Tihar is one of the biggest festivals celebrated in Nepal after Dashain. With the end of Dashain, we have Tihar just around the corner. Tihar is the celebration of joy, happiness, lights, and colors. Tihar is considered to be of great importance as it shows the contribution to not just the humans and the gods, but also to the animals like crows, cows, and dogs that maintain an intimate relationship with the humans. The main Goddess that is worshiped in this festival is Goddess Laxmi, also known as the goddess of wealth and luck.

Laxmi Puja (worship of the cows and goddess Laxmi). This is a special day which has its own separate set of celebrations. In the mornings, the cows are worshipped and hung garland around their necks, with their body in red colors with holy strings tied onto their tails. In Hinduism, cows signify wealth and prosperity. The uses of cows have outstripped many domesticated animals. So on this day the cows are worshipped and fed the juiciest of grass as a sign of gratitude. In the afternoons, the entire house is cleaned and groomed. People may even put fancy lights on their rooms and outside their houses.

But tihar isn’t the same for all, some people celebrate it with all the luxury they have some with just one LED light they fixed with their hard-earned money. Some people with thousands of money but some with a single penny. Have we ever thought about those people who spend all their time in the footpaths? For them, the only meaning of the celebration is when they get food for their survival. The people from high socioeconomic backgrounds, buy new clothes, eat delicious dishes, decorate their houses to welcome goddess Laxmi, but my heart pains when I see children’s in the roadside begging for money or food to eat. For a youngster like me who comes from a middle-class family, I feel the sense of responsibility of being a citizen of Nepal to bring smiles to their faces.

Even though I don’t earn, and I know that most of the families might have problems financially, socially but I urge everyone to  just spend their fifty rupees and bring smiles to their faces. Some might not have eaten food for so long for the sake of humanity, let’s be kind in this festival of joy, victory, lights, colors, let’s not just shop from malls but also shop from the street vendors. Together peacefully we can make this world a better place to live.

As the greatest poet Laxmi Prasad Devkota once said, An individual greatness is determined by their heart, not by their caste. Let’s understand everyone’s importance in this world. Being rich or accomplished doesn’t define you, You shall be only defined by the impact you have put in this world.

Happy Tihar!!!

May this festival bring joy, prosperity to your family!

Reeva Khanal