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🔴What is Dashain?
Dashain, also called Bada Dashain or Vijaya Dashami, is Nepal's longest and most important festival. It runs for fifteen days during the lunar month of Ashwin (September–October) and brings the entire country to a standstill. Government offices close for over a week, millions of people travel from cities back to their home villages, and families who haven't seen each other all year reunite for tika and jamara.
At its heart, Dashain celebrates the triumph of good over evil, specifically the goddess Durga's victory over the demon Mahishasura. It is a festival of blessings, of ancestral connection, of coming home.
📅 Dashain 2083 at a glance: Begins Ashwin 25, 2083 (Sun, Oct 11, 2026) with Ghatasthapana. Main Vijaya Dashami tika day is Kartik 4, 2083 (Wed, Oct 21, 2026) at 11:53 AM NST. Ends Kartik 8, 2083 (Sun, Oct 25, 2026) on Kojagrat Purnima.
📖The Mythology Behind Dashain
🗡️ Story 1: Durga and Mahishasura
Long ago, a buffalo demon named Mahishasura terrorized the heavens and earth. He had received a boon that no man or god could kill him. The gods, desperate, combined their divine energies to create a supreme goddess, Durga. Armed with weapons gifted by each deity, Durga fought Mahishasura for nine days. On the tenth day, Vijaya Dashami, she finally slew him. That tenth day, Dashami, became the day of victory (Vijaya). Hence: Vijaya Dashami.
🏹 Story 2: Rama's Victory
In the Ramayana tradition, Dashain also commemorates the day Lord Rama defeated the demon king Ravana after ten days of battle. Before the decisive battle, Rama worshipped Goddess Durga for nine nights (Navaratri) to seek her blessings. His victory on the tenth day reinforced the sacred significance of Vijaya Dashami, the day good finally, definitively overcomes evil.
🗓️Every Day of Dashain 2083 Explained
Dashain is not just one day. All fifteen days carry specific rituals, meanings and traditions that have been practised for centuries.
🌱
Ashwin 25 · Sun, Oct 11, 2026
Ghatasthapana Day 1
The official start of Dashain. Families clean the prayer room and plant barley seeds in a sacred clay pot (kalash) filled with holy sand and water. These seeds grow for nine days into jamara, the golden barley sprouts that will be placed behind ears on Vijaya Dashami as blessings. The planting must happen at an auspicious time; in 2083 the official time has not yet been announced, so check back closer to October 2026.
🌺
Kartik 1 · Sat, Oct 17, 2026
Phulpati Day 7
Sacred flowers, leaves, and plants are brought into the home and worshipped. In the Kathmandu Valley, a formal royal procession once carried flowers from Gorkha palace to the Hanuman Dhoka palace. Today, families recreate this tradition at home. Phulpati marks the point when Dashain celebrations intensify, and many families arrive in their villages on this day.
🌙
Kartik 2 · Sun, Oct 18, 2026
Maha Ashtami Day 8
Goddess Durga is worshipped in her fierce form as Kali. The night of Ashtami is called Kalratri (the dark night), when animal sacrifices are offered in temples across Nepal. The most famous are at Taleju Bhawani temple in Kathmandu's Durbar Square, which opens to the public only on this day each year. The blood offerings symbolise the defeat of evil forces.
⚔️
Kartik 3 · Mon, Oct 19, 2026
Maha Nawami Day 9
The ninth and penultimate night of worship. Weapons, including swords, khukuris, guns, and vehicles, are ritually worshipped and blessed. The Nepal Army performs the famous Phulpati procession at Tundikhel in Kathmandu. Mechanics bless their tools. Drivers bless their trucks and buses. It is a day of power, protection, and preparation.
🎊
Kartik 4 · Wed, Oct 21, 2026
Vijaya Dashami - Tika Day ⭐ Main Day
The most anticipated day of the year for millions of Nepalis. Elders apply tika (a mixture of red vermillion, rice and yoghurt) on the foreheads of younger family members, place jamara behind their ears, and give dakshina (blessed money). The blessing is accompanied by the ancient Nepali mantra wishing long life, prosperity and success. The official auspicious time in Nepal is 11:53 AM NST. Tika giving continues for five days until Kojagrat Purnima.
🌕
Kartik 8 · Sun, Oct 25, 2026
Kojagrat Purnima Day 15
The full moon marks the final day of Dashain. Goddess Laxmi is worshipped on this night. According to legend, Laxmi walks the earth asking "Ko jagrat?" (meaning "who is awake?") and blesses those she finds vigilant with wealth and good fortune. Many families stay awake late into the night, playing cards and enjoying the last night of the festival.
⏰Vijaya Dashami Tika Times 2083: Nepal & Worldwide
The Nepal Panchanga Nirnayak Samiti officially announces the auspicious tika time each year. For Vijaya Dashami 2083, the cited auspicious time is 11:53 AM Nepal Standard Time (NST) on October 21, 2026. Below are the equivalent times worldwide for the Nepali diaspora.
| Country / City | Timezone | Vijaya Dashami, Wed Oct 21, 2026 |
|---|
| 🇳🇵Nepal | NST (UTC+5:45) | 11:53 AM |
| 🇦🇺Australia (Sydney) | AEDT (UTC+11) | 4:08 PM |
| 🇺🇸USA (New York) | EDT (UTC-4) | 2:08 AM |
| 🇺🇸USA (Los Angeles) | PDT (UTC-7) | 11:08 PM (Oct 20) |
| 🇬🇧United Kingdom | BST (UTC+1) | 7:08 AM |
| 🇦🇪UAE (Dubai) | GST (UTC+4) | 10:08 AM |
| 🇶🇦Qatar | AST (UTC+3) | 9:08 AM |
| 🇯🇵Japan | JST (UTC+9) | 3:08 PM |
| 🇩🇪Germany | CEST (UTC+2) | 8:08 AM |
| 🇨🇦Canada (Toronto) | EDT (UTC-4) | 2:08 AM |
| 🇮🇳India | IST (UTC+5:30) | 11:23 AM |
| 🇸🇦Saudi Arabia | AST (UTC+3) | 9:08 AM |
Note: Many diaspora families celebrate tika at the Nepal NST time regardless of their local time, to share the moment with family back home.
🪔What is Tihar?
Tihar, also known as Deepawali or Yama Panchak, is Nepal's Festival of Lights and the country's second-biggest celebration, arriving about two weeks after Dashain. While Dashain is about family hierarchy and ancestral blessings, Tihar is a celebration of relationships: between humans and animals, between the living and the dead, between brothers and sisters.
Over five days, Tihar progressively honours crows, dogs, cows, oxen, and finally the bond between siblings. It is one of the only festivals in the world that formally celebrates and worships animals as spiritual partners of humanity.
📅 Tihar 2083 at a glance: Runs Kartik 22–26, 2083 (Nov 7–11, 2026). Laxmi Puja on Mon, Nov 9. Bhai Tika on Wed, Nov 11, 2026. Official auspicious Bhai Tika time to be announced by Nepal Panchanga Nirnayak Samiti closer to the date.
🗓️Every Day of Tihar 2083 Explained
🐦⬛
Kartik 22 · Sat, Nov 7, 2026
Kaag Tihar Day 1
The festival opens by honouring crows, often feared or seen as bad omens, but in Nepali belief crows are the messengers of Yama, the god of death and ancestral spirits. By feeding crows rice, sweets and sel roti on rooftops before sunrise, families invite good news and ward off grief. Many also believe crows carry messages from deceased ancestors, so feeding them is an act of love and remembrance.
🐕
Kartik 23 · Sun, Nov 8, 2026
Kukur Tihar Day 2
Nepal's most photographed festival day, and unique in the world: every dog, household pets and street dogs alike, is garlanded with marigold flowers, given a tika on the forehead, and offered a special meal. Dogs are honoured for their loyalty as companions and protectors, and for their spiritual role as guides to the afterlife in Hindu mythology. On this day, even the most neglected street dogs in Kathmandu receive care, flowers, and treats. The images of garlanded dogs go viral globally every year.
🐄
Kartik 23–24 · Sun/Mon, Nov 9, 2026
Gai Tihar & Laxmi Puja Day 3
In the morning, cows, sacred symbols of wealth and motherhood, are worshipped with garlands and offerings. As night falls, the real magic begins: Laxmi Puja. Homes are meticulously cleaned and decorated with elaborate rangoli (coloured powder mandalas) and rows of oil lamps (diyas) to guide Goddess Laxmi, the deity of wealth, to the door. Groups of children and youth go house to house singing Deusi and Bhailo, traditional Tihar songs, receiving money and sweets. The night sky of every Nepali city and village glows orange with thousands of tiny flames. This is Nepal's answer to Diwali, but uniquely and unmistakably Nepali.
🐂
Kartik 25 · Tue, Nov 10, 2026
Gobardhan Puja & Mha Puja Day 4
Oxen and bulls are worshipped for their essential role in Nepal's agricultural tradition. Gobardhan Puja commemorates Lord Krishna's lifting of Govardhan Hill to shelter villagers from floods. A symbolic hill is shaped from cow dung and worshipped. For the Newar community of the Kathmandu Valley, this day is especially significant: they celebrate Mha Puja (self-worship) and Nepal Sambat New Year, a ritual of honouring one's own body and soul as a vessel of the divine.
💝
Kartik 26 · Wed, Nov 11, 2026
Bhai Tika ⭐ Day 5
The most emotionally resonant day of Tihar, celebrating the bond between brothers and sisters. Sisters apply a five-coloured tika on their brothers' foreheads and garland them with marigolds and makhamali (velvet flower) garlands, praying for their long life and protection from Yama. Brothers give gifts in return. The ritual is rooted in the ancient story of Yamuna welcoming her brother Yama; the god of death himself came to receive his sister's blessing, making him mortal for that day. The official auspicious time will be announced by Nepal Panchanga Nirnayak Samiti approximately 2–3 weeks before the festival.
⏰Bhai Tika Times 2083: Nepal & Worldwide
| Country / City | Timezone | Bhai Tika, Wed Nov 11, 2026 |
|---|
| 🇳🇵Nepal | NST (UTC+5:45) | TBC by Panchanga |
| 🇦🇺Australia (Sydney) | AEDT (UTC+11) | N/A |
| 🇺🇸USA (New York) | EST (UTC-5) | N/A |
| 🇬🇧United Kingdom | GMT (UTC+0) | N/A |
| 🇦🇪UAE (Dubai) | GST (UTC+4) | N/A |
| 🇶🇦Qatar | AST (UTC+3) | N/A |
| 🇯🇵Japan | JST (UTC+9) | N/A |
| 🇮🇳India | IST (UTC+5:30) | N/A |
| 🇸🇦Saudi Arabia | AST (UTC+3) | N/A |
⏳ Official Bhai Tika auspicious time will be announced by Nepal Panchanga Nirnayak Samiti approximately 2–3 weeks before the festival (~October 2026). This page will be updated then.
🌍Why These Festivals Matter for Nepalis Around the World
3.5M+
Nepalis living and working abroad in countries like Qatar, UAE, Malaysia, South Korea, Australia and the US
30M+
Nepali speakers worldwide including communities in India's Sikkim, Darjeeling, Assam and North East states
~1 week
Length of Dashain public holiday in Nepal; government offices, banks, and schools all close
₹ Billions
Estimated remittances sent home by diaspora Nepalis specifically for Dashain, to cover new clothes, feasts and dakshina
For the millions of Nepalis working in the Gulf, East Asia, Europe and elsewhere, Dashain and Tihar represent the sharpest emotional pull of the year. Many workers save all year to send money home for new clothes and festive food. Some fly home just for the tika ceremony: a 36-hour journey to sit in front of their mother for ten minutes with red rice on their forehead, then fly back.
For Nepali communities who cannot return, these festivals are preserved through community gatherings in Kathmandu apartments replicated in Sydney, Dallas, and Doha. The smell of sel roti frying, marigold garlands ordered from Indian grocery stores, WhatsApp video calls held open during tika: these are the ways the festival travels across time zones and years abroad.
Dashain and Tihar are also the only times when Nepal's extraordinary diversity, Hindu and Buddhist, Brahmin and Tamang, Madhesi and Pahadi, royalist and republican, largely sets aside its differences. The festivals predate the modern nation state by centuries and belong to all Nepalis.
✈️ Travel note for 2026: If you plan to visit Nepal during Dashain (October) or Tihar (November), book flights and accommodation months in advance. Dashain is Nepal's biggest domestic travel rush, and buses and flights fill up weeks ahead. Many guesthouses in Kathmandu close as staff travel home. Trekking companies continue to operate, but porters and guides may be unavailable during the main days.
🍽️Traditional Foods of Dashain and Tihar
No Nepali festival is complete without its signature foods. These are the dishes that Nepalis around the world cook during the festival season, and their smell alone is enough to bring on nostalgia.
🍚
Sel Roti
Ring-shaped rice flour doughnut, fried crisp, slightly sweet. The defining snack of both festivals.
🐐
Khasi ko Masu
Goat curry, the centrepiece of Dashain feasts. Families often slaughter and cook whole goats.
🍮
Kheer
Rice pudding cooked in milk with cardamom and sugar. Offered to deities and shared with guests.
🥘
Aloo ko Achar
Spiced potato pickle, eaten with sel roti and the essential table companion of every festival meal.
🍬
Kaju Katli
Cashew fudge sweets, exchanged as gifts between families during Tihar visits.
🌾
Jamara
Not food, but the nine-day barley sprouts that are placed behind ears as blessings. The most iconic image of Dashain.
🗓️ Convert Dashain & Tihar Dates in BS ↔ AD
Merokalam's free Nepali Date Converter lets you instantly convert any BS date to AD and back, perfect for sharing festival dates with friends abroad.
❓Frequently Asked Questions
When exactly is Vijaya Dashami tika in 2026 and what time should I do it?+
Vijaya Dashami 2083 falls on Wednesday, October 21, 2026 (Kartik 4, 2083 BS). The cited auspicious time is 11:53 AM Nepal Standard Time; the official confirmation will be issued by the Nepal Panchanga Nirnayak Samiti approximately 2–3 weeks before the festival. Tika giving continues for the entire day of Vijaya Dashami and the following four days (Ekadashi through Kojagrat Purnima), so families abroad who cannot gather on the main day can celebrate on subsequent days without any reduction in the blessing's significance.
Why do Dashain dates change every year?+
Dashain follows the Bikram Sambat (BS) lunar calendar, which is tied to the moon's cycle rather than the fixed solar Gregorian calendar. The festival always falls on the bright fortnight (Shukla Paksha) of the Nepali month of Ashwin, with Vijaya Dashami on the 15th lunar day (Purnima). Because the lunar calendar and the Gregorian calendar drift apart by about 11 days each year, Dashain falls on a different AD date each time, though it always lands somewhere in late September or early October.
What is the difference between Tihar and Diwali?+
Both celebrate light, but they differ significantly in rituals and emphasis. Indian Diwali centers on Goddess Laxmi's worship and, in northern India, Lord Rama's return to Ayodhya. Nepali Tihar uniquely spans five days with a different focus each day: beginning with the worship of crows, then dogs (Kukur Tihar, unique to Nepal), then cows and Laxmi, then oxen, and ending with the sibling celebration of Bhai Tika. The emphasis on animals as spiritual companions is distinctly Nepali and draws from a different mythological tradition around Yama and Yamuna rather than Rama.
Can non-Hindus celebrate Dashain and Tihar?+
Absolutely. While both festivals have Hindu religious roots, they are celebrated broadly across Nepal's diverse communities. Buddhist Newars celebrate Tihar alongside Hindus. Many secular and non-religious Nepalis participate in the cultural and family dimensions, the homecoming, the tika, the feasts, the lights, without the religious elements. As national cultural events, Dashain and Tihar transcend religion and belong to the whole Nepali identity. Non-Nepali visitors who are invited to join a tika ceremony are warmly welcomed.
How do Nepalis abroad celebrate Dashain and Tihar?+
Diaspora communities across Australia, the US, UK, the Gulf and Japan organise community Dashain and Tihar events, usually on the nearest weekend to the actual festival date. These typically include communal tika ceremonies, sel roti and khasi ko masu feasts, Deusi-Bhailo singing for Tihar, and sometimes cultural performances. Many Nepalis abroad do tika over video call with parents in Nepal at the official auspicious time, holding the phone to their forehead. It is heartbreaking and beautiful simultaneously, and a very common experience for the Nepali diaspora.
When is Dashain and Tihar in 2083 BS (2026 AD)?+
Dashain 2083 is confirmed: Ghatasthapana on Sunday, October 11, 2026 (Ashwin 25, 2083 BS), with Vijaya Dashami on Wednesday, October 21, 2026 (Kartik 4, 2083 BS) at 11:53 AM NST. The festival ends with Kojagrat Purnima on Sunday, October 25, 2026. Tihar 2083 runs from November 7–11, 2026 (Kartik 22–26, 2083 BS), with Laxmi Puja on November 9 and Bhai Tika on November 11. The official Bhai Tika auspicious time will be announced by the Nepal Panchanga Nirnayak Samiti closer to the date.