TRAVERSE 83
TRAVEL - NEPAL
LEIGH WILKINS
A FESTIVAL OF LIGHT
Frightening me half to death an explosion erupted at my feet , a homemade firecracker thrown from the depths of darkness amongst a poorly lit laneway . My travelling companion laughed as he pointed to a dog , “ look at that , the bloody dog had been painted ”.
Of course this was Tihar , the Nepalese Hindu festival of lights , or to be more accurate , Yamapanchak Tihar as we were within the Kathmandu Valley , in fact the city bearing the same name . Elsewhere in Nepal it is known as Dipawali Tihar or Tihar Parwa , although it seems the generalisation of Tihar is well accepted .
I laughed as the dog walked past , not at its appearance but at my friends astonishment , it was his first time in Nepal , and a painted dog seemed abnormal to a Western traveller . The dog had been a remnant of the previous day , Kukur Tihar , the second of the five-day festival , the day that all dogs are treated with a level of reverently , most often than not a tika , that red smudge , is placed on a dogs forehead around the place of the ajna chakra . It doesn ’ t end there as the dogs can be seen wearing a necklace of marigolds and are provided with treats throughout the day . Of course , it ’ s not just pets , stray dogs are treated well too , if for just one day .
As with everything during Tihar , the day of dogs is a celebration of ancient Hindu beliefs and traditions for it is said that dogs are one of the beasts associated with Yama , the god of death who took the form of a dog to enter the Hindu version of Heavan . It ’ s complex , yet it just feels right to do something special for dogs , although I can ’ t help feel that it should be every day .
We continued on through the narrow streets , marvelling at the lengths most households went to decorate with lights and bright
TRAVERSE 83