Tihar: The Festival Of Enjoyment

By Siddhi B. Ranjitkar

Hindu and Nevah Buddhist Nepalis celebrate Tihar (Nevahs call it ‘Svonti’) 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. We dedicate all these five days to Lord of the dead called ‘Yama Raj’. So, we call this five-day celebration as Yama Panchak. This year, it starts on October 16 and ends on October 19, 2009. This year making the offerings to Dog and Cow falls on the same day.

On the first day of Tihar, we make offerings to the bird crow, second day the dog, third day the cow, fourth day the bullock, perform Govardan Puja and Mha-Puja means self-offerings, revere Bali Raja, and celebrate a New Year following the calendar called ‘Nepal Sambat’, and fifth day sisters perform worship to brothers. During these five days, every Nepalese Hindu and Nevah Buddhist household makes offerings first to Lord of the dead called Yama Raj: administrator of the world of the dead called "Yama lok" before making any offerings to others, as 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, our ancestors had celebrated this festival more for fun than for religious purposes, as Nepalese people sang, danced, and spent days on gambling and merry-making during these five days in the past. Unlike in Dashain, we do not make animal sacrifices to any deity in this festival rather we revere a bird crow, and animals such as dog, bullock and cow for appreciating their services to humans.

We perform an offering to the black bird called crow on the first day of Tihar. We believe that crow is the messenger of Lord Yama Raj. Thus performing worship to the crow, we revere Lord Yama Raj for avoiding any bad news that any crow might bring in the coming year. We 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 Dhanavantari, 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, we give divine honor to dog. We decorate dogs with a garland of marigold flowers around the necks, apply an auspicious red Tika on their foreheads, and offer a dish of delicious food. In doing so, we complete the second day of reverence for Lord Yama Raj, and ensure an easy entry to the Lord Yama Raj's world called "Yama lok" where the souls of people after death reside.

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, we revere cow. Nepalese people snap the sacred thread they have been wearing around their wrists for protection from evil spirits since the Janai Purnima, and wind it around a cow's tail. Similarly, Nepalese 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 tie it to a cow's tail. These items are auspicious, hence, we do not throw them in a trashcan, rather deposit them with a 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. Our people call cows as their "Sampati" means wealth in the western Nepal even today. Hindu Nepalis believe that 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 "Vaitarni" on the way to the world of Lord Yama Raj.

In the afternoon of the third day of Tihar, we decorate windows and doors with garlands of marigold flowers to attract the attention of Goddess of Wealth Laxmi. We smear a portion of the ground at the main entrance to our house in a circle with the mixture of fresh cow dung and red clay, and draw a track from the circle to the treasure room where we perform worship to a portrait of Goddess Laxmi along with other valuables in the evening. We do so for the Goddess of Wealth not to miss the way to the treasury room.

The Nevah community closes monetary transaction on this day, as this day is a New Year eve following our calendar called ‘Nepal Sambat’. We perform worship to Goddess Laxmi along with valuables, coins and even banknotes in the evening of the year-end. This year, the New Year day of 1130 falls on October 18, and begins the year in the ‘Nepal Sambat’ calendar.

We illuminate doors, windows and balconies with either flickering oil-wick lamps on clay dishes or modern electric bulbs to lure Goddess Laxmi on this night. Some of us continue such an illumination in the evenings of the remaining two days of Tihar.

Our female youngsters: young women and girls go from one house to another, and sing "Bhailo" songs in the evening of the third day. They sing a song saying 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. We 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. Nevahs celebrate the New Year following the ‘Nepal Sambat’. They perform self-reverence called Mha-Puja in the evening. Other Nepalese farmers perform worship to bullock and plowman in the appreciation of their services in the hills and Terai. However, Kathmandu farmers do not make offerings to bullock and plowman, as they do not use bullock for plowing land as a reverence for the bull that Lord Pashupatinath keeps as his companion at the temple to Lord Pashupatinath at Gaushala in Kathmandu. Others perform a Govardan Puja in honor of Lord Krishna who held the Govardan Hill as an umbrella to shelter the people from the rains showered by Lord Indra causing heavy floods on earth as a challenge to the supremacy of Lord Krishna. However, Lord Krishna saved the humankind from the wrath of Lord Indra. Therefore, some people make a miniature Govardan Hill from fresh 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 he would soon be eligible to ascend the heavenly throne if he continued to accumulate merits in this manner. That had threatened the position of the reigning-heavenly king Indra. So, Indra went to Lord Vishnu pleading him to do something for stopping Bali Raja from doing meritorious acts any more. To stop the overthrow of heavenly King Indra by the meritorious acts of King Bali Raja, Lord Vishnu transforming himself into a short Brahman flew down to the earth to play a trick on Bali Raja for stopping him from doing any meritorious acts. 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 tried to keep everybody happy meeting his/her demand for anything. He held special respect for Brahmins. So, he gave whatever Brahmins asked for. So, seeing a short Brahmin approaching him, Bali Raja inquired him why the Brahmin made a trouble to come to him.

Taking the advantage of the goodwill 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. Disregarding the counselors’ advice, the benevolent king immediately granted that much of land to the humble Brahman.

Thereafter, Lord Vishnu in the guise of a tiny Brahmin 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 left 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, changed himself back to his original form and granted him a boon of governing the three world: heaven, earth and the world of the dead for five days. So, some Nepalis believe that Bali Raja governs 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; so, why don’t you offer something to the "Deusi" singers who might represent 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 named Bali Raja in Jumla once called two brothers named Dev-sray and Siray to his palace 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" (around three kilos) paddy (rice with the husk), one "manna" (around a half kilo) rice, and applied an auspicious "Tika" on their foreheads. Thereafter, they sang "Deusi" songs and danced the whole night, thus, setting the tradition of "Deusi" singing and dancing. Some of us believe that 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 gift 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 sisters revering brothers. Sisters perform worship 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 gifts to sisters.

Sisters are empowered so much on the day of Bhai-Tika that they even can stop Lord Yama Raj from taking the souls of their brothers in other words saving them from death. A legend has it that once while performing a "Bhai-Tika" worship, sisters found that Lord Yama Raj with his escorts 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 escorts to join with 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 became 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 govern 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 became memorable experiences for Lord Yama Raj. We believe that the tradition of "Bhai Tika" (brother reverence) had been set since then.

Tihar is a festival of goodwill toward all animals, birds and humans. We believe in all animals, birds and humans living in harmony in this common world of all creatures. Some of us called this festival as the festival of lights in other words enlightening all animals, birds and humans.

October 11, 2009.