An illuminating time in Nepal: 19-10-2007
Visit Nepal towards the end of October, and you will be witness to the beautiful sight of hundreds of tiny lamps and candles decorating the streets to celebrate Tihar, or The Festival of Lights.
Tihar is the second largest festival in Nepal, and arguably the most dazzling, with five days devoted to the worship of Laxmi, the goddess of wealth, and Yama, the lord of death.
Nepalis believe that the cleanest house will be entered by the goddess and they scour their houses accordingly, sometimes even giving them a fresh coat of paint. Natives also illuminate their homes with all manner of lights to attract Laxmi.
Each of the five days has a special ritual associated with it, with animals honoured and rewarded for the work they do serving humans. On the first day, food is left outside for the crows for their messenger services. The second day honours dogs, which act as guards and the animals are decorated with tikas and garlands. The third day sees the cow decorated and worshipped as the national animal of Nepal.
Following this, families feast together and siblings swap presents and tikas on Bhai Tika day in the hopes of blessing one another with longevity.
Tourists are also likely to see firecrackers hurled inn the streets and gambling taking place - the only time when games of chance are permitted in Nepal. Groups of girls also go from house to house singing songs to Laxmi and the celebrations go on long into the night.
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