Happy Tihar!

By Julia
Kathmandu, Nepal

  Move over Hanukkah, there's another Festival of Lights in town!  It's Tihar time in Nepal: the streets are ablaze with candles, the doorways are strewn with marigolds, and the air is filled with the clanging of tambourines and shouting of well-wishers.  Groups of children run excitedly door to door singing in exchange for treats or a few rupees.  It's like a combination of Halloween and Christmas - so you can imagine how awesome it is...

One of the many doorstep shrines to Laxmi; the footsteps help guide the goddess into worshiper's homes

Businesses decorate their doorways with marigolds 

  Tihar, known as Diwali in India, celebrates the Hindu goddess Laxmi.  Laxmi is in charge of prosperity and wealth, so Tihar time is ripe for gambling, shopping and eating of sweets.  Various animals are worshiped during the three day festival - including dogs, who normally fall at the bottom of the Nepal chain of R-E-S-P-E-C-T.  But during Tihar time, they get fed well and are even give wreaths of marigold and tikka, a mark of powder on the forehead.

Even street dogs are special on Tihar

 Walking through the streets during Tihar is magical.  At dusk, everyone in our neighborhood came out to their doorstep to decorate their glowing shrine to guide Laxmi (and her luck for wealth) into their homes.  The shrines contain colored powder, flowers, fruits, rice and candles.  They ranged from simple offerings to elaborate, artistic expressions.  Above the shrines, multi-colored twinkle lights dangle from every building and garlands of marigolds hang from the doorways of homes, restaurants and shops.

A boy lights the doorstep shrine

  It isn't a wedding, but as we are leaving the subcontinent on Monday without having attended one, it will have to do.  Luckily, the next post will be our Nepal's whitewater adventure!