In Nepal, the "Dog Tihar" celebration gets underway

 

24X7 Voyes 9, Kathmandu:  Some people love dogs, some beat them for no reason. But in Nepal, these dogs have a special honor. A special festival is celebrated for them for five days every year. The name of this festival is Dog Tihar. Throughout the five days, the festival, also known as the Tihar or Yamapanchak, is celebrated mostly by the Gorkhas and Nepali Hindus, who worship different animals on five different days. Now this special fair is going on in Nepal – "Dog Tihar". It started on October 24. Today is his second day.

As we celebrate the day as the Festival of Lights, the people of Nepal celebrate a five-day long Diwali to worship animals, further dedicating this day to our four-legged friends. Tihar is celebrated around October or November every year.

During the festival, dogs are worshipped, bathed, and decorated with tilaka, which is made from kumkum or  gulal powder mixed with rice and yoghurt. Flower garlands are draped around their necks and they are offered food, including meat, milk, eggs, and dog food. Police dogs and stray dogs are also honoured. Kukur Tihar also celebrates the relationship between dogs and humans. It is considered a sin if someone behaves disrespectfully towards a dog on this day.

Of the five days, dogs, who are also known as our "best friends," are celebrated with great fervour. Notably, dogs, which are considered loyal friends of human beings, are regarded as the symbol of Yama, the deity of death. For Hindus, the celebration of Kukur Tihar is tied to a belief that dogs are the messengers of Yamaraj, the god of death, and during these days people worship man's most loyal friend to appease Yamaraj.

On these days, the hill people of the Himalayas gathered to worship their four-legged friends. During Kukur Tihar, people offer prayers and honour dogs, not just pets but also stray ones. The canines are garlanded, have tikkas applied on their foreheads, and plentiful food is offered to them.

Everywhere in Nepal, the Kukur Tihar festival is celebrated with great enthusiasm, with small children pampering the dogs and feeding them plenty of food items like milk, eggs, etc.

On the second day of the five-day festival of Tihar that began earlier this week, people in the Himalayan country gathered to worship their four-legged friends. Not only locals, but tourists from around the globe also participated in the festivities.

Tihar is also known as Deepavali, the festival of light, in other parts of the world. During this, people observe rituals; decorate their homes with diyas, rangoli, ornaments, and lights; enjoy delectable sweets and meals; dress in new traditional attire; and offer prayers to Goddess Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth, and Lord Ganesha to guide them towards the right path and to give them the courage to conquer all fears.