Dasain is the biggest festival of the Nepali calendar running for 15 days throughout October. It is a primarily family affair, so we as mere tourists haven't seen all that much. Until today!
Today is the 8th day of a 15 day long festival and the start of big celebrations in the main square and around the town. Be warned, Dasain is a bloody festival. There are many sacrifices to the angry Goddess, Durga, she is a terrible incarnation of the much more pleasant Parvati.
Over the course of several days there are buffalo, goat, chicken and duck sacrifices with the blood being used in a ritualistic way to bless temples, shrines, cars, motorbikes and houses.
There was a ceremony today in a side square where the fearsome Gurkha soldiers are selected to sacrifice buffalo in the square to music and drums using their Kukri knife, which is also ceremonial. They have to slice of the head in one blow to show how hardcore they are.
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| Just in case we were unsure as to where to stand |
We thankfully missed the ceremony, we heard the drums a little late and went round to see what the kerfuffle was about and found many, many (think 15/20) buffalo heads on the floor!
On the way to the square, we did witness a goat sacrifice. We saw the crowd, and joined them. There was one goat and 3 men holding it down. The man with the knife counted to 3 and.... BANG!!! 3 soldiers that we hadn't seen let off their guns into the air at the same time! I nearly had a heart attack, I did not expect that!
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| Goat with head still attached. We do have the after photo, but we thought it was a bit much! |
In a less bloody ritual, families were queuing round the whole square and out into the street to offer
puja (prayers and offerings) to the Gods in the main temple in the square. Women would carry their puja plate with all the different offerings of
tika (red powder that is put on the forehead to symbolise the all seeing 3rd eye), food to feed the Gods, flowers (normally carnations), money, milk and a lit butter candle. All of these items are placed on the shrines and the person receives
prasad (holy food) back from their offering to share with their family.
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| So many people que |
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| An example of a Puja plate. Swastikas have been used in Hinduism for millenia, it means peace. |
We joined in and offered our puja to Bhairab, another fearsome God that Nepali people seem to favour, he is the aggressive incrnation of Lord Shiva (the destroyer). We gained our Tika and threw small flowers in our hair and revelled in the holiday spirit!
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| Puja offered at a small shrine. Yep the red stuff at the top is blood... |
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| Offerings that are left outside peoples houses are unceremoniously swept up into a pile, probably to be burnt later in the day... |
We'd not seen the square so full, vibrant and happy. We can't wait to do it all again tomorrow!
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