Festival · Nepal
Tihar: Nepal's Festival of Lights
Tihar is Nepal's festival of lights: five days honouring crows, dogs, cows, Lakshmi and siblings with oil lamps and rangoli.
Tihar — also known as Deepawali or Yamapanchak — is Nepal's dazzling five-day festival of lights, falling a couple of weeks after Dashain. Where Dashain is about family and blessing, Tihar is about light, animals and the bond between siblings, and it turns the Kathmandu Valley into a sea of oil lamps and colour.
What Tihar celebrates
Tihar is unusual for honouring animals as well as deities. Each of its five days has its own focus, building to the worship of the goddess of wealth, Lakshmi, and ending with a celebration of the sibling relationship. It is one of the most visually beautiful festivals in the country and a natural follow-on from Dashain.
When it falls
Tihar takes place in the lunar month of Kartik, usually late October or November, centred on the new moon. As with all lunar festivals the Gregorian dates move each year — check timing with our best time to visit Nepal guide before you book.
The five days
| Day | Name | What is honoured |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kaag Tihar | The crow, messenger of death |
| 2 | Kukur Tihar | The dog, garlanded and fed treats |
| 3 | Laxmi Puja | The cow, and goddess Lakshmi; homes lit with lamps |
| 4 | Govardhan / Mha Puja | The ox; Newar new year self-worship |
| 5 | Bhai Tika | Sisters bless their brothers |
How and where it is celebrated
The most magical night is Laxmi Puja, when families clean and decorate homes, draw colourful rangoli patterns at thresholds, and line doorways and rooftops with oil lamps (diyo) and candles to welcome the goddess of wealth. Groups of singers perform Deusi-Bhailo door to door, and households reward them with sweets and money. The fifth day, Bhai Tika, sees sisters give brothers a multicoloured tika and garlands. Kukur Tihar, when dogs — including street dogs and police dogs — are garlanded and fed, charms many visitors.
What travellers will see
Expect glowing courtyards, marigold garlands, rangoli mandalas, sparklers and the steady chant of Deusi-Bhailo at night. Markets sell garlands, sweets and clay lamps. The old quarters of Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur are especially atmospheric. Like Dashain, Tihar empties cities of commuters and closes many businesses, but the festive sparkle more than compensates.
The fourth day holds special significance for the Newar community, who observe Mha Puja — a unique ritual of worshipping one's own body and inner self to purify and energise it for the year ahead — which also marks the Newar New Year (Nepal Sambat). On the same day, others perform Govardhan Puja, honouring the ox and making a small mound of cow dung to represent the Govardhan hill. Throughout Tihar, garlands of bright orange marigolds (sayapatri) and globe amaranth (makhamali) are draped over doorways, vehicles and even the necks of dogs, and the scent of marigolds becomes inseparable from the festival. The overall effect, especially after dark, is one of the most beautiful sights in the Nepali year.
Tips for visitors
- Walk the old towns at dusk on Laxmi Puja night for the best lamp-lit scenes.
- Carry small notes if you want to tip Deusi-Bhailo groups.
- Book transport ahead, as buses and flights fill up around the holiday.
- Be gentle with the street dogs garlanded on Kukur Tihar, and ask before photographing private home rituals — our Nepal culture and etiquette guide has more.
Tihar caps Nepal's great autumn run of festivals that begins with Dashain and overlaps with Chhath Parva in the Terai. For the rest of the year's celebrations, see the full festival calendar of Nepal.
Frequently asked questions
When is Tihar celebrated?+
Tihar falls in the lunar month of Kartik, usually late October or November, a couple of weeks after Dashain. The five days centre on the new moon (Laxmi Puja night). Exact dates shift each year with the lunar calendar.
What does Tihar celebrate?+
Tihar, also called Deepawali or Yamapanchak, is the festival of lights. Over five days it honours the crow, the dog, the cow and the goddess Lakshmi, and finishes with Bhai Tika, when sisters bless their brothers for long life.
What is Bhai Tika?+
Bhai Tika is the fifth and final day, when sisters place a multicoloured tika on their brothers' foreheads, garland them and pray for their long life, while brothers give gifts in return — a celebration of the sibling bond.
What is Deusi-Bhailo?+
Deusi-Bhailo are traditional Tihar songs performed door to door by groups of singers and dancers at night, especially by children and young people. Households reward them with money, fruit and sweets.
Where is the best place to see Tihar?+
Tihar is celebrated everywhere, but Kathmandu's old neighbourhoods glow beautifully with oil lamps, fairy lights and rangoli. Patan and Bhaktapur are especially atmospheric on Laxmi Puja night.
