Today is the 10^th  and the last day of one of the most important festivals of Nepal which is Dashain. Dashain is the main festival of Hindus however it is celebrated by almost all the people of Nepal regardless of the religion in one way or the other. Dahain symbolizes victory of good over evil. Historically, Dashain is celebrated as victory of Goddess Durga against devil Mahisashura. Dashain is celebrated mainly ten days.

At the first day which is called 'Ghatasthapana', people sow maize, rice or wheat in a small tray of soil which is called 'Jamara'. This jamara is used in the tenth day which is called 'tika'. In this day, the elder ones put tika ( mixture of rice, red color and curd) on forehead and give jamara as blessings to their younger ones. On the seventh day called 'Fulpati' gods are worshipped with flowers. On the eighth day, 'Astami', people worship gods and there is the practice of giving sacrifices of animals which is slowly being discarded by the younger generations. This festival carries the glory of meeting relatives and gathering of family members who are away from home. The general practice of eating good food and wearing new clothes prevail festival long. There are lots of good aspects of this festival. However, environment pollution through food wastage, overeating, eating unhealthy and getting sick are seen frequently. Its high time people in Nepal were made aware of the pollution being created during the festivals and also about the health hazards. Let us hope people will be more self conscious about their health and more responsible towards the environment in days to come. Happy Dashain Everyone!

Picture no. 1 Tika and jamara

Picture no.2 Putting tika