Happy Tihar!
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Yesterday was the final day of Tihar festivities. This holiday is so much fun. I've described it here in the past as a cross between Christmas Caroling and Trick-or-treating... (only better.) Every house is lit with colorful lights and candles, and cooks yummy food. The city lights up and music blasts from every corner. Friends and family gather in groups and go house to house singing and dancing, blessing your home and family. We sat on the front porch and watched the performances, ranging as small as young little toddlers, to teenagers, adults and older people. There are drums and tambourines and sound systems! Everyone in the group sings and dances and take turns in the center of the circle going all out. Towards the end, you offer the group a plate of goodies with a candle lit (tika, sweets, rice, flowers, and money) in exchange for their blessings. The kids went out just about every night with their friends and the fellows and I joined in one night with a big group of our neighbors and villagers. Yesterday was the grand finale where we all do a brother sister ceremony. The sisters bless their brothers by putting tika on their heads and giving them a flower necklace. We did our own little version here at the house and ended the night watching (and singing along) to my favorite movie of all time, The Sound of Music.
Happy Tihar to all :)