September 26, 2014

Happy Dashain!

Flower petals in their hair and dabs of red paint on their foreheads (called ‘tikas’) mark the start of this 15-day long festival for these Nepali students.

The Hindu festival Dashain is Nepal’s biggest holiday. Schools and offices close, people in the city return to their home villages, and families pull out their finest attire and food! Dashain commemorates the victory of the Hindu gods in a war against demons. Traditions include eating goat meat (which is generally reserved for special occasions here) and kite-flying competitions in which children attempt to cut down each other’s kites by pulling hard on the strings. Who will be the last kite standing???

Look for more posts over the next 15 days to show the various festivities of Dashain!