Tihar and Laxmi Puja - festival of lights (Oct-Nov)

Tihar is a five day Nepalese festival celebrated in later autumn, which comes just after a fortnight of the departure of Dashain. The earlier festival mood helped on by the turn of a genial weather continues to glow the mind of the Nepalese during this festival also. The festival of Tihar lasts for 5 days and is marked by worship to different animals such as crow, the dog and the cow on different days that follow. Perhaps the most endearing sight of this festival is presented by the illumination of the entire town with rows of tiny flickering lamps as the dusk breaks on the day of Laxmi Puja.  In the evening of the Laxmi Puja day, the goddess of wealth, Laxmi is worshiped at every household and it is in her welcome that myriads of lamps are burnt and the entire nation becomes an illumination of lights. Laxmi puja is performed at dusk using red mud and puja is often done by a female in the family. She uses her hand covered with red mud to make a symbolic foot-print on the floor entering the home and makes a trail leading to the Puja room. On the last day o this festival, sisters show their affection to their brothers with the performance of a Puja and feed them with exotic delicacies. They pray for their brother’s long life to Yama, the Hindu god of death. This 5 days 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.

Glance of Nepal