Festival · Kalimpong
Dashain and Tihar in Kalimpong
The biggest festival season of the Nepali-speaking hills. Dashain brings red tika, jamara barley shoots and family visits; Tihar, two to three weeks later, brings oil lamps, marigold garlands, garlands for dogs and the deusi-bhailo songs that groups sing from house to house.
For most families in Kalimpong, Dashain is the year's main holiday. It runs alongside Durga Puja in the plains, and on Tika day, the tenth day, elders put a mix of rice, curd and red colour on the foreheads of younger relatives, along with the pale yellow jamara shoots grown from barley seed over the previous nine days. Families travel long distances to receive tika from their grandparents, and shops close.
Tihar follows two to three weeks later, around Diwali. Over five days the hills honour crows, dogs, cows and oxen in turn, and on Bhai Tika sisters bless their brothers. Houses are lit with oil lamps and strings of lights. In the evenings, groups of young people go from house to house singing deusi and bhailo songs and collecting small gifts, often for a club or a cause.
For visitors, this is also the busiest season of the year. Families from Kolkata and the rest of Bengal come up for the Puja holidays, rooms fill and taxi fares rise. If you want to see the festivals, book early and travel on the less busy days in between.
Tips
- Book rooms and NJP trains six to eight weeks ahead for the Puja and Diwali weeks, and expect higher taxi fares.
- On Tika day many shops and jeep stands are quiet; plan a rest day instead of a long transfer.
- Dates follow the Hindu lunar calendar and move each year: check current status before you travel.
Most hill festivals follow lunar calendars, so dates move each year. Check current status before you travel.
Questions people ask
Good to know
When are Dashain and Tihar in 2026?
Dashain usually falls in late September or October, with Tika day matching Bijaya Dashami, the end of Durga Puja. Tihar follows two to three weeks later and matches Diwali in October or November. Exact dates change each year, so look up the Nepali calendar for the year you travel and check current status before you travel.
Can visitors join Dashain celebrations?
Dashain is mainly a family festival, so there is no big public event to attend. Homestay families often invite guests to watch tika being given, and some will offer you tika too. Accept with both hands, and it is polite to bring a small gift of sweets or fruit. In town you will see swings, kite flying and markets full of new clothes.
What is deusi-bhailo?
Deusi and bhailo are call-and-response songs sung during Tihar. Groups of girls (bhailo) and boys or mixed groups (deusi) visit houses and shops in the evening, sing, dance and bless the household, which gives them money, rice or sweets. In Kalimpong the groups often collect for clubs or charities. Listen from your homestay doorway; hosts usually welcome it.
Is October too crowded to visit Kalimpong?
The Durga Puja and Diwali weeks are crowded and pricier, but the rest of October and November are among the best weeks of the year, with clear skies and dry roads. Stay in a village such as Sillery Gaon or Icchey Gaon to avoid town traffic, book early, and check current status before you travel.