Tihar: The Festival Of Enjoyment

By Siddhi B. Ranjitkar

Hindu and Newar Buddhist Nepalis celebrate Tihar (Newars call it ‘Swonti’) for five days beginning on the 13th day of the dark fortnight and ending on the second day of the bright fortnight of the Kartik (October/November) month in the Vikram calendar. All these five days are dedicated to Lord of the dead called ‘Yama Raj’. So, this five-day celebration is also called Yama Panchak. This year, it starts on November 07 and ends on November 11, 2007.

On the first day of Tihar, Nepalis make offerings to the crow, second day the dog, third day the cow, fourth day the bullock, perform Govardan Puja and Mha-Puja, revere Bali Raja, and celebrate a New Year following the calendar called ‘Nepal Sambat’, and fifth day they perform a worship to brothers. During these five days, every household makes offerings first to Yama Raj, Lord of the dead, and the ruler of the world of the dead called "Yama lok" before making any offerings to others because these five days belong to Lord Yama Raj, hence, He alone has the rights to the first offerings on these days.

Probably, one of the Licchavi kings had set the tradition of celebrating the five-day Tihar festival about 1,500 years ago when they reached the peak of cultural development in Nepal. Some people believe that Nepalese people must have begun worshipping the Goddess of Wealth called Laxmi about 3,500 years ago. Later on, the then rulers must have added one item of celebration after another to the worship of Goddess Laxmi, ultimately making it the five-day festival called Tihar by the time of Licchavi kings.

Perhaps, this festival was celebrated more for fun than for religious purposes, as people sing, dance, and spend days on gambling and merry-making during these five days. Unlike in Dashain, Nepalis do not make animal sacrifices to any deity in this festival rather they revere a bird crow, and animals such as dog, bullock and cow for appreciating their services to humans.

Nepalis perform an offering to the crow on the first day of Tihar. The crow is believed to be the messenger of Lord Yama Raj. Thus performing worship to the crow, Nepalis revere Lord Yama Raj for avoiding any bad news that crows might bring in the coming year. People offer the crow a leaf-dish of sweets, fruits, incense and vermillion.

On this day, traditional physicians called Vaidyas and Kavirajs celebrate the birth anniversary of Dhanawantari, the legendary physician that wrote the Aurvedic Shastra (doctrines of Aurveda).

The second day of Tihar is the day of dog believed to be the gatekeeper of Lord Yama Raj. Once a year, Nepalis pay divine honors to the dog. They decorate it with a garland of marigold flowers around the neck, apply an auspicious red Tika on the forehead, and offer a dish of delicious food. By doing so, Nepalis complete the second day of reverence for Lord Yama Raj, and ensure an easy entry to the Lord Yama Raj's world of the dead called "Yama lok" after death.

The third day of Tihar is the new moon day, the day of Goddess of Wealth called Laxmi, and the sacred cow considered as Laxmi, too. In the morning, Nepalis venerate the cow. People snap the sacred thread they have been wearing around their wrist for protection from evil spirits since the Janai Purnima, and bind it to the cow's tail. Similarly, people take off the iron ring they have been wearing on their ring finger for protection from evil spirits since the Gaatha Muga day, and attach it to the cow's tail. These items are auspicious, hence, they do not throw them in a trashcan, rather deposit them with the holy cow. At one time, the wealth of a person was measured in a number of cows s/he possessed; hence, the cow has become a symbol of wealth, too. People call cows their "Sampati" means wealth in the western Nepal even today. Hindu Nepalis believe that the cow is not only the Goddess of Wealth but also the savior of souls, as it helps souls of dead persons to cross a river called "Baitarni" on the way to the world of Lord Yama Raj.

In the afternoon of the third day of Tihar, people decorate windows and doors with garlands of marigold flowers to attract the Goddess of Wealth Laxmi to them. They smear a portion of the ground in front of the main entrance to their house in a circular shape with the mixture of cow dung and red clay, and draw a track with the paste from the circle to the treasure room where they perform worship to a portrait of Goddess Laxmi along with other valuables in the evening. This is done so for the Goddess of Wealth not to miss the way to the treasury room.

The Newar community closes monetary transaction on this day because that day is a New Year eve pursuant to the calendar called ‘Nepal Sambat’. They perform worship to the Goddess Laxmi along with valuable coins and even banknotes in the evening of the year-end. This year, the New Year day falls on November 10, and begins the year of 1128 in the ‘Nepal Sambat’ calendar.

Every house has doors, windows and balconies illuminated with lamps -- either flickering oil wick-lamps on clay dishes or modern electric bulbs to lure Goddess Laxmi on this night of Goddess Laxmi. Such an illumination continues in the evenings of the rest of the remaining two days of Tihar.

Young women and girls go from one house to another, and sing "Bhailo" songs in the evening of the third day. They sing that pious King Bali Raja has sent them to collect taxes. Every household offers a few coins or foodstuff to the "Bhailo" singers. Traditionally, they use the cash and kind they collected from “Bhailo” singing for purchasing various items of offerings to perform worship to their brothers on the last day of Tihar. Nepalis believe that this tradition of "Bhailo" singing must have begun in the western Nepal, and gradually spread throughout Nepal.

Different Nepalese communities mark the fourth day of Tihar with various festivities following their tradition. Newars celebrate the New Year according to the ‘Nepal Sambat’. They perform self-reverence called Mha-Puja in the evening. Nepalese farmers perform worship to the bullock and the plowman in the appreciation of their services in the hills and Terai. However, Kathmandu farmers do not make offerings to the bullock and the plowman, as they do not use bullock for plowing land as a reverence for the bull that Lord Pashupatinath keeps as his companion in the Kathmandu Valley. Others perform a Govardan Puja in honor of Lord Krishna who held the Govardan Hill as an umbrella to protect the people from the wrath of Lord Indra who showered the earth with rains causing heavy floods. Lord Indra did so challenging the supremacy of Lord Krishna. However, Lord Krishna saved the humankind from the fury of Lord Indra. Therefore, some people make a miniature Govardan Hill from cow dung and perform worship to it. Some Nepalis draw a portrait of Bali Raja, and make offerings to it in the Terai areas whereas in the hills some people make offerings to an idol of Bali Raja or to a coconut and areca nut as a symbol of Bali Raja.

Bali Raja was a pious king. He earned so much of merits that he might ascend the heavenly throne if he would continue to accumulate merits in this manner. That had threatened the position of the reigning-heavenly king Indra. So, Indra went to Lord Vishnu with a request for stopping Bali Raja from such meritorious acts. Complying with the plea of Lord Indra, Lord Vishnu transforming himself into a short Brahman flew down the earth to play a trick on Bali Raja. The tiny Brahman wearing a wooden sandal and holding an umbrella to protect him from the sizzling sun went to Bali Raja.

Bali Raja never sent anybody back empty-handed. He always met the need of anybody coming to him. He held special respect for Brahmins. So, he gave everything to any Brahmins asked for. So, seeing a short Brahmin approaching him, Bali Raja was very happy to welcome him, and inquired him why the Brahmin made a trouble to come to him.

Taking the advantage of the good will of Bali Raja toward Brahmins, Lord Vishnu in the guise of a short Brahmin politely and firmly ask Bali Raja for a piece of land enough to cover his three steps. Bali Raja laughed at the so small want of the Brahmin and immediately granted it despite the advice of some royal counselors to the king to think twice before granting such a small favor to seemingly a short Brahmin but might be an extraordinary person. The benevolent king granted that much of land to the humble Brahman disregarding his counselors’ advice.

Thereafter, Lord Vishnu in the tiny human form gradually increasing the size of his body took the form of a gigantic three-footed human and covered the whole sky with his first foot, the earth with his second foot, and asked for a space for his third foot. As there was no room for the third foot, Bali Raja set his own head for the third foot keeping his commitment to give a piece of land sufficient to cover three feet. Lord Vishnu in the form of a huge human stepping on his head pushed Bali Raja down the earth, thus subjugating Bali Raja and ending his any further activities. However, Lord Vishnu appreciated his determination of keeping his words given to a short Brahmin, transformed himself back to his original form and granted him a boon of a five-day rule of the three world: heaven, earth and the world of the dead. So, some Nepalis believe that Bali Raja rules the three worlds during the five-day festival of Tihar.

On the night of the fourth day of Tihar, groups of late-night revelers go from one house to another, and sing "Deusi" songs. They say in the songs that Bali Raja had offered even his head to Lord Vishnu; hence, you might also offer something to the singers representing Lord Vishnu. "Deusi" singers dance and sing at the courtyard of hosts, and also wish them for prosperous life in the singing. Some people believe that a king called Bali Raja in Jumla once called on two brothers named Dev-sray and Siray to sing and dance at his courtyard on the occasion of the reverence for Goddess Laxmi. After the singing and dancing, the king offered them one "pathi" paddy (rice with the husk), one "manna" rice, and applied an auspicious "Tika" on their forehead. Thereafter, they sang "Deusi" songs and danced the whole night, thus, setting the tradition of "Deusi" singing and dancing. Since then, the tradition has been set for each household to grant the "Deusi" singers and dancers some cash or kind depending on the age and the status of revelers. Traditionally, they use such cash and kind for purchasing a present to their sisters who perform worship to them on the last day of Tihar.

The fifth day is the last day of Tihar, the day of "Bhai-Tika" means revering brothers.  Sisters perform worship to Lord Yama Raj and his messenger, and then to brothers. Sisters apply Tika of five different colors on the forehead of brothers in a vertical line. These five colors represent five life-supporting elements such as water, air, heat, earth and ether (mind). Thereafter, sisters offer fruits, hard nuts, and a garland of evergreen flowers to brothers, and wish them to be as aromatic as "bimiro" fruit, as hard as "okhare" nuts and as evergreen as "makhamali" flower. Brothers, in turn, offer a present to sisters.

Sisters are empowered so much on the day of Bhai-Tika that they even can stop Lord Yama Raj from taking their brothers in other words from the death. A legend has it that once while performing a "Bhai-Tika" worship, sisters found that Lord Yama Raj with his messenger came to collect the soul of the brother whose term in this world was just expired. The shrewd sisters requested Lord Yama Raj for letting them to complete the "Bhai-Tika", the compassionate Lord Yama Raj agreed to the request, and waited for them to finish the worship. Then, the sisters invited Lord Yama Raj and his messenger to join the brothers for their offerings. They performed the offerings in such a way that Lord Yama Raj became happy, and wanted to grant a boon to the sisters who taking the opportunity, asked for the extension of life of their brother until the evergreen flower called "makhamali", the hard nuts and oil symbol on the Mandala dried up. Hence, these three items are indispensable for the celebration of "Bhai'-Tika"

Another legend has it that Lord Yama Raj has five days off, as Lord Vishnu granted Bali Raja to rule three worlds: heaven, earth and the world of the dead for five days. So, Lord Yama Raj otherwise busy with the administration of the souls of dead persons in his world took the advantage of the holidays and visited his sister. She was so pleased to see the brother; she entertained Lord Yama Raj with varieties of activities for five days revering him on the last day that they became memorable experiences for Lord Yama Raj. Nepalis believe that the tradition of "Bhai Tika" (brother reverence) had been set since then.

Sunday, October 28, 2007