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20 Kartik 2083 · Friday
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Tihar 2083

Five-day festival of lights. Crows, dogs, cows and oxen are worshipped on separate days, and it ends with Bhai Tika.

tomorrow

Tihar starts about two weeks after Dashain ends and lasts five days. Houses are decorated with marigold garlands and oil lamps. The crow, the dog, the cow and the ox each have their own day, and the last day, Bhai Tika, is for brothers and sisters. The tables below give the dates for this year and next year.

Tihar dates

BS 2083

EventsBS DateAD DateDay
Dhanawantari Jayanti / Kag Tihar21 Kartik 20837 Nov 2026Saturday
Laxmi Pooja / Kukur Tihar / Laxmi Prasad Devkota Janma Jayanti / Narak Chaturdashi / Sukha Ratri / World Radiography DayHoliday22 Kartik 20838 Nov 2026Sunday
Tihar Holiday / Gai Puja / World Freedom DayHoliday23 Kartik 20839 Nov 2026Monday
Gobardan Puja / Nepal Sambat 1147 Starts / Mha Puja / Hali Tihar / Goru Puja / World Science Day for Peace and DevelopmentHoliday24 Kartik 208310 Nov 2026Tuesday
Bhai Tika / Falgunanda Jayanti / Kija PoojaHoliday25 Kartik 208311 Nov 2026Wednesday
Tihar Holiday / World Pneumonia DayHoliday26 Kartik 208312 Nov 2026Thursday

The five days of Tihar

Tihar day by day

Kag Tihar is for the crow. Rice is put out on a leaf plate for crows, which are believed to bring news, usually bad news. On Kukur Tihar, dogs get a tika on the forehead, a marigold garland and better food than usual. This is done for street dogs as well as pet dogs. Gai Tihar, for the cow, is usually on the morning of the same day as Laxmi Puja. That evening the house is cleaned, red mud is spread at the doorway, footprints are drawn leading inside, and a lamp is lit in every window so that the goddess Laxmi can find the door. The fourth day has three observances: Goru Puja for the ox, Govardhan Puja for the cattle shed, and, in Newar households, Mha Puja, a puja for one's own body. Mha Puja is also the Nepal Sambat new year. Bhai Tika is the last day. Sisters put a seven-coloured tika on their brothers, draw a circle around them with oil and water, and feed them sel roti and fruit.

Deusi and Bhailo

From the evening of Laxmi Puja, groups go from house to house singing bhailo (girls) and deusi (boys). They collect money, sel roti and fruit. The household gives something, and the group blesses the house and moves on. Much of the money collected now goes to school and club projects, so some groups give a receipt.

What is closed

Government offices and banks close from Laxmi Puja to Bhai Tika. Recent holiday lists have also included the day after Bhai Tika, so the holiday is four or five days in total. Shops stay open longer than at Dashain. This is the busiest shopping week of the year, and sweet and lamp sellers stay open throughout. Roads are busy in the evenings because of deusi groups. Fireworks are restricted but still common.

Why Tihar's dates move

Tihar falls around Kartik Amavasya, at the end of the dark fortnight and the start of the bright fortnight. Laxmi Puja is on the amavasya itself. When a tithi is skipped or repeated, two of the five days can fall on the same calendar date. In those years the calendar shows Kukur Tihar and Laxmi Puja on the same day, and Gai Puja moves to the next morning.

Common mistakes

Bhai Tika is the fifth tithi if you count Kag Tihar as the first, so it is usually four days after Kag Tihar. A skipped or repeated tithi can change this, so check the date in the table instead of counting days. The sait for Bhai Tika is often around midday, not in the morning. At temples that hold mass tika events, the queue forms well before the sait.

Questions about Tihar

How many days is Tihar?

Five, from Kag Tihar to Bhai Tika. In some years the calendar shows two of them on one day because a tithi is skipped.

Is Tihar the same as Diwali?

The Laxmi Puja night is usually the same night as Diwali in India. Sometimes the Nepali and Indian panchangs put the amavasya one day apart. The other four days, especially Kukur Tihar and Bhai Tika, are observed differently in Nepal.

What is Mha Puja?

A puja for one's own body, done by Newar households on the fourth day of Tihar. It is also the first day of the Nepal Sambat year.

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