'Dashain\r'

'Dashain (???? ) is the 15- mean solar twenty-four hours national ( sacred) fete of Nepal,[2] It is the longest and the nigh auspicious fete in the Nepalese yearbook calendar, renowned by Nepalese Hindu of on the whole castes through stunned the globe. It is not s cashbox the longest festival of the country still is in addition the unmatched which is to the highest degree anticipated. The festival f onlys around Septemberâ€October, scratch from the aglitter(predicate) lunar fortnight and ending on the mean solar twenty-four hours of encompassing moon. Dasain is also popularly referred to as Bada Dasain, Dashera, Vijaya Dashami etc.Throughout the country the goddess Durga in tout ensemble her manifestations is worshiped with innumerable pujas, galore(postnominal) offerings and thou gumptions of animal consecrates for the ritual of holy bathing, drenching the goddess for geezerhood in blood. This festival is also cognise for its violence on the family gatherin gs, as well as on a re untriedal of society ties. [2] People accrue from each(prenominal) parts of the world, as well as different parts of the country, to celebrate together. [2] totally told(prenominal) regime offices, educational institutions and different offices remain closed during the festival period.Dashain commemorates the victories of the god and goddesses allplace the hellers. IT symbolizes the victory of the grave everyplace the evil. Mahishasura, a fiend, had created terror in the dev-lok (the world of gods). All the gods and saints prayed to the Adi-Shakti in order to kill Mahishasura, Goddess came as Durga emerged and killed the demon thusly saving everyone from terror. [3][4][5] The first nine age of Dashain symbolizes the battle which took place between the different manifestations of goddess Durga and the demon Mahishasura. The tenth solar day is the day when Durga finally foiled Mahishasura.Goddess Durga is worshipped throughout the country as prophesy mformer(a) goddess. Throughout the festival population net homage to the various forms of the Supreme Goddess, Durga. The festival is authorised since it reminds everyone of the universal principles of truth, justice and virtue that must check over deception, injus-tice and wickedness. It is believed that if she is worshiped properly and pleased then(prenominal) good luck is bound to happen. However, if the goddess is angered through inadvertence then misfortunes be said to happen. Dashain is the biggest festival for the Hindus.The following of Shakta cult take it as the day of travel of demon Mahishasur by goddess Durga. For non-Shakta Hindus, this festival symbolizes the victory of Rama over Ravana, the characters of the epic Ramayana. The Buddhists re particle this day as emperor Ashoka of the Indian subcontinent abandoned violence on this day and entered the path of Buddhism. In the Kathmandu Valley, among the Newars, the festival is cognise as â€Å"Mohanee ”, with slight difference in rituals and significance, thus more than often eras conf holdd with the Dasain. solar day 1: Ghatasthapana The tika (in red color) and jamara (green color) used in Dashain.Ghatasthapana marks the graduation exercise of Dasain. [6] It literally means installing a locoweed which symbolizes Goddess Shakti. It falls on Aswin Shukla Pratipada, the first day of the bright half of the lunar calendar in the calendar month of Ashvin. On this day the kalasha is filled with holy pissing which is then covered with cow dung and run up with barley gullds. Then, the kalasha is put in the center of a rectangular sand block. The remaining bed of sand is also seeded with grains. The priest then starts the puja by calling goddess Durga to devote the vessel with her presence.This ritual is performed at a certain auspicious time which is inflexible by the astrologers. [7] Goddess Shakti is believed to reside in the Kalash vessel during the Navratri period. The agency where all this is done is known as the ‘Dasain Ghar’. Generally, outsiders and women ar not allowed to enter the Dasain Ghar. A male family member worships the Kalasha twice every day, once in the agepring and then in the evening. It is unploughed away from aspire sunlight,[8] and holy water is offered to it every day, so that by the tenth day of the festival the seed give discombobulate grown to five or six round inches long yellow grass.This sacred grass is known as ‘Jamara’. These rituals continue till the seventh day. twenty-four hours 7: Fulpati Fulpati is a major festivity occurring on the seventh day of Dasain. On this day the jamara to be used by the august family is brought from Gorkha palace, their ancestral house. The Fulpati (jamara and the other items that is necessary for tika) is brought after a three day walk from Gorkha district which is about hundred and lux nine kilometers away from the valley of Kathmandu. A march i s held in the Tundikhel ground in Kathmandu. 9] The royal Kalasha, banana stalks, jamara and the sugar cane tied with red framework is brought by the Brahmans from Gorkha which is led by the royal priests forces platoon. Hundreds of government officials gather together in the Tundikhel grand in conventional formal dress to obtain the event. The king observes the ceremony in Tundikhel while the fulpati abut is headed towards the Hanuman Dhoka royal palace. Then there is a majestic display of the Nepalese Army on with a celebratory firing of weapons that continues for ten to fifteen minutes honoring Fulpati.The Fulpati is taken to the Hanuman Dhoka august palace by the time the occasion ends in Tundikhel. However, since 2008 when the monarchy administration was removed from the country, the two-century old tradition is changed so that the holy offering of fulpati goes to the residence of the peak Minister. The Prime Minister has taken over the kings social and ghostly roles after the fall of the royal government, as he is believed to be ruling the nation and not the king. Day 8: Maha Asthami The eighth day is called the ‘Maha Asthami.This is the day when the to the highest degree demonic of Goddess Durga’s manifestations, the blood-thirsty Kali, is appeased through the sacrifice of hundreds of thousands of buffaloes, goats, pigeons and ducks in temples throughout the nation. Blood, symbolic for its fertility, is offered to the Goddesses. Appropriately enough, the night of this day is called Kal Ratri (Black Night). It is also the norm for buffaloes to be sacrificed in the courtyards of all the land revenue offices in the country on this day. The old palace in Basantapur Hanuman Dhoka, is spry throughout the night with worships and sacrifices in almost every courtyard.On the midnight of the very day the Dasain Ghar, a total of 54 buffaloes and 54 goats ar sacrificed in observance of the rites. afterward the offering of the blood, the m eat is taken home and cooked as â€Å"prasad”, or sustenance blessed by divinity. This food is offered, in tiny leaf plates, to the household Gods, then distributed amongst the family. Eating this food is thought to be auspicious. part the puja is being carried out great feasts be held in the homes of common mint. Day 9: Maha Navami People standing(a) in queue to visit the Taleju Bhawani MandirThe ninth day is called Maha-navami which literally means the great ninth day. This day is the last day of Navarati. Ceremonies and rituals reach the peak on this day. On this day, official military ritual killings ar held in one of the Hanuman Dhoka royal palace called the Kot courtyard. On this occasion, the state offers the sacrifices of buffaloes under the gunfire salutes. This day is also known as the demon-hunting day because members of the discomfited demon army try to save themselves by hiding in the bodies of animals and track downs.On this day the Vishwakarma, the god of creative have in minding is also worshiped as it believed that all the things which sponsor is in making a living should be kept happy. Artisans, craftsmen, traders, and mechanics worship and offer animal and fowl blood to their tools, equipment, and vehicles. Moreover, since it is believed that worshipping the vehicles on this day avoids accidents for the year all the vehicles from bikes, cars to trucks are worshiped on this day. The Taleju Temple gates are opened for the general unrestricted on only this day of the year. Thousands of devotees go and pay respect to the goddess this day.The temple is filled with devotees all day long. [10] Day 10: Dashami An elder member of the family putting Tika to the younger one The tenth day of the festival is the ‘Dashami. On this day, a mixture of rice, yogurt and vermilion is prepared by the women. This preparation is known as â€Å"tika”. Elders put this tika and jamara which is fasten in the ghatasthapana on the forehead of younger relatives to bless them with abundance in the upcoming years. The red also symbolizes the blood that ties the family together. Elders give â€Å"Dakshina”, or a small(a) amount of money, to younger relatives at this time along with the blessings.This continues to be observed for five old age till the full moon dur-ing which period families and relatives visit each other to exchange gifts and greetings. This ritual of taking tika from all the elder relatives (even the distant relatives)helps in the renewal of the community ties greatly. This is one reason why the festival is celebrated with so much of vigor and enthusiasm. Before the demote of the monarchy system in Nepal, thousands of battalion ranging from the ministers, diplomats and general commonplace used to gather in the old royal palace to take the tika and blessing from the king who is considered to be the incarnation of Lord Vishnu.However after the collapse of the monarchy system the president of the country who is considered the head of the state has been continue the trend by offering the tika to the general public and ministers. [11] The last day of the festival which lies on the full moon day is called ‘Kojagrata Purnima. The literal meaning of Kojagrata is ‘who is awake. On this day Goddess Laxmi who is believed to be the goddess of wealth is worshiped as it believed that goddess Laxmi descends on earth and showers whoever is awake all night with wealth and prosperity. People enjoy over the night by playing tease and many more.Animal sacrifices are often the norms during this time, as the festival commemorates the mythical bloody battles between the â€Å"divine” and â€Å"demonic” powers. The proponents of animal sacrifice experience that this sacrificial act as the symbolic sacrifice of our animal qualities, but those who are compassionate to the sacrificed victims think otherwise stressing that the sacrificial act is nothing but an excuse to fulfill the appetite for food/meat. [12] Forms of festivity 1. One gets to know that Dasain is around the corner when they see kites all over the sky.Flying kites has been a very strategic part of celebrating Dasain in the country as it is considered to be one way of reminding god not to send rain anymore. [13] Not only the children of the family but during the festival you can see people of all ages in their roofs flying kites. Colorful kites of different shapes and voices shouting out ‘Changa Chet (this phrase is usually used when one is prospered in cutting the other persons kite) fill the days during the festival. 2. Playing cards is another way of celebrating Dasain. sport is illegal in the country but it is usually permitted in public places only during this festival. 13] While children are busy flying kites during Dasain, the older members of the family pass their time by getting together and playing cards with each other for money and fun all day long. 3. Buying and wearing new clothing is an important part of the festival. As many people are living in the villages and are to a lower place the poverty line and for them it is often the case that new clothes come only with Dasain. [13] Almost all the shops in the country have festival offers and discounts. This makes shop more attractive to people. Clothes is the item which has the highest sales during the festival. 10] Children playing on traditional bamboo cuttings 4. Bamboo swings are constructed in many parts of the country as a way of celebration. These bamboo swings is called ‘ping in Nepali. These kind of swings present the outstrip of local culture, tradition, community spirit and fun. [14] These swings are constructed with the help of community members using traditional methods which make the use of ropes made from tough grass, bamboo sticks and wood etc. Theses swings are normally constructed a week before Ghatasthapana and destruct only after the festival of Tihar whic h comes after Dasain.Heights of some swings exceed twenty feet and one can swing really high. One can see people of all ages enjoying in the swing. It is especially famous with the children. 5. disparate kinds of fairs and celebration events are also organized during the festival. unremarkably small fairs are organized in the villages with the Ferris wheels for children and other items of entertainment for the adults. However, in the city it is the commercial fairs and celebration events that is usually organized. 6. Thousands of animals such as buffaloes,ducks,he-goats, etc. are slaughtered in Dasain every year.It has been considered an important ritual since it is believed that the goddesses are appeased by such sacrifices. Almost all the temples, specially the Durga and Kali temples of the country are offered with thousands of sacrifices. Asthami and Navami are the days where the sacrifices reach the peak. While thousands of animals are sacrificed to appease the goddesses, peop le also slaughter animals for the purpose of feasts. Since a expectant number of feasts and gatherings are organized throughout the fifteen days of the festival, the demand for meat goes up considerably.Hence to meet the demands the slaughtering of animals becomes considerably high and necessary during the festival. However, for the past few years the animal rights activists in the country have been continuously opposing these acts of slaughtering of animals in such a manner. They have been requesting people to stop such inhuman acts of killing the innocent animals and instead have suggested them to offer fruits and vegetables to the Goddesses since they believe that it is mentioned no where in the Hindu religious books that such sacrifices appease the gods and goddesses.\r\n'