In Nepal, the biggest, most important festival of the year is Dashain. In that way, it’s like the equivalent of Christmas in the Hindu religion, and even non-Hindus in Nepal celebrate it. In total, the festival spans ten days, but not all of them bear the same importance. In Nepali, the number ten is dash, but it sounds like “dus.” Similarly, the tenth day of this festival is also called Dashain.
From what I could grasp about the festival, three main traditions happen during Dashain: sacrificing to the gods, blessing all vehicles and tools, and giving and receiving Tika. Each family does things differently, but I can describe how my family celebrated this year.
The eighth day of Dashain is sometimes called the Kaasi Katne day, or the goat cutting day. Months ahead of time, large herds of goats and bison form all around the country in preparation for this day. Early in the morning, hundreds of poultry, goats and buffalo are sacrificed. However, most households don’t perform these sacrifices themselves. Also, families typically eat goat meat, so they purchase a full goat and prepare it at home. They eat everything from the organs and meat to the blood. Most surprising to me was definitely the blood. My family fried it with onion and garlic and then served it as part of our otherwise normal meal.
