Chaitey Dashain: The Festive End of The Year 2078

Chaitey Dashain: The Festive End of The Year 2078

The greatness of a culture can be found in its festivals!

There are many festivals celebrated in Nepal among them Dashain is the biggest highlight. Dashain is celebrated in the month of Asoj/Kartik and Chaitey Dashain is celebrated in Chaitra.

Get into the festive season of the Dashain: Part 2! Clear your concerns, take a break, and let the celebrations take over.

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Chaitey Dashain is a Hindu festival, celebrated mainly in Nepal, especially in the month of Chaitra. Goddess Durga is worshiped and animal sacrifices are made in some temples, especially in temples of Durga Bhawani. It is regarded as a younger sibling of the Bada Dashain. according to the Nepali Calendar, this festival is celebrated for two days, in the Chaitra Shukla Ashtami and Navami tithi. The day of Ashtami is known as Chaitey Dashain.

Chaitey Dashain

Chaitey Dashain

Chaitey Dashain is the last festival of the Hindu calendar. As soon as the Chaitra month ends, New Year begins with Baisakh month. It is believed that this day was actual Big Dashain we celebrated as a victory, but due to the start of the summer season, people started falling sick with seasonal conditions that was impacted due to the Festive feasts. So, for the good health and benefit of people, this day was shifted to Bada Dashain and Chaitey Dashain began to be celebrated as Smaller Dashain. In this way, Ram Navami and Chaitey Dashain are connected with each other and celebrated worldwide.

Why is it Celebrated?

The Chaitra Dashain is timed to be exactly six months before the Maha Ashtami day during the festival of Dashain in late September. It is a day when sacrificial offerings are made to Durga, a ritual that takes place at midday. This day falls generally in the final Nepali month of the Bikram Sambat calendar.

Chaitey Dashain and Bada Dashain

Chaitey Dashain

This is the smaller of the two Dashain that is celebrated by most Nepalese people. The bigger Dashain sometimes referred to as Bada Dashain falls in Sept/Oct and is celebrated for ten days while the Chaitey Dashain falls in spring around March/April. This smaller Dashain lasts for only two days and is named after the month during which it is held. Legend has it that the Goddess Devi Durga appeared in her most powerful form in order to protect the weak from the wicked.

Myth of Chaitey Dashain

Chaitey Dashain: The Festive End of The Year 2078

Chaitey Dashain is the day when Lord Rama came back to his palace Ayodhaya, returning with his wife Sita and his brother Laxman. The people of Ayodhya celebrated this day with joy and happiness as a festival. This festival has the same important days as the 10 days of Bijaya Dashami, although it is observed for 2 days in public. This day is a celebration of the victory of good over bad. It is said that the Goddess Devi Durga appeared in her most powerful form in order to protect the weak from the wicked.

Hence, Devi is worshipped on this day. It was Durga who helped Ram (incarnation of Vishnu), the central character of the epic Ramayana, in defeating his arch-foe, Ravan. It is believed Ram was eventually successful in killing Ravan on the 9th of the Nepali month Chait (Chaitra), so the second day of the festival is called Ram Navami.

Chaitey Dashain: The Festive End of The Year 2078

An important aspect of this festival and also of Bada Dashain is the animal sacrifices, which are essential to appease Goddess Durga. Hence, blood sacrifices are carried out in the temples of the Mother Goddesses who are manifestations of Goddess Durga. Many water buffaloes and goats are sacrificed during this festival. Major sacrifices take place near the Hanuman Dhoka palace at the guardhouse and also at Bhaktapur Durbar Square. Tourists may take photographs of the sacrifices from a distance.

Conclusion

Chaitey Dashain: The Festive End of The Year 2078

In past, Dashain was a festival that used to be celebrated on Chaitra. As Chaitra is the start of summer and due to the change of seasons many people started to fall sick. So people started to celebrate this festival during Asoj and Kartik month.

After knowing the entire information about this grand festival, it calls for an understandable celebration. You know Goddess Durga is going to be watching over you during the whole time. Be good or be celebratory, It’s in your hands. Remember that good won over evil and came back home on this very day, signalling the start of a new season and a new year.

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