Tihar celebration 2078 | Bhai Tika 2021 | REVI DIARIES

Welcome back to REVI DIARIES
Reju and I are celebrating Bhai tika in our small lovely home for the first time. This is the first time ever Reju and I have decided to organise this festival on our own and also will be the first time experience for our siblings to celebrate it on their own (no parents insight) :P

REJU and I have a lot to learn in the upcoming years, but anything special like this helps both of us understand the Nepali culture more clearly and pass it on to our younger siblings.

About the Festival:
Tihar (Nepali: तिहार), also known as Deepawali and Yamapanchak or Swanti (Newar: स्वन्ती:), is a five-day Hindu festival celebrated in Nepal and Indian states of Sikkim and West Bengal, particularly the towns of Darjeeling and Kalimpong, which host a large number of ethnic Nepali people. Tihar is analogous to the Indian festival of Diwali, the festival of lights, but with some significant differences. Tihar is the second biggest Nepali festival after Dashain and is usually allocated a three-day-long national holiday.

The fifth and last day of Tihar is called Bhai Tika or Kija Puja in Nepal Bhasa. On this final day, which is celebrated with much fanfare across the country, brothers and sisters mark their special bond by worshipping each other.

Legends have it that once a girl named the Yamuna, whose brother was ill, prayed for his long and healthy life and when Yama, the god of death, had come to take her brother with him, she pleaded for some time to worship him (her brother). Yama granted her the wish, after which she performed a long ceremony for her brother and Yama. He was very pleased with her and promised her not to take her brother’s soul until the offerings of turf grass and the flowers remained fresh and unwilted. As the flowers and the turf grass had remained unwilted and fresh till the next Bhai Tika, Yama granted the boy a long time. Since then, the sisters have performed the festival for the long and healthy life of their brothers.

Thus, on the fifth day of Tihar, sisters create a protective barrier of holy water and blessed oil around their brothers, circumambulating them several times. A special garland made out of the makhani flower (Gomphrena globosa) is placed around the brother's neck as this flower is known for its long life. The tika placed on the forehead of the brother is also unique in that it consists of seven different colours. The tika is also placed on the sister's forehead by the brother.

The ceremony is performed regardless of whether the brother is older or younger than the sister and first or second cousins are also eligible for the ceremony. In the end, the brother touches the feet of their sisters with their forehead, signifying love, respect and devotion. The brothers receive a variety of cooked food such as sel roti, fruits and packaged food while the sisters receive cash or other gifts such as clothing.

About us:
REVI Diaries is the collection of memories from REJU and VIK travel journey, We both like to travel and capture moments and we are here to just save and share this moment for the public and also to the future of us. We created this Channel so that one day when we are old we can look back to the days we spent, enjoyed and experienced together.

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