Tihar is especially famous for Deusi and Bhailo, light and fireworks. Deusi and Bhailo are the songs which have only been sung on those Tihar days. Social workers, young and children visit local homes to sing these songs, and in return the home owners give them money, fruit, rice and bread (Selroti, a special type of bread made by rice flour and sugar). The Deusi is mostly sung by the boys while the Bhailo is sung by the girls.

Bhai Tika[link]

The fifth and last day of Tihar is Bhai Tika, a day where sisters put "tika" on foreheads of brothers, to ensure long life, and thank them for the protection they give.^[2] When the sisters give the "Tika", the brothers give gifts or money in return. A special garland is made for the brothers out of a flower that wilts after a couple of months, symbolizing the sister's prayer for her brother's long life.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Information about Tihar from Nepal Vista
• Tihar festival

This article includes a list of references, but its sources remain unclear because it has insufficient inline citations. Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (January 2009)

A festival in Somerset, United Kingdom

Village Feast.--Fac-simile of a Woodcut of the "Sandrin ou Verd Galant," facetious Work of the End of the Sixteenth Century (edition of 1609).

A festival or gala is an event, usually and ordinarily staged by a local community, which centers on and celebrates some unique aspect of that community and the Festival.

Among many religions, a feast is a set of celebrations in honour of God or gods. A feast and a festival are historically interchangeable. However, the term "feast" has also entered common secular parlance as a synonym for any large or elaborate meal. When used as in the meaning of a festival, most often refers to a religious festival rather than a film or art festival.

In the Christian liturgical calendar there are two principal feasts, properly known as the Feast of the Nativity of our Lord (Christmas) and the Feast of the Resurrection, (Easter). In the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Anglican liturgical calendars there are a great number of lesser feasts throughout the year commemorating saints, sacred events, doctrines, etc.

Etymology[link]

The word fest derives from the Middle English, from Middle French word festivus, from the Latin word festivus. Festival was first recorded as a noun in 1589. Before it had been used as an adjective from the fourteenth century, meaning to celebrate a church holiday. The etymology of feast is very similar to that of festival. The word "feste" comes from Middle English, from Middle French, from the Latin word festa. Feast first came into usage as a noun circa 1200, and feast was used as a verb circa 1300.^[1] A festival is a special occasion of feasting or celebration, that is usually religious. There can be many different types of festivals, like Halloween, Saturnellia, and Christmas.

Function[link]

Festivals, of many types, serve to meet specific needs, as well as to provide entertainment. These times of celebration offer a sense of belonging for religious, social, or geographical groups. Modern festivals that focus on cultural or ethnic topics seek to inform members of their traditions. In past times, festivals were times when the elderly shared stories and transferred certain knowledge to the next generation. Historic feasts often provided a means for unity among families and for people to find mates. Select anniversaries have annual festivals to commemorate previous significant occurrences.

Types of festivals[link]

There are numerous types of festivals in the world. Though many have religious origins, others involve seasonal change or have some cultural significance.^[2] Also, certain institutions celebrate their own festival (often called "fests") to mark some significant occasions in their history. These occasions could be the day these institutions were founded or any other event which they decide to commemorate periodically, usually annually.

Seasonal festivals[link]

Seasonal festivals are determined by the [solar calendar|solar] and the lunar calendars and by the cycle of the seasons. The changing of the season was celebrated because of its effect on food supply. Ancient Egyptians would celebrate the seasonal inundation caused by the Nile River, a form of irrigation, which provided fertile land for crops. In the Alps, in autumn the return of the cattle from the mountain pastures to the stables in the valley is celebrated as Almabtrieb. A recognized winter festival, the Chinese New Year, is set by the lunar calendar, and celebrated from the day of the second new moon after the winter solstice. An important type of seasonal festivals are those related with the agricultural seasons. Dree Festival of the Apatanis living in Lower Subansiri District of Arunachal Pradesh is one such important festival, which is celebrated every year from July 4 to 7 praying for bumper crop harvest.

General[link]

Lists of festivals[link]

Ancient Egyptian festivals[link]

Most Ancient Egyptian festivals were religious, but others were not such as one festival established by Rameses III to celebrate his victory over the Libyans. When feasts occurred, they were either determined by lunar cycles or the Egyptian calendar. Festivals were large celebrations with plenty of food available. In one festival in the 12th century BC, 11,341 loaves of bread and 385 jars of beer were given to the public. The Sed festival celebrated the thirtieth year of a pharaoh's rule and then every three (or four in one case) years after that. Iranian traditional festivals: Mehregan festival, Norooz or nuroz festival, qadir festival, Chahar shanbehesori festival. Islamic festivals: EId-ul-Adha festival (biggest Islamic festival) and Id-ul-Fiter festival is another Islamic festival (second-biggest).

See also[link]

Look up fest or Festival in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Festivals

• Convention
• Event planning
• Fair
• Festive ecology
• Holiday
• List of festivals in the United States
• List of music festivals
• Liturgical year
• Moveable feast
• Trade show

Notes[link]