What is Dashain?
Dashain — also spelled Dasain or Dashera — is rooted in the Hindu myth of Durga's ten-day battle against the buffalo demon Mahishasura, culminating in her victory on the tenth day (Dashami). The festival is observed across Nepal's hills, mountains and Tarai with regional variations in ritual, food and dress. For many Nepali families it is the most important occasion of the year: government offices, schools and most businesses close for the core days, and millions of people travel home from abroad or from cities to be with their families.
The fifteen-day arc of the festival
The festival follows the waxing moon (shukla paksha) of the Nepali month of Ashwin. The first day, Ghatasthapana, involves planting barley seeds in a clay pot (ghata) in a sacred room, where they are tended over nine days to produce the yellow-green jamara used in tika blessings. The middle days include Phulpati, when royal flowers are brought from Gorkha, and the intense worship periods of Maha Ashtami and Maha Navami, when large animal sacrifices are traditionally performed at temples. Vijaya Dashami, the tenth day, is when elders apply a red-and-white tika to the foreheads of younger family members, accompanied by jamara and dakshina (gift money), an act of blessing that can continue until Kojagrat Purnima.
Tika, jamara and family visits
Receiving tika from parents and grandparents on Vijaya Dashami is the emotional heart of Dashain. The tika mixture — made from red vermilion, yoghurt and rice — is placed on the forehead, and a few strands of homegrown jamara are tucked behind the ear. Recipients then seek blessings in turn from progressively senior relatives, sometimes visiting dozens of households over the five-day tika period. Many Nepalis abroad plan their most important homecoming specifically around Vijaya Dashami so they do not miss this ritual.
Festive traditions: kites, swings and feasts
Throughout Dashain the skies above Kathmandu and other Nepali towns fill with kites, as flying kites is a traditional way to enjoy the clear post-monsoon weather. Bamboo swings (ping) are erected in village squares, and families prepare lavish meals featuring meat — particularly goat or buffalo — which may be sacrificed at home or purchased specially for the occasion. New clothes are a central part of the celebration: it is common to buy and wear a new outfit on Vijaya Dashami. The festival's festive atmosphere also extends to card games and social gatherings that continue well into the tika period.
Planning around Dashain
Not every date within the Dashain span carries an automatic nationwide public holiday; the official government holiday list covers specific days, so checking the holiday column separately is important when planning travel or events. Businesses, banks and government services can be intermittent during the extended festival period, and transport out of Kathmandu is heavily booked in the days before Vijaya Dashami. Ritual times such as the auspicious moment (subha muhurta) for tika vary each year and should be confirmed through a local patro or pandit.