Dashain or Bada'dashain, also known as Vijaya Dashami in Sanskrit, is a Hindu religious festival in Nepal, Sikkim, West Bengal, Assam, South India, and Sri Lanka.
The longest festival in the Bikram Sambat and Nepal Sambat annual calendars, it is celebrated by Nepali Hindus and their diaspora. In Nepal, the 15-day festival is the country's longest. People return from all parts of the world and different parts of the country to celebrate together.[[1] ]
Etymology
Vaḍādaśain̐ (वडादशैँ) is a Nepali
sandhi.
Bbaḍā (बडा) means "important";
daśa͠i (दशैं) means "tenth", implying the most-significant final day of the festival of
Durga Puja and celebrating the dawn after
Navaratri (nine nights). The word
Dashain is derived from the Sanskrit word
dashami, denoting the 12th day of Kaula in this context.
Significance
For followers of
Shaktism, Dashain represents the victory of
Durga over
Mahishasura (who had terrorised the devas and usurped their abode,
Svarga).
The festival's first nine days symbolize the battle between different manifestations of Durga and Mahishasura; on the tenth day, Durga is victorious.
Day 1: Ghatasthapana
Ghatasthapana (घटस्थापना; "sowing
jamara") is celebrated by
Jhijhiya folk dancing across Mithila in
Madhesh Province as the beginning of Dashain.
A
kalasha (pot) symbolizes Durga. It is filled with holy water in which barley seeds are sown, and placed in the center of a rectangular sand block. The remaining bed of sand is also seeded with grains. A priest begins the
puja by asking Durga to bless the vessel with her presence. The ritual is performed at an astrologically determined time,
and Durga is believed to reside in the vessel during Navaratri.
The puja room is known as the Dashain Ghar, which is traditionally closed to outsiders. The kalasha is worshiped in the morning and evening, and is kept away from direct sunlight.
Day 7: Phulpati
Phulpati (फूलपाती) is celebrated on the seventh day of Dashain.
Phulpati is made up of two words:
phūl (flower) and
pātī (leaf).
On this day the Phulpati (the kalasha, banana stalks, Jamara, and sugar cane tied with red cloth) is brought by Magars from Gorkha District three-day walk, about from the Kathmandu Valley. Hundreds of formally-dressed government officials gather on the Tundikhel ground for the event. The President observed the ceremony at Tundikhel, and the Phulpati parade marched towards the Hanuman Dhoka complex. The Nepali Army fires a 10- to 15-minute feu de joie and a 21-gun salute, followed by a military parade. The Phulpati is brought to the Hanuman Dhoka palace.
Since 2001,when the royal family was overthrown, the two-century-old tradition has changed and the Phulpati goes to the residence of the president. The president assumed the king's social and religious roles after the end of the monarchy, in addition to being commander-in-chief of the army. The Phulpati parade at Tundikhel is still held as an expression of army loyalty to Nepali traditions and culture.
In other cities and towns across Nepal and India, a Phulpati procession takes place. Flowers, fruit and holy symbols are tied in a red cloth, which is covered with a red shawl and carried on a decorated log. Townspeople offer flowers and fruit as the procession passes their houses,
Day 8: Maha Asthami
The eighth day is called
Maha Asthami. This is the day when the most fierce of Goddess Durga's manifestations, the
Kali, is appeased through the
Animal sacrifice of buffaloes, goats, hens, and ducks in temples throughout the nation. Blood, symbolic of its fertility, is offered to the Goddesses. Appropriately enough, the night of this day is called
Kalaratri (Black Night), after the form of Durga worshipped on this day. 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 Kathmandu Durbar Square, as well as the presidential palace, is active throughout the night with worship and sacrifices in almost every courtyard.
On midnight of the very day of the Dashain, a total of 54 buffaloes and 54 goats are sacrificed in observance of the rites. After the offering of the blood, the meat is taken home and cooked as "prasad", or food blessed by divinity. This food is offered in tiny leaf plates to the household gods, and then distributed amongst the family. Eating this food is thought to be auspicious. While the puja is being carried out, great feasts are held in the homes of common people. On this day the Newar has an event called "Khadga Puja" where they do puja of their weapons. It is when they put on tika and get blessings from elders.
Day 9: Maha Navami
The ninth day of Dashain is Maha Navami, "the great ninth day". The last day of Navaratri, ceremonies and rituals reach a peak. On this day, official ritual sacrifices of the Nepal Armed Forces are held in both one of the Hanuman Dhoka royal palaces, the Kot courtyard grounds, and in the presidential palace yard.
On Maha Navami, Durga is celebrated. Artisans, craftsmen, traders, drivers and mechanics worship and offer animal and fowl blood to their tools, equipment, and vehicles. The Taleju Temple gates are opened to the general public only on this day, and thousands of devotees pay their respects to the goddess.
Day 10: Bijaya Dashami
The tenth day of the festival is the
Vijayadashami. On this day, a mixture of
rice,
yogurt and
vermilion is prepared which is known as "tika". Dashain tika time
differs by year. Elders put this
tika and
jamara on the forehead of younger relatives to bless them with abundance in the future. Red symbolizes the blood that ties the family and community together.
Day 11: Papakunsha Ekadashi
Ekadashi is the eleventh day of the lunar fortnight in the Hindu calendar, and people usually fast, while others continue visiting relatives and receiving the tika from the day before. The day after Bijaya Dashami is known as
Papakunsha Ekadashi (पापकुंश एकादशी). On this day, it is customary to listen to Papakunsha Ekadashi stories and visit religious sites.
Donating objects such as gold, sesame, barley, grain, soil, umbrellas, and shoes on this day is believed to lead to heaven after death.
Day 15: Kojagrat Purnima
festival's last day, on the full-moon day, is known as Kojagrat Purnima ( कोजाग्रत पूर्णिमा) or
Sharad Purnima. The literal meaning of Kojagrat is "who is awake".
Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth, is worshipped because it is believed that she descends to earth and showers whoever is awake all night with prosperity. Activities that night include playing cards.
Animal sacrifice is common, as the festival commemorates the bloody battles between divine and demonic powers. Proponents interpret it as the symbolic sacrifice of animal qualities, and those opposed to animal sacrifice call it an excuse to satisfy the appetite for meat.
Related traditions
Music
Malshree dhun has been incorporated into mainstream Nepalese music as the music of Dashain, announcing that the festival has begun. It is some of the oldest surviving
Newa-language devotional music, originating in the 17th century.
Mantras
While putting
Tilaka on younger family members, elders usually recite
Sanskrit as a blessing. Two main mantras are recited while applying tikas on Bijaya Dashami: one for men and one for women.
In the male mantra, the qualities of mythical Hindu heroes (such as Yudhishthira and Balarama) and antiheroes (Ashwatthama and Duryodhana) are extolled.
| +Mantra for men and boys
!IAST
!English translation |
| | |
The female mantra worships women as various form of goddess
Durga.
| +Mantra for women and girls
!IAST
!English translation |
| | |
In addition to these mantras, other blessings for good health and fortune are given.
Games and carnivals
As Dashain approaches, kite-flying becomes more common. Kites are considered one way of reminding God to stop sending rain.
During the festival, people of all ages fly kites from their roofs. Colourful kites and voices shouting "
changā chet" (when a person cuts another's kite string) fill the days. Playing cards is another way of celebrating Dashain.
swings are built in many parts of the country, and Dashain swings are known as
ping in Nepali.
The swings, made with traditional methods, are normally constructed a week before Ghatasthapanathe first day of Navratriand dismantled after the festival of Tihar (which follows Dashain). The height of some swings exceeds twenty feet, and they are especially popular with children.
Fairs and celebrations are organized during the festival. Small village fairs have Ferris wheels for children and other entertainment for adults. In the city, commercial fairs and celebrations are usually held.
Shopping
Buying and wearing new clothes is an important part of Dashain. Many people in the villages are poor, and new clothes are synonymous with Dashain for them.
Almost all shops have festival discounts, and clothing has its highest sales during the festival.
Feasts
Thousands of animals, including
African buffalo,
, and
Sheep, are slaughtered during Dashain every year. It is believed that the goddesses are appeased by the sacrifices. Almost all the temples, especially the Durga and
Kali temples, receive thousands of sacrifices. Ashtami and Navami are the days when the sacrifices peak. Thousands of animals are sacrificed to appease the goddesses, and people also slaughter animals for feasts. Since many feasts and gatherings are organized throughout the festival's fifteen days, demand for meat increases considerably.
Dashain abroad
Bhutan
Dashain was declared a national holiday in
Bhutan in 1980.
It is celebrated by the country's Hindu community, and is a major
Lhotshampa festival. The king of Bhutan offers the Dashain tika to representatives of the Hindu community at the Devi Panchayan Mandir in
Thimphu every year, and tika and royal blessings are sent to other
dzongkhags across the country. The king also offers prayers to Durga at the Hindu temple.
White tika is used.
India
Dashain is celebrated by
Nepali language-speaking communities in
Darjeeling,
Sikkim and
Assam. The Gorkhaland movement increased the importance of the Dashain and Tihar festivals. A red tika is used.
Nepalese people working in India return
en masse during the festival, causing congestion in border areas.
Myanmar
Myanmar has a Nepali-speaking population of about 100,000 people. Fewer animal sacrifices are made during Dashain, and tika is traditionally offered to descendants of the
Konbaung dynasty. Kite-flying is uncommon.
Criticism
Dashain is criticized for its animal sacrifice,
and
have been registered on Change.org calling for government action against it. Many animals and birds are ritually slaughtered, especially on the festival's eighth and ninth days.
Birds and animals traditionally sacrificed include goats, buffaloes, sheep, chickens, and ducks.
Thousands of animals are traded to sacrifice for meat.
Animal-welfare activists have called for the use of pumpkins and coconuts instead of birds and animals.
National figures and animal-rights activists have expressed concern about animal cruelty during Dashain. On 3 October 2016, Nepali comedian Hari Bansha Acharya wrote a satirical piece for Saptahik entitled " Euta Khasiko Aatmakatha" ("Autobiography of a Goat") in light of the exploitation of animals during the festival.
Indigenous groups ( adivasi janajati) have said that Dashain is imposed on them by the state. To resist what they see as cultural domination by the Hindu elite who dominate Nepal, several organizations have organized a boycott of the festival. The campaigns have had limited effect, since Dashain and other cultural celebrations are ingrained in Nepalese society.
Books
External links
