What is Tihar?
तिहार
Tihar is the five-day festival of lights: crows, dogs and cows honoured, Laxmi welcomed with lamps, deusi and bhailo songs, and Bhai Tika.
What Tihar is
Tihar is the festival of lights, also called Deepawali or Yamapanchak, the five days connected with Yama, the god of death. It comes a few weeks after Dashain. Houses are cleaned, lit with oil lamps called diyo, and decorated with marigold garlands and coloured patterns at the door.
Each of the five days honours someone different: animals that live close to people, the goddess of wealth, and finally brothers and sisters.
The five days of Tihar
Day one, Kag Tihar: crows, seen as messengers, are given food in the morning.
Day two, Kukur Tihar: dogs are given a garland, a tika and a good meal, as guardians of the house and companions of Yama.
Day three, Gai Tihar and Laxmi Puja: in the morning the cow, a symbol of wealth and gentleness, is worshipped. In the evening families worship Laxmi, the goddess of wealth. Lamps are lit in every window and a path is painted from the door so Laxmi finds her way in.
Day four: Goru Tihar, when oxen are honoured, and Govardhan Puja. Many Newar families mark Mha Puja, a worship of one's own body and life, and the Nepal Sambat new year.
Day five, Bhai Tika: sisters bless their brothers for a long life.
Deusi and bhailo
From Laxmi Puja onwards, groups go from house to house singing. Bhailo is traditionally sung by girls and women, deusi by boys and men, though mixed groups are common now. The house gives food and money and the group sings a blessing for the household in return. In the USA, deusi and bhailo often raise money for a community cause.
Bhai Tika
On the last day, a sister puts a seven-coloured tika on her brother's forehead, places a garland of makhamali flowers around his neck, and draws a line of oil around him as a protective circle. Many families break a walnut at the door as part of the ritual. The brother gives his sister tika and a gift in return, and they share a plate of sweets, fruit and nuts.
The day is tied to the story of Yamuna, who kept her brother Yama from taking him away by worshipping him. People without a brother or a sister often exchange tika with cousins or close friends.
Common questions
- Tihar kahile ho? When is Tihar 2026?
- Tihar follows the lunar calendar and usually falls between October and mid-November, a few weeks after Dashain. The exact days are confirmed each year from the Nepal government calendar; see the Tihar 2026 page.
- Bhai Tika kahile ho?
- Bhai Tika is the fifth and last day of Tihar. How many days it falls after Laxmi Puja depends on the lunar calendar, so the exact date is confirmed each year from the Nepal government calendar.
- What do the five days of Tihar mean?
- Day one honours crows, day two dogs, day three cows and the goddess Laxmi, day four oxen and, for many Newar families, Mha Puja, and day five is Bhai Tika between sisters and brothers.
- What is the difference between deusi and bhailo?
- Both are house-to-house songs during Tihar. Bhailo is traditionally sung by girls and women, deusi by boys and men; the household gives food or money and is blessed in return.