27 Oct/Day 01: Arrival in Kathmandu Airport and
transfer to Yak and Yeti hotel accommodation in Kathmandu (1350M/4430ft)
28 Oct/Day 02: One hour
mountain flights in Early in the morning. You can see the view of 13 snowy
capped Mountains over 8000 meters and one hundred peaks over 6000 meters.
The first day of the festival is called Kaag Tihar or Kwah Puja (worship of the
corvids) Crows and ravens are worshiped by offerings of sweets and dishes
placed on the roofs of houses. The cawing of crows and ravens symbolizes
sadness and grief in Hinduism, so devotees offer crows and ravens food to avert
grief and death in their homes. Tihar among Gorkhas represents the divine
attachment between humans and other animals. So you will be traveling for
see the worship in local village. Then you will have sightseeing around
Kathmandu valley some UNESCO world Heritage Sites. Pashupatinath, Boudhanath,
Swoyambhunath. Overnight at same Hotel accommodation.
29 Oct/Day 03: Today is
the second festival day of Tihar (Deepawali). The second day is called Kukur
Tihar or Khichā Pujā (worship of the dogs). Dogs, which are believed to be
messengers of Lord Yamaraj, the God of Death, are worshiped once each year on
this day. People offer garlands, tikas, Malas and delicious food to dogs and
acknowledge the cherished relationship between humans and dogs. This day is
also observed as Narka Chaturdashi. After lunch fly from Kathmandu to Pokhara
(915m/3002ft.) which takes about 25 minutes by flight. Boating in the Phewa
Lake after dinner watch the Deepawali festival, enjoy the Deusi and Bhailo
songs and Dance at Lakeside town. Overnight at Hotel accommodation.
30 Oct/Day04: The morning of third day is Gai
Tihar (worship of the cow). In Hinduism, cow signifies prosperity and wealth.
In ancient times people benefited a lot from the cow. Its milk, dung, even
urine was used for purposes like purification. Thus, on this day people show
their gratefulness to the cow by garlanding and feeding them with the best
grass. Houses are cleaned and the doorways and windows are decorated with
garlands made of sayapatri (marigolds) and makhamali (chrysanthemums) flowers.
In
the evening Laxmi, the goddess of wealth is thanked for all the benefits that
were bestowed on the families by lighting oil lamps (Diyo) or candles on
doorways and windows to welcome prosperity and well being. At night the girls
enjoy dancing and visiting all the houses of the neighborhood with musical
instruments singing and dancing known as Bhailo all night long collecting money
as tip from houses and share the bounty amongst themselves.
From the third day onward tihar is celebrated with
Deusi and Bhailo with light and fireworks. Deusi is mostly sung by the boys
while the Bhailo is sung by the girls. Deusi is balladic and tells the story of
the festival, with one person narrating and the rest as the chorus. In return
the home owners give them money, fruit and selroti (a Nepali roundel made of
rice flour and sugar). Nowadays social workers, politician, and young people
visit local homes, sing these songs, and collect funds for welfare and social
activities. So today you will be exploring around Davids Falls, Mountain
museum, Peace pagoda, explore around Phewa Lake. Overnight at hotel
accommodation.
31 Oct/Day 05: Early in the
morning you will be enjoy and explore World peace pagoda. After breakfast you
will be taking for half an hour’s paragliding up to the sarangkot.
On the fourth day of Tihar, there are three different known pujas, depending on
the people's cultural background. It is observed as Goru Tihar or Goru Puja
(worship of the oxen). People who follow Vaishnavism perform Govardhan Puja,
which is worship towards Goverdhan Mountain. Cow dung is taken as
representative of the mountain and is worshiped. This day is seen as the
beginning of the new Nepal Sambat calendar year. In the Morning you will enjoy
the Annapurna, fish tail and Dhaulagiri and many more peaks. After Lunch you
will be driving to Naudanda (1025m/3363ft, 03hrs) overnight at typical Nepali
house to celebrate the final festival day.
01 Nov/Day 06: Today you
will be celebrating this festival with Nepali family. The fifth
and last day of Tihar is called Bhai Tika or Kija Puja. It is observed by
sisters applying tika to the foreheads of their brothers to ensure long life
and thank them for the protection they provide. It is believed that Yamraj, the
God of Death, visited his sister, Goddess Yamuna, on this day during which she
applied the auspicious tika on his forehead, garlanded him and fed him special
dishes. Together, they ate sweets, talked and enjoyed themselves to their
hearts' content. Upon parting, Yamraj gave Yamuna a special gift as a token of
his affection and, in return, Yamuna gave him a lovely gift which she had made
with her own hands. That day Yamraj announced that anyone who receives tilak
from his sister will never die on that day.
Sisters make
a special garland for their brothers from a flower that wilts only after a
couple of months, symbolizing the sister's prayer for her brother's long life.
Brothers sit on the floor while their sisters perform their puja. The puja
follows a traditional ritual in which sisters circle brothers, dripping oil on
the floor from a copper pitcher and applying oil to their brother's hair,
following which a seven-color tika is applied on the brother's forehead. Next,
brothers give tikas to their sisters in the same fashion with an exchange of
gifts. This ritual is practiced regardless of whether the brother is younger or
older than the sister. Those without a sister or brother join relatives or
friends for tika. This festival strengthens the close relationship between
brothers and sisters. Return back to Pokhara and Flight to Kathmandu for
Overnight. Farewell dinner with culture program In the Evening where you can
watch again the singing and dancing program. Yak and Yeti Hotel accommodation.
02 Nov/Day 07: Drop to
airport for final departure, or alternatively join other programs.
