Shuba Tihar!

Happy Tihar! Nepal has spent the past five days celebrating Tihar (also known as Dipawali), the Hindu festival of lights. It has been a beautiful few days physically and spiritually. I've learned so much about preparing and performing pujas, honoring/worshiping different animals and gods, celebrating brothers, cooking, and of course eating a huge abundance of sweets. To learn more about the festival, read here. It's really quite interesting. Seeing the city a lit with candles, "christmas" stringed lights, and hearing the kids go door-to-door singing (in return for sweets/money, very halloween-esque!) has been quite wondrous and special.

Days 1 & 2: Kag and Kukur (Crow and Dog)

Dogs are given orange garlands around their necks and red tikas on their foreheads. Even the strays all looked like little kings :)

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Day 3: Laxmi Puja --- 
Goddess of Wealth.

The morning began by Riju and me stringing marigold garlands.

Then, we made lots of sel-roti, a traditional newari dessert. It's basically a deep-fried donut. It's supposed to have a nice circular, onion-ring type shape. This is what mine looked like:

At the entrance of the home, a red mud symbolic footprint is designed on the floor and leads to the Puja room (which, interestingly enough, is directly behind the head of my bed). This puja room is unique for it is only used for this one-day Laxmi Puja. Interesting Note! Inside there is a basin of water that is refilled every year. If the water level decreases in a year, then it is said that the house has lost money.

Platter of offerings for Laxmi

Puja is performed using flowers, incense, oil lamps, color-powders, and money.

Day 4: Mha Puja
worshiping one's inner self (Newars)

Also: Newari New Year! 1132.  whoop whoop.

"Making offerings to one's self to strengthen mind, speech and body to be able to work with vigor for the whole year. The essence of making self-offerings is that every human has a guardian spirit in him/her. In other words, every human possess with the divine spirit and s/he needs to revere it at least once a year. The Newar community does it on the first day of the New Year. Such an offering stimulates the hidden spirit in a human, and then energizes him/her to be active for a year. Therefore, philosophy of performing worship to self is to empower him/her for fighting against evil spirits, diseases and for making fortunes in the year." (More info...)

Preparing the Puja site, this time in the kitchen. 

Making Mandala designs is surprisingly difficult.

 Inside each flower is a ring of oil, rice, wheat, fruit and other bits of earth.

To perform Mha Puja, there were many different steps including throwing the tika bits, lighting candles pointed towards me, a burning string indicating if I'd have long life, and finally the foods on the platter were offered to me. Meto thiyo!

Day 5: Bhai Tika --- Brothers

A celebration of brothers and sisters! Sisters pray to the god of the underworld, Yama raj, to give long life and prosperity to brothers. 

Riju and I gave Sagar dai tika, mala (a necklace of flowers), and other offered foods as part of the Puja. Also, check out that crow on the floor. kasto ek dam raamro chha.

Since today's Puja was performed in the early afternoon, the day consisted of us lounging around, eating so many snacks/sweets, and playing cards. Oh, I would also like to point out that Sagar dai offered Riju di and me paisa ($), too. So much gift giving and luv!

I really enjoy the festivals here in Nepal. They epitomize showing honor, respect, and love through actions and not just words.  Family time is quality time. Gifts, food, and money are exchanged but in a respectful and not overly-abundant way.  It feels "right" to honor the animals and how we fit into this world.