Festival · Maneybhanjan
Dashain and Tihar on the ridge
Dashain and Tihar, the biggest festivals of the Nepali-speaking hills, fall in October and early November, right at the start of the clear trekking season. Families gather for tika blessings at Dashain, then light lamps, honour crows, dogs and cows, and sing deusi-bhailo door to door at Tihar.
Dashain, celebrated in the Darjeeling hills and Nepal as the Nepali-speaking world's greatest festival, runs for fifteen days around the Durga Puja season. Barley shoots called jamara are sown in the first days. On Vijaya Dashami, the tenth day, elders place tika, a paste of rice, curd and red colour, on the foreheads of younger relatives, tuck jamara behind their ears and give blessings and money. Families travel long distances to be together.
Tihar follows about three weeks later and lasts five days. Crows are fed on the first day, dogs garlanded and honoured on the second, cows on the third, when Lakshmi Puja also lights every house with lamps. On the last day, Bhai Tika, sisters bless brothers with seven-coloured tika and marigold garlands. In the evenings, groups go door to door singing deusi and bhailo songs, collecting small gifts.
For trekkers, these festivals mean two things. First, villages like Maneybhanjan and Rimbik are full of families, swings, music and lights, and you may be offered sel roti, the ring-shaped festival bread. Second, many guides, drivers and lodge families take a few days off and hill transport is crowded with holiday travellers, so book Land Rovers, guides and jeep seats early.
Tips
- Check Dashain and Tihar dates when planning October treks; guides and jeeps may be scarce on the main days.
- Expect higher demand and some higher prices on the ridge during the Puja and Dashain holidays; book huts and lodges early.
- If deusi-bhailo singers come to your lodge, a small gift of ₹50–100 is customary and appreciated.
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 celebrated?
Dashain falls in late September or October, ending with Vijaya Dashami, and Tihar comes about three weeks later in October or early November. Both follow the lunar calendar, so dates vary each year. Check current dates before you travel.
Do Dashain and Tihar affect the Sandakphu trek?
Yes. They coincide with peak trekking season and Indian holiday travel, so lodges and Land Rovers fill up and some guides take days off on the main festival days. Book ahead and allow flexibility.
What is deusi-bhailo?
During Tihar, groups of children and young people go from house to house singing traditional deusi and bhailo songs, blessing the household and receiving small gifts of money, food or sweets. It happens in the evenings in villages and towns across the hills.
Can visitors receive Dashain tika?
Tika is a family blessing given by elders to relatives. Guests staying with a family are sometimes offered tika as a gesture of welcome. Accept respectfully if offered, but do not ask for it.