The festival of Tihar, the second biggest festival of Nepal, formally kicked off today, October 30. Tihar is also called Deepawali or the Festival of Lights and Yama Panchak.
The Nepal Calendar Determination Committee confirmed that Kaag Tihar or the first day of
Yama Panchak (five days dedicated to Lord Yamaraj) started today as per the lunar calendar.
The festival of Tihar is celebrated for five full days during the Nepali month of Kartik (mid-October to mid-November).
The first day of Tihar is the day dedicated to worshipping crows that are considered as the messenger of Lord Yamaraj, the God of Death. As part of the Tihar festival, Kaag Tihar is being celebrated today by offering food to the crow. Today, every household offers prayers and leaves food on the top of their terraces and walls for the crows to feed on. There is a general belief among the people that the crow accompanies Lord Yamaraj and is therefore immortal and worshipping it brings good fortune.
The religious scriptures talk about how the demon king Bali was given the opportunity by Lord Bishnu to rule all over the universe for these five days. To celebrate his ascension to the lordship of the entire universes, he ordered everyone to celebrate all five days with lights and flowers.
The belief among the people is that the celebration will please Goddess Laxmi, who is considered the goddess of wealth.
