Yes, Tihar or Dipawali or Diwali is a festival of lights and flowers. I generally enjoy the festival but when I compare it with Dashian, our biggest festival, I find Tihar a bit individualistic. Sisters put Tika to their brothers wishing them long lives. While doing so, they are also saving their brothers from the god of death- Yamaraj by making oil marks around brothers. So this is a sacred festival. Still I think this is individualistic. Not as much social as Dashain. Dashain is more social because whole family is involved in the whole process of Tika. Seniors put tika to juniors’ foreheads. Juniors go to other seniors in the village. That creates interaction in society and cements the socialite bond.
But in Tihar, each sister is worried about giving tika to her brothers. A brother is worried about taking tika from her sisters. Well, may be this is the hallmark of Tihar and that is why it is different from Dashian. All festivals have their own style and identity.
Dinesh with Tihar Tika
Email and myself received tika from Gita and Ambika just like in previous years. Kalyan went to Kaushaltar for tika with his sisters.
It’s been a pretty lazy day for me. Have nothing special to do other than the tika thing. They say no news is good news but now I am feeling like that is really a bad news. Anyway, from tomorrow, work will resume and I am excited about that.
Dinesh Wagle on Nepali Society 
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