Tihar (Deepawali)
तिहार
Also known as: Deepawali, Yamapanchak, Festival of Lights
Nepal's five-day festival of lights honoring crows, dogs, cows, oxen, and siblings — a uniquely Nepali take on Diwali.
Location
Nationwide
Duration
5 days
Month (BS)
Kartik
Month (AD)
October/November
Highlights
Kukur Tihar — dogs everywhere garlanded and honored. Laxmi Puja night — entire cities illuminated. Deusi-Bhailo singing groups going door to door. Bhai Tika — the bond between brothers and sisters.
Tips for Visitors
Tihar is more tourist-friendly than Dashain — many businesses stay open. The Laxmi Puja evening is spectacular for photography. Join a Deusi-Bhailo group if invited. Sweets are everywhere — try sel roti (ring-shaped rice bread).
Tihar is Nepal's most beautiful festival, a five-day celebration of lights that illuminates the entire country. While it shares roots with India's Diwali, Nepal's Tihar is uniquely its own.
Each day honors a different being: Day 1 (Kaag Tihar) honors crows as messengers of death god Yama. Day 2 (Kukur Tihar) celebrates dogs — every dog in Nepal gets garlands, tika, and special food (yes, even strays). Day 3 (Gai Tihar/Laxmi Puja) honors cows and goddess Laxmi — homes are lit with oil lamps and candles, and Deusi-Bhailo singing groups go door to door. Day 4 (Goru Tihar/Govardhan Puja) honors oxen and the self (Mha Puja for Newars, their New Year). Day 5 (Bhai Tika) is when sisters place elaborate tika on brothers' foreheads and pray for their long life.
The nights of Tihar transform Nepal. Every window, rooftop, and doorway glows with oil lamps, candles, and electric lights. Children form Deusi-Bhailo groups, singing traditional songs door-to-door in exchange for money and treats — Nepal's equivalent of Halloween trick-or-treating.