Tihar
On the first day of Tihar my “aama” said to me, we are not
celebrating Tihar this year. Their had been a death in the family. but i celebrated tihar festival with my sister.
On the second day of Tihar my sister and I put a “tika” on our dog “Bullet”. In the words of my older sister,”We spend all year kicking the dog and neglecting it. This is the day we give back to it and worship it’s every move.” The ceremony involved giving the dog a bath (which he didn’t like) and oil being flicked at him. When it came time to put the “tika” we decorated dog by putting tika in his body.
The third day of Tihar is Laxmi Puja. On this day i came home to a flower design where our front gate is. From the flower their was a streak of brown mud, which i later found out is diluted cow dung mixed with red clay. The streak ran through the house to the beautiful shrine room on the third floor. It is disrespectful to step over the mixture. My mom brought me to the third floor where we ate sweet breads and fruit. Without explanation i realize this can sound complicated but I want to convey the constant state of confusion i was in while celebrating.
On the last day of Tihar I had an emotional ceremony exchanging “tika” with my older sister. The purposes is for long life and to physically act out the bond between brother and sister. It was similar to the procedure used for the dog. After the “puja” or worship we ate a ridiculous amount of sweets and food. My aama prepared a Nepali feast the likes of which I have never seen but felt like the early dinners Im used to during the holiday season. All together my experience with Tihar was very valuable.
On the second day of Tihar my sister and I put a “tika” on our dog “Bullet”. In the words of my older sister,”We spend all year kicking the dog and neglecting it. This is the day we give back to it and worship it’s every move.” The ceremony involved giving the dog a bath (which he didn’t like) and oil being flicked at him. When it came time to put the “tika” we decorated dog by putting tika in his body.
The third day of Tihar is Laxmi Puja. On this day i came home to a flower design where our front gate is. From the flower their was a streak of brown mud, which i later found out is diluted cow dung mixed with red clay. The streak ran through the house to the beautiful shrine room on the third floor. It is disrespectful to step over the mixture. My mom brought me to the third floor where we ate sweet breads and fruit. Without explanation i realize this can sound complicated but I want to convey the constant state of confusion i was in while celebrating.
On the last day of Tihar I had an emotional ceremony exchanging “tika” with my older sister. The purposes is for long life and to physically act out the bond between brother and sister. It was similar to the procedure used for the dog. After the “puja” or worship we ate a ridiculous amount of sweets and food. My aama prepared a Nepali feast the likes of which I have never seen but felt like the early dinners Im used to during the holiday season. All together my experience with Tihar was very valuable.
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